The US senate bans violent games

Such a ban would have immediately been struck down as Unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, as it violates the First Amendment.
 
They would make import illegal. So before internet technology makes downloading feasible that would impact import of physical copies. High speed internet makes it feasible in early naughties, depending how fast it spreads and how fast and how much companies respond to it.

And my point is that by the time that GTAIII (to use your own example) came around, the Internet technology that made digital distribution available, already existed. The reasons why it didn't take off earlier than it did was two-fold ... concerns about security, both in terms of piracy and in terms of secure payment, and the Industry being slow to embrace the new abilities.

Remember, the games of the time we're talking about, is effectively peanuts in size as opposed to AAA games of today - GTA III is .5 GB for an example - so the speed doesn't need to be anywhere near as where it is today with 30+GB games, the example of Just Cause III, clocking in at 54GB
 
And my point is that by the time that GTAIII (to use your own example) came around, the Internet technology that made digital distribution available, already existed. The reasons why it didn't take off earlier than it did was two-fold ... concerns about security, both in terms of piracy and in terms of secure payment, and the Industry being slow to embrace the new abilities.

Remember, the games of the time we're talking about, is effectively peanuts in size as opposed to AAA games of today - GTA III is .5 GB for an example - so the speed doesn't need to be anywhere near as where it is today with 30+GB games, the example of Just Cause III, clocking in at 54GB

For this to happen you need several things:
-technology must exist
-technology must be spread well enough
-technology has to be spread among right groups
-games have to be available online

So if most of people are still on dial up they aren't going to download large games, too costly and too slow. So you need high speed internet to become widespread enough among people who would download it to be feasible.

and of course producers need to be prepared to offer games online with all the risks that brings. Most of this developments were developed in US, I wonder what will happen under these conditions.
 
Such a ban would have immediately been struck down as Unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, as it violates the First Amendment.

Yes. I think you'd have better luck getting age-restrictions on the games, similar to what is imposed on the sale of alcohol and porn magzines to minors(movies, I believe, are subject to voluntary industry-regulation in the USA). That would be more likely to pass constitutional muster than an outright ban.
 
BTW, the topic is ostensibly "The US senate bans violent games" How does the US Senate pass any laws on its own? I thought the House was needed, too...

And as I noted in a post above, such a ban *even with respect to minors* was founded unconstitutional by the Supreme Court by 7-2 in *Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Ass'n.*

I'm not a american, so I didn't knew that the house should pass the bill
 
I'm not a american, so I didn't knew that the house should pass the bill

The president needs to sign it too. Clinton might have done it (especially if the populist/Lieberman wing of the party were stronger) and so might have Bush, but it's far from guaranteed.
 
Are we sure Clinton would veto it? In the mid-2000's I recall Hilary Clinton making a lot of noise about violent video games. Also I'm not sure if it would be solely a GOP effort, after all, AB-1179 was introduced by a Democrat and signed by a Republican.

Anyways, it doesn't matter because the law would likely be found unconstitutional soon enough.
 
This must of been a Joe Lieberman sponsored bill. Honestly it would not hold up to a court challenge even a conservative court is not going let that fly.

Also it would need to be veto proof in 99/00 since Clinton will veto it.

Clinton would have signed it. Gore's wife was a huge proponent of banning such games.
 
Can we even do something with a post ESRB video game world, baring perhaps strict enforcement? Although whats to stop parents from buying higher rated games for their kids anyhow? Now if were talking before Mortal Kombat and Night Trap, that might be difficult unless you see an unholy alliance of moral majority and feminist groups causing a bigger outrage over Custer's Revenge. Yet that that got shit tons of criticism quick however it was in the early 80's.
 
With the rise of internet game downloading services like Steam in recently, It would be interesting to see how the US government would try to actually enforce these bans.

I do find the idea of prohibition-style "game-running" across the Canadian border to be quite amusing though:D
Boats going south full of the latest GTA and Duke Nukem coming back full of guns and coke to support gang warfare on the streets of Vancouver and Montreal. That would be a fun international controversy
 
I do think adult gamers would move to PC instead of Playstation 2-3, for the modding capabilities, and we'd see modding take off- as that would be near-impossible to censor.

Consoles never escape the kiddie stigma and Nintendo remains a big player. Xbox gets strangled at the crib.

Ironically, this move might slow down the adoption of DLC- as that was primarily a console thing at first. Expansions might still be the DLC standard.

I can see DD ending up with multiple platforms- unsure if Impulse would survive (Stardock was never too infused about it), but I think Steam would have more issues because of their rocky first few years. My guess is we'd see GFWL in some form being big today, alongside Steam and one other service (most likely if Paradox bought Impulse- they made an offer before Stardock sold to Gamestop, and Gamestop will be hurting if this happens)
 

Asami

Banned
Tipper She was Anti Fun. Music in the 80's video games in the 90's you would of thought she would of learned.

Every First and Second Lady hitches onto something that makes people's lives unfunny because they have no experience in combating whatever it is they've chosen to do.

With Nancy Reagan, it was drugs, and she was behind the quagmire that has lead to 30 years of failed drug policy, and thousands of Americans incarcerated for minor drug offenses, and a perpetual war in Latin America that will never be resolved until the U.S. seriously looks into drug reform.

With Barbara Bush, hers had merit and was actually done in a good manner. As both First and Second Lady, she focused primarily on family and child illiteracy, believing it to be a serious problem in America, and was tied to homelessness. She wasn't too much involved in the quagmire of the anti-drug crusade, and often had her own shtick going.

As you said, Gore's wife was crusading against video games and music for being too violent. I'm going to pass over HRC because I don't trust myself not to make a bunch of snide-ass remarks about her, that and she sort of knew what she was doing with healthcare. I emphasize "sort of". :p

Laura Bush primarily railed on national safety for children, women's health and women's rights. She was ambivalent towards overturning Roe v. Wade, but was all and all trying to "stay the course".

And of course, Michelle Obama's biggest crusade is child nutrition. It's why for the last year of high school, they cut back on what they could sell and I couldn't get a whole bunch of stuff anymore because of new federal regulations on school lunches.

Not that I'm complaining too much, I totally get it. I got fat in middle school and high school. It's what happens when you're a pubescent male in school dealing with stress and having the ability to buy crap-loads of junk food. Thanks to my eating habits and the stress from school, I went from rail-thin/slightly chubby in elementary school, to 6'0" and 220lbs today; with all that weight gained on a steady diet of non-nutritious school food, and easy-access to junk food elsewhere. It's not fun when you combine my screwed up knees, and my screwed up lungs and my weight; it just makes for a long miserable life.

But the federal regulations made a lot of kids unhappy, I'll be honest. :p
 
Clinton would have signed it. Gore's wife was a huge proponent of banning such games.

Yes, I think any move toward censosring games would be led by "Soccer Moms", not by bible thumpers. At most, the Religious Right might include violent games in a larger target that included sex, drug, anti-police, and occult-related entertainment, and even then, I doubt that violence alone would be enough to get a game on the preachers' sh*t list.
 
Clinton would have signed it. Gore's wife was a huge proponent of banning such games.

When exactly did she advocate banning their sales *to adults*?

"According to an article by NPR, Gore went "before Congress to urge warning labels for records marketed to children."[19] Gore explained that her purpose wasn't to put a "gag" on music, but to keep it safe for younger listeners by providing parents with information about the content of the songs.[19] A number of individuals including Dee Snider of Twisted Sister,[20] Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys,[21] John Denver, Joey Ramone, and Frank Zappa[19] criticized the group, arguing that it was a form of censorship. In response, NPR further stated that according to Gore, she "wasn't out to censor the objectionable material" and quoted her as stating that she is "a strong believer in the First Amendment" who is calling for greater "consumer information in the marketplace."[19]" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipper_Gore

See also http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1990-03-25/news/9001310598_1_tipper-record-sales-video-reviews

No doubt some of her proposals, like those embodied in the proposed FEPA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Entertainment_Protection_Act are subject to all sorts of objections, including constitutional ones. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_v._Entertainment_Merchants_Ass'n But they are still different from a ban on the sale of violent video games *to adults.* (Granted it has been argued that such laws would "have a chilling effect, discouraging retailers and game makers from marketing mature games even to adults." http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/news/2005-12-03-video-law_x.htm But chilling effect is still not the same thing as an outright ban.)

Once again, I challenge anyone to give the name of *one* prominent political figure who advocated such a ban. (And don't just *say* he or she advocated such a ban on sales to adults--*give a quote.* I'm not saying politicians advocating such sweeping--and obviously unconstitutional--bans didn't exist. I am just saying that so far nobody here has given any proof, as distinguished form assertion, that they did.) Even Joe Lieberman doesn't seem to have done so: "He has denounced the violence contained in video games and has attempted to regulate sales of violent video games to minors, arguing that games should have to be labeled based upon age-appropriateness." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Joe_Lieberman
 

TinyTartar

Banned
Weren't there some Democrats in favor of some of the moral backlash to the late 90s?

I seem to remember Tipper Gore and a few others being involved in things like this, if not exactly like it.

There might be room for bipartisan support on the concept.

The issue is that Clinton is not going to touch this, and Bush vetoed some morality stuff while governor of Texas, making him unlikely to push for or accept this kind of thing. He generally saw things like that as anti-business, despite his moralistic streak.
 
Top