State loses case against videogames and taxpayers pay bills
Something called the Safe Games Illinois Act was shot down in, you guessed it, Illinois, recently. The Act would have banned the sale of violent videogames in the state. Re-read that sentence and check your nose. Is it bleeding from the affliction "mind-numbingly ignorant and stupid"? Not only was the proposition denied, but it was deemed unconstitutional. Here's the kicker: the state of Illinois has to pay the Electronics Software Association over half a million dollars in attorny fees. If you live in Illinois -- that's your tax money being tossed around. That sucks.
Other pieces of the proposal were also denied but weren't quite as laughable. Posting an explanatory ESRB table in stores isn't too extreme, but forcing retailers to do it is. No one would look at it anyway, really. The judge held back his own laughter and sad that, ultimately, "If controlling access to allegedly 'dangerous' speech is important in promoting the positive psychological development of children, in our society that role is properly accorded to parents and families, not the State."
If Illinois did pass the act into law and violent videogames were banned, what's to stop violent movies? Angry music? Cursing? Tripping old people? Okay, maybe not that. But it seriously was a very unfair thing to do, State of Illinois, and making the taxpayers (and violent game players) pay for the cost of the trial is really, really lame.
