Someone explain to me how this is a law that works?

[Zeus]

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6151588.html

$25? Geez, all this is going to do is annoy people and make them (the kids) hate the government even more than they already do.

Way to alienate the young voters even more.....

[Nev]

Yeah, I have to say, that sounds pretty retarded.

Unless they're planning to track records or whatnot and hit people up with massive fines all at once, this is just some pussy shit.

[kali o.]

Don't all 3 systems now have parental controls now? I know the 360 and PS3 do...not sure about the Wii.

[Julius Seeker]

I think this is more about PC games, I have never seen an AO console game released (aside from 3D0).

Children are impressionable, and not all of them can clearly tell the difference between real life and videogames. Before recently there weren't a lot of adult targeted videogames, because not a lot of adults played videogames. That is why there is an existing problem now and not before.

[Zeus]

OK, these guys are just morons

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6151782.html

It's not enforceable and it's meant to "educate"? For the love of God, man. These politicians can't be THAT out of touch, can they?

[Imakeholesinu]

Hence why you live in Canada and we live in the big top. Anything goes here as part of the side-show that is our governmental circus.

[Julius Seeker]

It makes perfect sense to me. It will act as a deterence for kids trying to go behind their parents backs. I see no problem in keeping violent games away from kids who can't handle this kind of exposure to violent themes. I also do not see why it is a bad thing either.

[Zeus]

It makes perfect sense to me. It will act as a deterence for kids trying to go behind their parents backs. I see no problem in keeping violent games away from kids who can't handle this kind of exposure to violent themes. I also do not see why it is a bad thing either.

Seek, you can't enforce it and it's a $25 fine for buying a video game. I've never once said that 10-year-olds should play GTA, but what the hell is the benefit of making a law that FINES them, especially if it's not enforcable? What do you think will happen after the first time a kid gets fined and he tells his friends at school? You honestly think they're all going to say "shit, man, I shouldn't go out and buy GTA 8, I might get fined!"? Think back to your high (or grade) school for a sec and imagine it happened to you. All this is going to do is get kids annoyed and maybe some in trouble from their parents, but it sure has hell won't stop their behaviour. And what's even worse is, they make it like a forbidden fruit, which, as we all know, as a young kid, always tastes better than the readily available one.

And check out this bill from Oklahoma. They're making it a fucking CRIME for parent to show their kids violent games IN THEIR OWN HOME:

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6151814.html

Wow, it's not even illegal to give your kids alcohol in your own home (parents choice, after all) or show a porno to your 15-year-old, but you can actually get fined for showing them an "inappropriate" video game? Didn't we used to stick these people in insane asylums back in the day?

Before you guys start saying "Zoos, you're over-reacting", what I've always maintained is that this type of thought pattern and behaviour is will eventually win out. SOMETHING will get passed and the ESA can only fight it for so long. I'm all for treating games like R-rated movies but it's the extra step the crazies are trying to take that's just flat out wrong. We can't all be hypocrites and say "yeah, kids can't play that violent crap!" when we all took advantage of it whenever we could (don't tell me you didn't rush to play Mortal Kombat in the arcade or at least rent it when it came to the consoles...for the Genesis). Yeah, it's a little different with the better (and more detailed graphics), but it's the mentality that games should be given extra special censorship that's the problem. Really, they're no worse than movies or even the news yet they're being attacked in the courts like the devil's spawn.

[kali o.]

There is a fine here in Vancouver for panhandling. Now if someone is panhandling and likely homeless, one might wonder what the point of this law is...

It's not about actually expecting them to pay the fine, it's about giving teeth to the law so Police actually have something to enforce. It's bulky, not a great solution but at least I can see the logic behind it.

I tried to apply similar reasoning to this law - but I simply can't see the logic. If it is for the purpose of issuing a citation and informing the parent (and making them responsible for the fine), that would make "some" sense...but it would also require retail clerks turning "narc" (not happening) or police camping out store entrances (waste of resources).

I get why the industry isn't fighting this...it doesn't really hurt them and amounts to nothing. Unfortunately, it's these little babysteps of stupidity that slowly creep along until you get to a point, look back and realize somewhere along the way a big line was crossed.

[Nev]

There is a fine here in Vancouver for panhandling. Now if someone is panhandling and likely homeless, one might wonder what the point of this law is...

It's not about actually expecting them to pay the fine, it's about giving teeth to the law so Police actually have something to enforce.

And so that they can be successfully jailed for nonpayment if they don't comply. As uncompassionate as it might sound, I generally agree with things like that. Homeless people can run an area out of control if you're not careful.