Louisiana Governor considers new games bill

Hot on the heels of the controversial new games law passed in Louisiana, Governor Blanco has a new bill to consider - this time with the full support of the Entertainment Software Association.

The new bill, sponsored by Senator James David Cain, was unanimously passed through the Louisiana House late last week and is expected to be signed into law by Governor Blanco in the next few days, without opposition from the ESA.

Echoing a similarly uncontested bill in Maryland, the new legislation makes no mention of violent videogames, dealing instead with sexually explicit content and preventing the sale of such games to minors in line with the state's current obscenity laws governing the sale of pornographic material.

Whilst the ESA is fully supportive of the new proposal, last week saw another controversial games bill co-authored by anti-games campaigner Jack Thompson signed into law in the state, imposing fines of up to USD 2000 or a 12 month prison sentence for retailers found to be selling or renting violent videogames to minors.

The law has been swiftly challenged by the ESA and the EMA and a lawsuit has been filed in an effort to see the law overturned, as has been achieved in several other US states on First Amendment grounds.