Jack Thompson's bill approved

[towncalledmike]

Yep, dispite being disbarred, disgraced and ignorant of the actual content of the games he complains about, Jack Thompson's Utah bill was passed.

http://www.gamepolitics.com/2009/02/24/jack-thompson-bill-overwhelmingly-approved-utah-house-committee

To be honest this doesn't bother me too much, since the bill is only effective in Utah, is filled with massive flaws (so I've heard, I'm in no hurry to check) and is pretty similar to how ratings systems work here in Britain.

What do you guys think?

Edit: Changed title from (the rather exaggerated) 'Jack Thompson's won.' Also want to add that some of the people on gamespolitics were really annoyed at this, do you think they'd be so bothered if it had been written by someone other than Thompson

 

[Gxas]

I honestly don't see a problem with this. Unless I read it wrong, all they are doing is fining places that sell tickets to R-rated movies or M-rated games to minors. Isn't this just stopping the influx of children in games like Halo or Gears or CoD? Don't people always complain about how kids are the most annoying part of online play? With this law, the kid actually has to have their parent with them, and even then the store clerk will have to let the parent know exactly what it is they are buying. I see this as a good thing.

 

[Podunk]

"Retailers and movie theaters which advertise that they don't sell M-rated games or R-rated movie tickets to underage buyers and then do so would be liable for fines of $2,000 per incident."

I see absolutely no problem with this. The fact that Jack Thompson is behind it evokes a general knee-jerk reaction, but is this a bad thing? No one is getting hurt, except buisness owners who lie and sell adult products to children. So good for Jack, I guess. Maybe he'll surprise us all with some more reasonable and legitimate bills.

 

[oliveira8]

Urrr...This guy is just...urrr....

Kids buying violent games is still the parents fault that give them the money to buy such games....

 

[Baby Tea]

I honestly don't see a problem with this. Unless I read it wrong, all they are doing is fining places that sell tickets to R-rated movies or M-rated games to minors. Isn't this just stopping the influx of children in games like Halo or Gears or CoD? Don't people always complain about how kids are the most annoying part of online play? With this law, the kid actually has to have their parent with them, and even then the store clerk will have to let the parent know exactly what it is they are buying. I see this as a good thing.

Seconded.
As a non-minor who can buy any game he wants, I don't care.
Less high-pitched tweens on XBL, please. Thanks.

 

[Pandalisk]

Yea not much of a victory, you made the thread sound like he killed the games industry overnight, this is nothing but enforcing the age rating, which really is nothing, parents will still buy the things for them so not much of a victory in any case

 

[devined]

We already have this in Michigan, so... =|. I dont see the big deal, other than being 16 and I still have to take my mom to the store just to buy a game.

 

[-Seraph-]

He won nothing, what he did was redundant. He is a failure in every sense of the word and he will never win. What he has done was just try to enforce something that was in a way already in effect.

 

[axia777]

Who gives a crap? Throw the poor deluded bastard a bone. He is disbarred and his professional life as a lawyer is over. It is Utah anyway. Oh, the poor Mormon kids can't play GTA unless their parents buy it for them. The horror!!

 

[dalek sec]

Actually this doesn't seem that bad, just keeps dumb ass minor's from getting violent games. That and what Max said, Utah really doesn't count as a state.

 

[Ionami]

Urrr...This guy is just...urrr....

Kids buying violent games is still the parents fault that give them the money to buy such games....

Some kids steal money from their parents or relatives though.

 

[bitzi61]

Yes, that is true (here in Canada it is the law)

However, this doesn't take into account those automatic machines you can buy tickets from, and the only way to stop that is to take those machines out, OR have someone check id's as people use the tickets to get into the movie....

MONEY MONEY MONEY... you can never stop EVERY person from seeing movies when they are under-age, all you can do is do your best to prevent them from getting in.

 

[Archaon6044]

i wish people who don't play games wouldn't spout this ignorant hate.
fine, you can go to a strip club, yes; you can pay a hooker and then kill her

but that isn't what the game is about, they're just optional extras, that you might never indulge in.

 

[meglathon]

is a good idea if you ask me makes people more responsebule for their actions.

 

[Bofus Teefus]

If I read this right, then you now get fined for breaking already established rules. This is common sense. I understand that it was pushed by someone with an agenda, but this law doesn't really seem to hurt.

Besides...

It's only Utah. They're not a state.

Well played.

Wait, don't many adult gamers get furious when they have kids drop in on their game? Shouldn't they now be rejoicing? Sorry, had to play devil's advocate for a second.

 

[Sir_Montague]

It's only Utah. They're not a state.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

But seriously, I live in CO... If the winds blow wrong and some legislation goes down here, there're gonna be alot of disappointed kids...

 

[joystickjunki3]

When will he die? Whenever it is, it's not soon enough.

 

[KeyMaster45]

Easy loop hole, one that kids have been using since the ESRB was concepted, have their parents buy the game. Technically they're not selling it to a minor. However, maybe we should be taking some steps to crack down on M rated games being sold to minors. ESRB was put there for a reason, to keep people like Jack Thompson from going on their crusades.