Shack PSA: Sign the ECA's Petition to 'Protect Video Games Under the First Amendment'
"For nearly two decades, elected officials have tried to regulate which video games you can buy, rent and play," a message on the ECA's petition page reads. "Every single time they've passed a law, the federal courts have struck it down as unconstitutional. But this may change this fall."
If passed, the law would allow the state to limit access to video games to minors based on its included content. The fear, according to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), is that video game stores will stop selling certain titles all together as "they won't know what titles fall under a particular state's laws and which don't." This could have an adverse affect on game development, as designers would have to first consider what may or may not be considered questionable before they dream up the next big "Game of the Year."
If you're a U.S. citizen, sign the petition. You obviously love the industry enough to visit Shacknews and discuss the industry with your fellow game lovers. You obviously love it enough to read this post. Now it's time to prove it, by loving it enough to try to protect it.
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it is more to Pledge support in a symbolic fashion. obviously this will not do anything legally.
The Courts hold the power in this day and age (or really, for the past 80 years).
It would be better if Shacknews would post an actual transcript of the law being disputed and the district courts decision. Education is key. -
When I was originally linked to this petition several months ago I tried to research why what was being proposed was so bad before I signed. I mean, in principle restricting the sales of adult video games to minors seems like an okay idea doesn't it? The ECA site does an absolutely terrible job of providing substantive information about why people should sign the petition and what its potential ramifications are, and instead seems to rely on a lot of scary language. Honestly I'm disappointed that the Shack article didn't do much better. Everything seems to boil down to "Do you like games? You should sign the petition! Bad things could happen!"
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