D.C. video game retailers could face $10,000 fines for selling some violent and explicit games to minors, if proposed legislation is passed in the District.
The proposed legislation would prevent merchants from selling games that contain violent or sexually explicit material to minors because they have been linked to teen violence. Such games include the "Halo" and "Grand Theft Auto" series.
Violating the law would cost the store a $10,000 fine or loss of its business license. Mayor Anthony Williams as well as a majority of D.C. Council members support the ban.
Charles Olson, supreme commander of the AU Gamers, said the legislation would be "taking responsibility and choice away from retailers and families and is making a decision about what is appropriate for whom."
The AU Gamers held a party to celebrate the release of "Halo 2" last November.
"I have been playing ["Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas"] every chance I get since I borrowed it from my friend. It's fun," Olson said. "But if I were a parent, I wouldn't let my young child play it."
Olson described the basic premise of the game.
"You assume the identity of a criminal who, through the course of the game, does it all - murder, theft, burglary, prostitution [and] drugs," he said.
"Grand Theft Auto" is rated M for mature, as is "Halo 2."
In "Halo 2," a player takes on the persona of a "futuristic Marine fighting against evil aliens" Olson said.
"There is violence - guns, missiles, some melee combat, but little gore - and in the sci-fi setting [that] is harmless," he said.
Entertainment Software Rating Board assigned the games the M rating, which means that the game is suitable for people 17 years of age or older. Games with this label "... may contain mature sexual themes, more intense violence and/or strong language," according to the rating board's Web site. The new legislation would prevent sales of these rated M games to minors.
"D.C. is basically enforcing with legislation and penalties what has previously only been suggestions and guidelines to retailers and parents," Olson said.
Kathryn C. Montgomery, a professor in the School of Communication, said the legislation would help make industry ratings more effective.
"The new law [would] make the industry adhere to its own rules - if the seller doesn't adhere to [the rules] then it won't work," she said.
Some sellers say they already adhere to the industry's suggestions.
Best Buy in Tenleytown, one of the major video game retailers in the District, requires proof of age at the register to buy a game rated M, according to The Washington Post.
Montgomery said studies have shown video games can influence children's behavior. The games can have a greater effect than movies, music and other media because "in video games, you inflict the violence," she said.
She said that although violent videogames are a contributing factor, they aren't the only reason for juvenile violence.
"You have to take into account that violence in peoples' lives is a complex phenomena," Montgomery said. "Age shouldn't be the only factor that needs to be considered [when rating games]."
The average age of a videogame player is 29, and the average age of a buyer is 36, according to the Washington-based Entertainment Software association's Web site. In 2003, 94 percent of computer game buyers and 84 percent of console game buyers were over the age of 18.
Federal appeals courts have rejected other attempts at regulating video game sales as unconstitutional, according to The Post. Similar legislation has been proposed in Maryland, Virginia, Georgia and Illinois.
