Ruling against age limit on game sales upheld

[5stringJeff]

Woo-hoo!

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Ruling against age limit on game sales upheld
Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, February 21, 2009

(02-20) 12:00 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- California's ban on selling video games to minors is unconstitutional because even the most graphic on-screen mayhem is free speech, and there's no convincing evidence it causes psychological damage to young people, a federal appeals court ruled Friday.

"The government may not restrict speech in order to control a minor's thoughts," said the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco in upholding a federal judge's ruling against the law, which has never been enforced. Similar laws in other states have also been struck down.

The head of an industry group that challenged the law praised the court's "rejection of video game censorship." State Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, sponsor of the law, urged state officials to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...BAI9161PAJ.DTL

[Abbey Marie]

By this logic, we should get rid of all age restrictions on movies. too. Let the little ones see R and even NC-17 movies without parental permission.

[dan]

Awesome! Here's to the first amendment:

[Mr. P]

Will the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, the most overturned court in the USA, also allow the sale of cigarettes and alcohol to minors too?

MORONS!

[dan]

I mean, it's not like there's that many kids who want to play and adult video game and don't get to. Just like there are very few teens who want to drink and/or smoke but don't because they're not old enough to buy it themselves.

[DannyR]

Will the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, the most overturned court in the USA, also allow the sale of cigarettes and alcohol to minors too?

MORONS!

Why is the government in the nanny state business? Shouldn't PARENTS be the ones limiting what their kids watch and do?

Realistically though, while I love the 1st amendment and think parents should be the ones limiting their kids anyway, I don't see this ruling standing.

Since video games can contain full video in them, does this mean that a game like Playboy Mansion would be fine if it contained nude pics? And whats the difference between a game and going to a violent movie?

[Mr. P]

Why is the government in the nanny state business? Shouldn't PARENTS be the ones limiting what their kids watch and do?

Realistically though, while I love the 1st amendment and think parents should be the ones limiting their kids anyway, I don't see this ruling standing.

Since video games can contain full video in them, does this mean that a game like Playboy Mansion would be fine if it contained nude pics? And whats the difference between a game and going to a violent movie?

ABSOLUTELY! Parents are and should be the guide..but in this day as Dan eluded it's VERY difficult. So that's why I can't accept making it easy for kids that WILL do what kids will do, while making it MUCH more difficult for parents to parent.

[5stringJeff]

By this logic, we should get rid of all age restrictions on movies. too. Let the little ones see R and even NC-17 movies without parental permission.

Kids can already see R and NC-17 movies legally. The movie rating system is an industry standard, not a law.

[DragonStryk72]

Kids can already see R and NC-17 movies legally. The movie rating system is an industry standard, not a law.

Or just download them from one of a thousand or so bit torrent site, watch them online, or otherwise just get around the thing in any case.

[Abbey Marie]

Kids can already see R and NC-17 movies legally. The movie rating system is an industry standard, not a law.

Doesn't really matter who sets the standards, as long as they are there. If the industry did not set the standards, chances are the gov't would step in.

The reality is, our daughter was turned away trying to see an R rated movie recently (she's 17). We were there at the box office, and told the ticket seller that we were ok with it. They said she could not see it unless one of us actually sat through the movie with her.

[dan]

The reality is, our daughter was turned away trying to see an R rated movie recently (she's 17). We were there at the box office, and told the ticket seller that we were ok with it. They said she could not see it unless one of us actually sat through the movie with her.

Technically, at 17, they should have let her in:

[LiberalNation]

some of the booth workers like to get on power trips doing shit like that.

[Trinity]

Kids can already see R and NC-17 movies legally. The movie rating system is an industry standard, not a law.

Very true...........My son and his friend went and saw fast and furious at the theater about two weeks ago it's rated PG-13. They are both still twelve almost 13 but not quite there yet. Although to look at them you would guess them to be close to 14 or 15.

[Agnapostate]

I've never even seen an ID check done for PG-13 movies.

[MtnBiker]

I bought a WWII genre game that had the ability to turn off the gore and bad language in the game. I thought that was a nice feature. I didn't use it, but if someone wanted to it easy to do. Game makers could make that available and give the consumer the choice.