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We told you yesterday that the video game industry was striking back from a new law in California that would prohibit retailers from selling games to minors (see story ). The Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association (IEMA), a corporation that represents many retailers in the video game industry, released a statement concerning the new law.
“We were disappointed that Governor Schwarzenegger signed A.B. 1179 into law. Given his tireless speeches about taking politics out of lawmaking and prohibiting government waste of valuable taxpayer dollars, this decision seems to counter to that message. It is clear that this course will lead only to this law, like all previous efforts to alter the First Amendment regarding violent video games, being overturned-yielding no significant change and squandering much-needed resources,” Hal Halpin, IEMA President, commented. “IEMA retailers are already voluntarily committed to inhibiting the sale of Mature-rated games, not unlike the successful self-regulatory efforts of the motion picture business. We would have hoped that legislators would work proactively with the industry to help educate parents about the ratings system, and we are disheartened to learn that this politicization of the issue is instead becoming an opportunistic trend. We remain supportive of the ESRB and stand ready to aid the ESA in their lawsuits as we have done in the past.”
If the action to stop this law from taking effect does not work, the bill will become law on January 1, 2006. Keep posted to Cheat Code Central for more info about this story.