NEW YORK - Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Codes Committee Chair Joseph Lentol, and Consumer Affairs and Protection Committee Chair Audrey Pheffer today announced the passage of legislation to prohibit the sale of videogames that couple depraved violence and indecent sexual images to minors.
"This bill will provide parents with a peace of mind knowing that the videogames their children are purchasing are free of violence and nudity and are truly safe forms of entertainment," said Lentol.
"Psychological experts have concluded that violent videogames can desensitize players to the real-life consequences of violent actions," said Silver. "This legislation will protect our youngsters from being exposed to the detrimental impact of violent videogames that promote depraved violence and brutalize and demean human beings."
The Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA), a trade group that includes 800 N.Y.-based videogame retailers, was quick to deride the legislation. "Nine similar proposals that have been enacted around the nation in recent years have all been blocked by federal courts on First Amendment grounds," said EMA President Bo Andersen. "For such an ill-conceived and unconstitutional law, ignorance is no excuse."
A compromise bill now is under negotiation and is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Eliot Spitzer.
During a state Senate meeting last week, New York Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno said, "Everywhere we look, violence surrounds us and it is unfortunate that our children are exposed to this explicit material, whether found in videogames, movies, or on television."
Within the past six years, none of the nine similar laws banning the sale of violent videogames to minors has been upheld by federal courts.
