Reader Letter: Why the Washington State ban is wrong

Last week's article on the new legislation in Washington State which bans the sale of violent games to minors caused a strong response from both sides of the argument; here's one letter from a reader presenting the other side of the debate.

Iâm having a hard time stomaching your rant against the IDSA regarding the Washington State Bans. Did you know that a minor can be permitted in a rated R movie legally? It is the movie industry that enforces that rule as an act of self-regulation. The same once held true of the record industry, until now very few distributors regulate what they sell at all. Nor does the music industry have a standard, widely adapted rating system. Like the movie industry, the games industry does have a widely adapted standard rating system. You should urge the franchises and the stores to stop selling. You should boycott them and take your children elsewhere.

With a law you can only put the industry in a noose, like it is something you fear, or perhaps something that is less than a movie or music. This law in question seems unprecedented, unresearched, and unwise.

You seem to be in favor of a law banning the sales of interactive media to a minor, whereas no such law exists for other common media such as the recording industry and the film industry. You would make it a criminal act to distribute video games for what you feel is morally improper. One mistake could wipe out a store or franchise, and send them out of business. Some kids will play it regardless of the law, and thereby be breaking the law. Can you imagine a kid going to juvenile detention for playing Resident Evil?

(Editor's note: We've not actually seen any suggestion that the law makes it an offence for minors to play the games involved - to the best of our knowledge, the only new offence introduced is the sale of such games to minors.)

What's even worse is the banning of Enter the Matrix, a Teen rated game. Teen rated. Against the law to sell. How does this not disturb you?

An interactive game is a product of logic and imagination, much like a painting, or a song, but even more so. The domain of the law in question should be the responsibility of a parent and child, not our government. I feel whole heartedly that even violent interactive gaming is a catharsis that actually prevents more fragile minds from going violent, than not.

Jeremy Townsend

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