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WASHINGTON- Congressman Lee Terry (R-NE) and Congressman Jim Matheson (D-UT) will hold a news conference on Wednesday to discuss the introduction of their bipartisan bill requiring retailers to check identification in order to keep inappropriate video games from being sold to children.
“The images and themes in some video games are shocking and troublesome. In some games high scores are often earned by players who commit “virtual” murder, assault and rape. Many young children are walking into stores and are able to buy or rent these games without their parents even knowing about it. Many retailers have tried to develop voluntary policies to make sure mature games do not end up in the hands of young kids, but we need to do more to protect our children. This bill requires an ID check before certain games are sold to an individual. This ensures that children can only access age appropriate content without parental permission. Families and children everywhere deserve the protection this legislation will provide,” said Congressman Lee Terry.
The Video Games Ratings Enforcement Act would require all retailers to check identification for any children trying to buy or rent M-rated (Mature) or AO-rated (Adult Only) games. It also requires that ratings system explanations be posted in stores so that parents can make the best decisions for their family about which games children can purchase or rent. The Federal Trade Commission would enforce a capped $5,000 civil penalty for violation of retailers.
The news conference will be Wednesday, May 7th at 2:20pm EDT in HC-9.
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Bout time someone got smart about this issue. Some games are rated 17+ or 18+, why people don't check ID's in the first place is beyond me. You check for alcohol and guns, but not for other products that have age limits. Doesn't make any sense.
I hope this law comes to pass, would cause a lot of bullshit to stop. In fact, they should make ID checking mandatory for all games above 16. Dunno how they are going to check age in online stores but at least it's a start.