Utah: bill that equates games with pornography may pass

[CptStern]

"Utah's Daily Herald reported yesterday on a proposed state law equating violent video games with pornography (via Game Politics). Republican representative David Hogue has made several attempts to pass the ball, and this week it passed in a committee vote of 7-2. The bill's initial intent was to put explicit violence in any media under the classification of obscenity, but it seemed to have trouble passing until the scope was limited to video games. Under existing Utah state law, exposing minors to obscene materials (such as pornography) is a third degree felony, and repeat offenses are tried as second degree felonies. If signed into law, this bill would assign those same legal repurcussions to furnishing minors with video games containing what is defined as "inappropriate violence."

http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/40841

 

[Nat Turner]

****ing retards.

 

[Beerdude26]

Lol am I happy I don't live in America

 

[Yuri]

Does this mean that you will now need a "WE" card to get video games? And that you can be arrested for selling video games to minors? I thought the ESRB was not government-affiliated, too, so which ones will be determined to be the "violent" ones?

For those who don't know, a WE card is something you need to have if you look young and want to buy cigarettes in most places.

 

[MiccyNarc]

Utah = idiots.

 

[JNightshade]

Well, no shit. It's full of mormons and corruption. And booze money.

 

[Uriel]

Meh, if the majority agrees, so be it. Government is there to serve the people and almost everyone there is Mormon.

 

[LiquidToast]

I hate stupid people

 

[Uriel]

I hate stupid people

This makes them stupid because their opinion is different than yours?

 

[Que-Ever]

um... do ANY of you live in utah? no? then WHY the HELL do you CARE?

 

[RakuraiTenjin]

Lol am I happy I don't live in America

*Utah's laws are not America's

 

[Ikerous]

This makes them stupid because their opinion is different than yours?

Generally speaking

 

[OvA]

I think it's safe to say that this will not happen in 95% of states anyway.

Alabama, I don't know. Damn uneducated religious zealots.

*que stern and assorted members engaging in heated discussion of religion

 

[Que-Ever]

I think it's safe to say that this will not happen in 95% of states anyway.

Alabama, I don't know. Damn uneducated religious zealots.

*que stern and assorted members engaging in heated discussion of religion

I'm too mellow to get heated.

 

[DeusExMachina]

Yeah, I don't live in Utah. I'm pretty apathetic towards it since it really doesn't affect me.

 

[OvA]

I'm too mellow to get heated.

If I meant you, I would have captialized it.

 

[Uriel]

I really dont see the debate, the people feel this way, they have their own opinion followed by action.

 

[Que-Ever]

If I meant you, I would have captialized it.

oh.

umm...6.

 

[CptStern]

um... do ANY of you live in utah? no? then WHY the HELL do you CARE?

because they're lumping video games with pornography but not movies

because they affect publishers decisions on whether or not to publish a game that they may feel is too risque and bring unwanted media attention

because ****tards in the government think it's their right to decide what other people can and cant do

because it has a ripple effect that will impact the gaming industry in a negative way

because selective censorship is wrong

because targeting responsible gamers who can decide for themselves whether they want to purchase a game or not


and finally because it's wrong

 

[Uriel]

because they're lumping video games with pornography but not movies

Actually they do, notice they're arent any porn shops in Utah.

because they affect publishers decisions on whether or not to publish a game that they may feel is too risque and bring unwanted media attention

How many publishers make games with porn in them? Better yet, how many games will not be sold in a place where porn is a taboo?

because ****tards in the government think it's their right to decide what other people can and cant do

People in the Government are elected by the people. And im sure a HUGE majority in Utah agree with this decision.

because it has a ripple effect that will impact the gaming industry in a negative way

Says who? Its in Utah, Mormonville. Theres an obvious difference between there and other places. California would be different.

because selective censorship is wrong

In your opinion. The majority simply agrees, and if they dont, it will not pass.

because targeting responsible gamers who can decide for themselves whether they want to purchase a game or not

Again, majority rule. The people there feel that way.

and finally because it's wrong

In YOUR opinion, not theirs. Are you going to decide for them? The Government is elected by the people, and thats how the people feel. Their opinion is different than yours no matter how stupid you think it is.

You wanna make them agree with you?

 

[Cooper]

Large Mormon population. Democracy. Utah.

What more needs to be said?

 

[CptStern]

Actually they do, notice they're arent any porn shops in Utah.

I dont think you understand ..the bill is trying to ban the sale of any media that has excessive violence by labeling it as "obscene" which puts it in the same catagory as pornography which means that selling certain video games to minors is a criminal offense ...but they're trying to do this only with video games, movies do not apply

How many publishers make games with porn in them?

again porn has nothing to do with this

Better yet, how many games will not be sold in a place where porn is a taboo?

I dont know what that means

People in the Government are elected by the people. And im sure a HUGE majority in Utah agree with this decision.

they do? you're saying a clear majority (more than 51%) of people think video games should be classified in the same classification as pornography? more than half of 2,233,169 people? this is a big issue in Utah I take it?

"Video games are so obscene that they should be classified in the same class as pornography" is what the newspapers and talk shows are saying in Utah?

Says who? Its in Utah, Mormonville. Theres an obvious difference between there and other places. California would be different.

you honestly dont see the ramifications here? throw in a couple of more states in there and maybe the next time a publisher is approached to fund a game like Prey they'll be turned down because the publisher will be afraid of negative press, prohibitive marketing in certain areas and a financial and potentially legal headache should some minor end up with their game in his hands

In your opinion. The majority simply agrees, and if they dont, it will not pass.

you really should read the link before replying. As it stands it wont stick because it infringes on constitutional rights

Again, majority rule. The people there feel that way.

no it is not opinion it is guarenteed by the constitution under free speech ..you cant equate violence with obscenity

In YOUR opinion, not theirs. Are you going to decide for them? The Government is elected by the people, and thats how the people feel. Their opinion is different than yours no matter how stupid you think it is.

You wanna make them agree with you?

so you think Doom 3 should be classified in the same catagory as Pornography? Half-life2 is just as obscene as the HappyHooker?

 

[Que-Ever]

Excessive violence will get a video game an M rating. Take, for example... doom 3, first thing I thought of.

Pornographic stuff will get a game an M rating, Liesure suit larry for instance. I think this is the sort of thinking the utah-an government is going on.
also, check out entry three for pornographic:
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=pornographic

pornography is almost exclusively used to refer to sexual media, but I'm pretty sure it's valid to use it to refer to anything of excessive explicit content of any type. But again, that's usually something sexual. But I'm pretty sure I've seen ratings for explicit violence, but I might just be editing things together in my mind.

 

[Yuri]

I dont know what that means

That line made me L.o.L. Thanks, Stern.

I think that non-Utah residents should care about Utah for the same reason Canadian Stern cares so much about the United States.

Once it starts, its hard to stop. Just cuz Utah is full of crazy Mormons who want to illegalize fun and things that make life bearable, doesn't mean that it isn't wrong for them to do stupid shit. It doesn't matter if the majority of the population are monkeys who can vote, if its against simple common sense and the laws make no sense, targetting something specific quite illegaly and immorally... then it should not happen in any place. Even Monkey-ville.

:monkee: ;(

 

[CptStern]

yes thank you :thumbs:

 

[Yuri]

<3 <3 <3

 

[Skaadi]

Wait a minute, wasnt there the smallest of small porno clips in one of the old Duke Nukem games?

 

[Yuri]

Three red pixels for each nipple if you hit the spacebar.

YES! *wankin' time*

 

[Sulkdodds]

?!?!?????!?!?!!!!!!!!

And im sure a HUGE majority in Utah agree with this decision.

Because they're stupid. Oooh, I went there. Hang on, isn't this kind of ****ing with the court decision that videogames are a form of free expression?

 

[madog]

It is pretty gay that the governement is trying to control what games can be. Isn't America supposed to be a free land where we can express thoughts that we want.

 

[JNightshade]

Aren't questions supposed to end in periods.

 

[evil^milk]

Lol am I happy I don't live in America

wait, you don't!? D:

 

[madog]

Aren't questions supposed to end in periods.

It's been a long week... grammar nazi...

 

[SAJ]

Personally, I think its a great idea.

Nope, not a typing error, I did say its a good idea.

The ripple effect would be painful to the status-quo, but beneficial overall. Publishers have shown no sign of wanting to tackle the 18+ market as a genre in of itself, for fear of losing money. It might seem more than that but in the end, the decisions of corprations always come down to profit and loss.
When they know that the audience is going to be as likely to be under sixteen as it is to be over twenty, they have no motive to match adult content to adult expectations.
Not every kids film can be expected to have generation-spanning appeal - that would be putting too much pressure on film makers surely - but every "mature" game has an unwritten agreement that it will pose no obstacle to entertainment once the purchase has been made, regardless of the consumers age bracket.

I am getting old waiting for the industry to begin serving its 18+ audience a different dish, rather than continually serve all of us sugar all the time. Im prepared to bet that if developers are forced to consider projects as "mature" (sorry,I hate that phrase as well as you) from the first cycle of development, then we would all benefit.

Of course it will never happen outside of Utah, the ramifications for realistic war-games would be too far-reaching.
And we all know how important those little nuggets of culture are going to be in the coming years, dont we ?

 

[Beerdude26]

wait, you don't!? D:

BELGIUM FFS

It's not a joke, and it's real. This site is a lie.

 

[Steven]

um... do ANY of you live in utah? no? then WHY the HELL do you CARE?

Gee think about it.

 

[JNightshade]

Originally Posted by Que-Ever
um... do ANY of you live in utah? no? then WHY the HELL do you CARE?

Well, I don't live in Africa. Am I allowed to care that millions are dying there?

 

[Que-Ever]

Well, I don't live in Africa. Am I allowed to care that millions are dying there?

So you think millions are dying are just as important as some random state full of MORMONS thinking something is not up to their moral standards?

 

[Sulkdodds]

Hell naw. He was just making a (good) point, albeit with a pretty EXTREEEEEEEEME example.

 

[Lemonking]

its not like anybody is tellig them 2 watch porn/play games.... cant they just watch watch Disney Channel all day?