Federal legislation proposes ID checks for video game retailers
A bipartisan bill proposed in the House seeks to require video game retailers to check IDs before selling M- or AO-rated games to minors. Variety reports Reps. Jim Matheson (D-Utah) and Lee Terry (R-Neb) have proposed the Video Games Ratings Enforcement Act to protect children, as Terry puts it, from some games where "scores are often earned by players who commit 'virtual' murder, assault and rape."
As GamePolitics points out, both representatives have tried and failed at taking on video games before. If the bill becomes law, retailers who don't post a sign explaining the ratings system or sell an M-rated game to a minor would be charged a $5000 civil penalty.
[Via GamePolitics]
