Weapons of Mass Entertainment

There's a bill in the Washington State House of Representatives that would "...hold the makers and sellers of violent video games liable if someone under 17 years old commits a crime, due in any part, to playing the game." The bill essentially gives legitimacy to any lawsuit brought against a video game maker or distributor (watch out Netflix).

Wow, this seems completely rational. I mean, we hold gunmakers and gun dealers responsible for the murders committed by a gun they produced or sold. Oh wait: we dont do that. So what we're really suggesting is that a video game, and the people who created and marketed it, are more responsible for a violent murder than the company that produced the gun that was used in the crime.

I looked through the documents related to the bill, and I'm left wondering who the legislators think they are serving by introducing a bill like this. I guess it's making trial lawyers happy. This bill will give frivolous lawsuits new life, as the gaming industry starts to feel the same kind of heat that the gun indsutry once felt, only this time the plaintiffs will be given legal legitimacy to demand large checks from the development houses.

We have already had a number of lawsuits pass through the courts where victims of gun crimes (just one example of a violent crime) where they attempted to hold the gun makers responsible, and all of those cases resulted in a win for the gun makers. If the people that are providing the literal means to commit the crime are not responsible, how can video game makers, who make something that is in no way used to commit a crime, be held responsible for them? Does that make rational sense to you? To anyone?

The video game industry has moved by leaps and bounds to ensure that adult-themed games are sold only to adults. They created the ESRB to help educate the public and help parents determine what games are appropriate for their children. If you've played computer games for as long as I have (I'm not ashamed to admit it), you would know that adult verification used to consist of asking the player trivia questions about beer (check out the old-school Leisure Suit Larry games). I think it's safe to say that the gaming industry has come a long way from those days.


To anyone that thinks that the America is on its way to banning violent video games, I would say I think that is ridiculous. With that said, all options are on the table.