Rhode Island bill: jail for underage game sales

[Magic_Al]

Rhode Island Proposes Jail Time for Underage Game Sales

 

Even Jack Thompson says it won't survive court challenge

 

The Parents Television Council supports the bill, saying, "If we can prohibit the sale of tobacco, alcohol, and pornography to minors without restricting the rights of adults, we can do the same with adult games." The difference is, the Constitution doesn't recognize a right to tobacco and alcohol.

 

The pornography precedent has more credibility, as courts have recognized that states may use a broader definition of obscenity (which has long been held to be not protected by the First Amendment) to restrict minors' access compared to adults. However, there is so little precedent for finding depictions of violence to be obscene, and little evidence proving that experiencing such depictions through a video game is more harmful than through other media (there is no law imposing criminal penalties for showing a minor an R-rated movie), courts so far have been very reluctant to buy the idea that harm to minors justifies infringing freedom of expression.

[Creed Bratton]

Jack Thompson, huh? Well you know how they say: if you can't beat them, join them. Or maybe he wanted to educate himself more about this video game thing so he started playing, and he realized the error of his ways. I'd like that.