Game ratings bill passed by Californian senate

New legislation which would require video game retailers to clearly display signs notifying purchasers of game ratings has been voted in by the senate in California, and is set to be signed by Governor Arnold Schwarznegger.

The bill, AB 1793, calls on retailers to ensure that game ratings are clearly displayed, and to make information about the ratings system readily available to parents purchasing videogames in their stores.

It was originally proposed along with another bill, AB 1792, which was a somewhat hazy and pointless piece of legislation which sought to define "harmful matter to children" in videogames. Both bills were originally defeated by committee, but AB 1793 was passed on reconsideration.

It now remains only for California's governor, Arnold Schwarznegger, to sign the bill into state law - generally not more than a formality, although the proponent of the bill, Democrat assembly member Leland Yee, has engaged in some political point-scoring by raising concerns that Schwarznegger's own links to the mature games industry could influence his decision on the issue.

Schwarznegger, as star of the Terminator series of action movies, among others, has been featured in a large number of videogames - including, most recently, those based on the Terminator 3 movie.

"I am hopeful the Governor will keep his promise to protect California's children and sign this legislation warning parents of video game content," Yee said in a statement on the passing of the bill. "More needs to be done to help parents make good choices about which games are appropriate for children."

Although Yee, in another bit of political point-scoring, presents the passing of the bill as a tooth and nail struggle against the videogame industry, the actual provisions of the document seem eminently sensible, and it would be hard to find many people in the industry who disagree with the assertion that parents need to become more aware of the content of videogames.

As the industry increasingly targets its products at an adult audience - and the age demographic of game players creeps upwards - there is increasing concern that parents are falsely believing that all games are suitable for children, and allowing their charges to play whatever they want without paying attention to ratings.