The computer and video game industry filed a lawsuit Monday seeking to prevent implementation of Illinois HB 4023, the first bill in the nation to ban the rental or sale of violent or adult-themed video games to children. The bill was signed into law by Governor Rod R. Blagojevich Monday.
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), Video Software Dealers Association, and the Illinois Retail Merchants Association filed the suit.
HB 4023 will go into effect on January 1, 2006, and would charge retailers who violate the ban with a petty offense and make them subject to a $1,000 fine.
“This law will have a chilling effect on free speech. It will limit First Amendment rights not only for Illinois residents, but for game developers and publishers, and for retailers who won't know what games can and cannot be sold or rented under this vague new statute,” says Douglas Lowenstein, president of the ESA, the trade group representing U.S. computer and video game publishers. “I’m confident the court will affirm our position. There is already a precedent-setting ruling from the Seventh Circuit, which includes Illinois, establishing the unconstitutionality of this type of statute—and the facts, the science, the law, and the U.S. Constitution have not changed since that decision.”
Apart from the issues regarding the constitutionality of the law, the industry argues that the bill is bad public policy because it will substitute the government’s judgment for parental supervision and turn retailers into surrogate parents. The law would treat computer and video games differently than other constitutionally protected works, such as films, music, and books, the plaintiffs argue.
“Today, politics has trumped the First Amendment rights of retailers and their customers,” says Bo Andersen, president of the Video Software Dealers Association. “We are confident, however, that the courts will vindicate those rights. The Governor’s embrace of censorship is guaranteed to gain him wide media attention, but will do nothing to help parents make informed choices about the video games their children play. Rather than imposing restrictions that cannot be understood by retailers or sustained legally, the governor should be working with retailers and the video game industry to educate parents about video game ratings and to encourage parents to utilize those ratings.”
The ESA contends that supporters of the bill have ignored the effectiveness of industry self-regulation and the already high levels of involvement by parents in deciding what games are right for their children. The Federal Trade Commission reported that parents are involved in the purchase and rental of games 83 percent of the time. ESA research shows that 90 percent of parents say they always or sometimes pay attention to the video games their children play.
“It’s unfortunate that taxpayers and parents will see critical funds diverted to defend a bill that courts are almost certain to strike down as patently unconstitutional,” says Lowenstein.
The ESA noted that in 2004, the average game buyer was 37 years old and the average game player was 30. In addition, of all games sold in 2004, only 16 percent were rated mature.
“Knowing this,” Lowenstein says, “our industry creates a wide range of content for a diverse consumer audience, just as other entertainment industries do. It’s illogical that video games would be treated more harshly than R-rated movies or music CDs with parental warning labels, both of which can be legally viewed and sold to minors. We should be treated the same way as those industries.”
