The state of Oklahoma has passed a law that will forever block Jack Thompson wannabe’s who try to pass legislation against video game violence.
The court ruled that since video games are a form of expression, they are protected by the first amendment. The law would have made assisting minors in gaining access to games depicting inappropriate violence. This includes renting or selling one of these games to a minor.
I’m not exactly sure what "inappropriate violence" means, but I’m sure it was defined in incredibly vague and broad terms leaving them open to sue just about anyone.
One aspect on which the court was particularly unsatisfied was the fact that the law was only limited to video games. The judge himself stated that it was unfair that a child be denied rental of a video game, but go a few aisles over and rent the movie on which it was based.
They also addressed the topic of interactivity making games different from books or film. "There is a complete dearth of legislative findings, scientific studies, or other rationale to support passage of the Act," wrote the judge. "The presence of increased viewer control and interactivity does not remove these games from the release of First Amendment protection."
Score one for the gamers!
