n another move aimed against the video game industry – the Massachusetts legislature will mull over House Bill 1423 tomorrow. GamePolitics reports that the bill was proposed early last year, but not acted upon until now. HB1423 attempts to restrict the sale of video games with violent content to minors, making the sale of such titles illegal. No similar law is currently in effect as pertains to video games, movies, music or literature with violent content.

The bill, taking the “games-as-porn” approach, is titled such because it uses the rational that sexually explicit material and violent video games are equally harmful to minors. If this bill is passed, it would officially change the legal definition of content that is “harmful to minors” to include anything that “…depicts violence in a manner patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community, so as to appeal predominantly to the morbid interest in violence of minors; is patently contrary to prevailing standards of adults in the county where the offense was committed as to suitable material for  such minors; and  lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value for minors.”

The biggest problem with the proposed change is it’s subjective nature, especially in the final phrase of the modified definition.  Past attempts to pass similar laws in other states have proved unsuccessful; often throw out because of concerns that it impeaches the first amendment right to free speech.