New York Assemblyman looking to “protect” children from videogames with racial stereotypes
A new legislative proposal to restrict the sale of video games portraying negative racial stereotypes and bad language has been proposed in the New York Assembly.
The measure, A01474, was submitted by Assemblyman Keith L.T. Wright, a Democrat from Manhattan. The bill, which has been referred to the Assembly’s Consumer Protection and Affairs Committee:
Prohibits the sale to minors of certain rated video games containing a rating that reflects content of various degrees of profanity, racist stereotypes or derogatory language, and/or actions toward a specific group of persons.
A similar bill proposed by Wright in 2007 failed to pass.
GamePolitics readers will recall that New York passed a video game law in 2008 mandating – redundantly – that game packages display ratings and that consoles offer parental control features. The video game industry did not bring a legal challenge, however, since those remedies were already in place and the law did not threaten sales.
Isn’t the First Amendment supposedly incorporated? Does he really expect this to stand up in court?
