Banned in the USA

Boy, it's a good thing California doesn't have anything major to worry about. Never mind the crippling debt that the state faces, because we all know that the government loves bailing out the bankrupt more than kids love candy, and celebrities love rehab. Because of that knowledge, California legislators are looking to move onto the next big issue.

That issue, of course, being a way to prohibit the sale or rental of violent video games to people under 18. You know, like porn.

Well, thank goodness. It's about time that someone stood up to these video game tyrants. After all, kids might play these games and see violent acts, which could in turn lead to them becoming lifelong criminals. After all, that connection hasn't been disproven time and time and time again.

Seriously, though, the video game industry, much like the movie industry, already has a rating system in place. Retailers are supposed to adhere to that system, but there's no indication that they actually do. After all, it's very similar to CD sales, with "explicit lyrics" stickers emblazoned on discs, but kids buying them anyway. The California lawmakers are making a connection between the levels of violence (and, we assume, foul language) to porn, all in the interest of protecting our children. Meanwhile, the video game industry doesn't think that they should be treated differently than other media, and rightly so. After all, when television is chock full of police procedural dramas showcasing extreme acts of violence, but a video game gets lambasted because of something closer to a cartoon (and let's not forget the violence often exhibited in cartoons), there's obviously some sort of a double standard.

Oh, if only there were people who could find a way to watch the children, and gauge their media intake based off of what they feel is appropriate for the child. Perhaps someone who has been with the kid since they were just a baby, and therefore might have an idea of what they could handle and process.

Apparently, parents just don't exist in the states that have tried to enact these laws.