ESA and EMA team up to sue Louisiana legislature

The Entertainment Software Association has filed suit against the state of Louisiana after Governor Kathleen Blanco signed a new bill designed to limit the sale of violent games into law.

Bill HB1381, which was approved last week, would see anyone found guilty of selling violent games to minors facing a maximum USD 2000 fine or 12 month prison sentence. It was authored by notorious anti-videogames campaigner Jack Thompson together with Representative Roy Burrell.

As predicted, the ESA has declared its strong opposition to the bill - and has launched a new lawsuit together with the Entertainment Merchants Association in a bid to have the Governor's decision overturned.

"Louisiana legislators have decided to squander taxpayers' money on a bet they can't win. Despite what the legislature has been told, the Louisiana video game restriction law is not unique - a very similar measure was passed in Michigan and promptly overturned in federal court," said EMA president Bo Andersen.

"The Louisiana law suffers from the same constitutional defects as the Michigan law and the five other video game laws that have been enjoined on constitutional grounds. It will meet the same fate, and the taxpayers of Louisiana will end up having to pay for the legislature's reckless gamble."

ESA president Doug Lowenstein echoed Andersen's comments, observing that retailers already ask for proof of age from minors trying to purchase Mature-rated games, and that parents are involved in the purchase of them 80 per cent of the time.

He went on to question the effect of the bill on the state's economy: "HB1381 directly undermines efforts legislators started after enactment of tax credit legislation less than [a] year ago designed to lure video game development and production to Louisiana to generate needed high-paying technology jobs."

"Signing this bill into law would no doubt hurt the state's economy, essentially hanging up a 'Stay Out of Louisiana' sign on the state's borders for video game companies," Lowenstein argued.