LelandYee
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Anti-violent game politician gets five years in jail
Disgraced former state senator Leland Yee has been sentenced to five years in jail after using up all of the world's irony in a single go. If you're not familiar, Yee was previously state senator for California most famous for leading a moral campaign against violent video games. The official authored AB-1179, a bill that would have outlawed the sale of games like Grand Theft Auto V which was defeated by the Supreme Court. When he wasn't doing that, however, he was basically acting like one of the corrupt officials that pepper the aforementioned video game's universe.
Politician against violent games pleads guilty in gun-running case
Oh, the irony. Disgraced former senator Leland Yee has pleaded guilty to charges of taking bribes in exchange for votes, racketeering and promising to smuggle guns into the US from the Philippines. Of course, like so many beautiful twists of fate, Yee was a prominent moral crusader who led a campaign against violent video games. The senator authored AB-1179, legislation that would have outlawed the sale of said titles to California's teens, which was defeated by the Supreme Court. Way to keep our kids safe, Leels.
Yee wants transparency about Manhunt 2 rating change
In response to the re-rating of Rockstar's Manhunt 2, California state senator Leland Yee is asking for a Federal Trade Commission investigation into the ESRB's rating process. He is (grandstanding, but also) insisting that more transparency is warranted as to how the ESRB assigns ratings."Parents can't trust a rating system that doesn't even disclose how they come to a particular rating," Yee said in a press release, which is actually a fairly apt statement. Unfortunately, he follows this reasonable statement up with a personal attack against both Rockstar and the ESRB by hinting at the involvement of money hats.We find ourselves in the uncomfortable position of agreeing with a known anti-ESRB, anti-game politician, even if we don't agree with his reasoning. We don't suspect payoffs or anything, but more information is always better. The more open the organization is about how they make their decisions, the more equipped parents are to make theirs. If they bother to read the things.[Update: fixed the erroneous information about rating details; thanks, TravestyOJ, for catching me]
Xfire Debate Club, uh, debates video game censorship
Should video games be expurgated for perceived obscene and/or indecent content? At 4:00 p.m. EDT today, Xfire Debate Club will be hosting talks concerning video game censorship. The heated exchange of words will be moderated by Henry Lowood of Stanford University. Other participants include: California State Senator Leland Yee ECA CEO Hal Halpin Game Politics Editor (and Joystiq contributor) Dennis McCauley Russ Pitts of Escapist Magazine Video game researcher Matteo Bittanti Dan Isett, Parents Television Council Those interested in participating in the debate can contact Xfire directly (Xfire account is required), although you may not be able to reach them this close to the start. A transcript is forthcoming.Update: the transcript is now available.
Leland Yee @ GDC: a missed opportunity
We attended the GDC panel entitled "Murder, Sex and Censorship: Debating the Morals of Creative Freedom." The panel was notable for the presence of Leland Yee (pictured above), Democratic candidate for California State Senate, and notable anti-game crusader who passed a law that makes it a crime to sell to minors any game in which a player kills, maims, dismembers or sexually assaults an image of a human being. Yee's fellow panelists included Brenda Brathwaite, Jason Della Rocca, and James Paul Gee. For the most part, though, the audience had assembled to hear Yee defend his position on games. I'll cut through the niceties and get to the meat of it: this panel was a missed opportunity. Jason Della Rocca, who should have been able to ask Yee some good questions, behaved petulantly and unprofessionally (at one point, he loudly sighed into his microphone while Yee was making a particularly nutty point). I expected more of the Executive Director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA). Get him some media and debate training, stat!
