Another US politician is looking for ways to get violent video games get banned in Chicago.
Illinois State Representative Marcus C. Evans Jr. is currently looking to amend a 2012 Illinois law. It states that it will ban underage children from accessing violent video games. If this gets passed, HB3531 will ban the sale of all violent video games in the state. Those who will violate this will pay the penalty of up to $1000.
Here is the synopsis of said law describing what violent video game is:
a video game that allows a user or player to control a character within the video game that is encouraged to perpetuate human-on-human violence in which the player kills or otherwise causes serious physical or psychological harm to another human or an animal.
It also modifies the meaning of serious physical harm:
include psychological harm and child abuse, sexual abuse, animal abuse, domestic violence, violence against women, or motor vehicle theft with a driver or passenger present inside the vehicle when the theft begins.
After the increase of carjackings in Chicago, a resident named Early Walker told several state legislators about the similarities of it to the video game Grand Theft Auto. Evans meanwhile hopes that with the bill, it will prevent the sale of these games that “promote the activities that we’re suffering from in our communities.”
The Entertainment Software Association has already made a statement that opposes the bill:
While our industry understands and shares the concerns about what has been happening in Chicago, there simply is no evidence of a link between interactive entertainment and real-world violence. We believe the solution to this complex problem resides in examining thoroughly the actual factors that drive such behaviors rather than erroneously ascribing blame to video games based solely upon speculation.
Source: Illinois General Assembly, Chicago-Sun Times via Eurogamer