Tue, Mar 20, 2012 | 20:16 GMT

House members reintroduce Violence in Video Games Labeling Act

On March 19, US Representatives Joe Baca (D-CA) and Frank Wolf (R-VA) once again introduced a bill that would require games to bear a health warning label stating: “WARNING: Exposure to violent video games has been linked to aggressive behavior.”

Baca tried to get the bill passed in 2009, and made a second attempt back in January.

The introduction of the Violence in Video Games Labeling Act, H.R. 4204, is due to what the pair cite as increased evidence that playing violent games can have a long-lasting and serious impact on children.

“The video game industry has a responsibility to parents, families and to consumers — to inform them of the potentially damaging content that is often found in their products,” said Baca. “They have repeatedly failed to live up to this responsibility.”

If passed the bill would require gaming labels regardless of whether violent or not rated “E” for everyone, “E10+” for everyone 10 and older, “T” for teen, “M” for mature or “A” for adult. The Consumer Product Safety Commission would have 180 days to release rules requiring most games rated by the ESRB to bear the warning label. The only game excluded would be those rated “EC” for Early Childhood for kids ages 3 and up.

“Just as we warn smokers of the health consequences of tobacco, we should warn parents — and children — about the growing scientific evidence demonstrating a relationship between violent video games and violent behavior,” added Frank Wolf.

“As a parent and grandparent, I think it is important people know everything they can about the extremely violent nature of some of these games.”

So there you go. Violent games are as dangerous as smoking, kids.

12 comment-trail-alt Posted in: Legalities, Politics, Violence in games
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12 comments

#1

OrbitMonkey
20/03/12, 6:36 pm

If these out of touch fucks keep trying to mess with my videogames I swear I’ll kill someone!!

;-)

#2

ManuOtaku
20/03/12, 6:44 pm

I think this will work the same as the parental advisory explicit content label in the music industry, it will have the opposite effect.

#3

TD_Monstrous69
20/03/12, 6:52 pm

@1 LOL! I just really don’t get on why it is politicians are still trying to pursue laws like this.

#4

NeoSquall
20/03/12, 6:53 pm

Those men should have a label stating “WARNING: We steal your money trying to act like we do something.” grafted on their foreheads.

#5

shogoz
20/03/12, 7:57 pm

Even though I have read numerous comments bad mouthing australia for not having the R+18 classification (not that it was justified or mattered anyway because we still got most games…the ones we didnt get just generally sucked ass) I will not return the favour and be a prick about what i’ve read

#6

bo_7md
20/03/12, 9:41 pm

I love it when people try to prove their theory with a study. These days there is a study for everything meat kills you, meat is good for you, salt kills you, salt is good for you. Lets talk facts for a change, Japan has high violence games and sexual games with rape, incest and other taboo things yet their crime rate is lower than most.

I play a lot of games violent and non violent and never felt a game push me to the limit of killing people in the streets. It is a fact that the more a person becomes engrossed in games the more isolated he becomes from society choosing to live alone.

#7

NightCrawler1970
20/03/12, 10:11 pm

If the parent don’t understand “M” for mature or “A” for adult, than they all retarded….

playing Pac Man is violence too :P called cannibalism

#8

NeoSquall
20/03/12, 10:20 pm

@7 That’s actually drug abuse, lol

#9

DSB
20/03/12, 11:13 pm

Exposure to prostitutes, corruption and illicit gay sex has been linked to public office.

I’m sure there are a few buildings you can put that on.

#10

bo_7md
20/03/12, 11:46 pm

@9

“Public office has been linked to prostitutes, corruption and illicit gay sex”

Fixed =P

#11

DSB
20/03/12, 11:51 pm

Thanks bud :P

#12

The_Red
21/03/12, 7:49 am

And I want to introduce a WARNING label to everyone those House members behind this. They should bear it over their eyes and ears since they don’t seem to use them that often.

It should say: “WARNING: Exposure to stupidity has been linked to doing dumb things by out of touch wankers with semi-political powers”.

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