They must be postal if they only use a game like that Postal looks like!

um... thats postal 2

Oh for the love of God! I hope the real court uses games that aren't the offensive piece of garbage that is Postal. Man, I hope things go alright, because it would be just a huge hit on the game industry if this goes through.

should we like... protest or do a picket line or some kind of something with signs? cause I would much rather stay home and play vidga games

I hope we get a fair trial but I think the industry will be lucky if those jackasses get off their high-horse long enough for them to make a counterargument. I'm sure this is exactly what the real trial will be like. They will use a few bad examples to smear the whole medium with a big "hyper-violent" label, and then they will make a plea "for the children".

How about we invoke a law where couples have to pass a common sense parenting test before they are allowed to procreate? That'd do more good in the long run.

Alright I know that if this law passes it will be bad for the industry but can someone please explain why it would be so bad to me. Like I think I understand the main reasoning but just to fill in the gaps so I'm clear on it. Thanks.

I'm trying to think of something witty here... It's not working...

Ghostpig, get in here!

They'd better not pull this *** in the real case. Stan Lee and Hollywood better put on their ass whuppin' faces this coming November.

@Phil / GI:

Can you do an article that actually spells out what they are trying to put into law? Banning minors from buying M rated games without a parent doesn't seem all that big and scary- although I guess it's more gov't meddling than they do for R-rated films (which are not "banned" from being sold to minors by law, just rather common store policy.

I mean I guess it could have similar implications for M rated titles as the X rating does for movies, depending on how the enforcement works and what exactly the law states. However at this point I feel like GI and other mags have been using scare tactics without explaining why we should be scared (as adults who are gamers). I'm not suggesting anything devious on GI's part, but at this point I still don't see why this law should worry me. I could be wrong and have missed the article that spelled it out, but from what I see, the articles just say "the law" this or "the law" that, without saying what the law does (and without differentiating between cases, in some articles).

This is beginning to turn out like South Park "Bigger, Longer, and Uncut" when the kids all see "Asses of Fire."

Guys, this isn't good. I don't think we can expect much more competence from the actual trial. I've got a bad feeling

Oh yes, the commission must not know what they are talking about! Obviously this unnamed and unquoted secondhand testimony should be reported as some sort of evidence! You know what should never be reported? The existing legal precedent already on the books, concerning topics similar to this , that could catapult this bill in to law. But why would GI want to report the facts on this matter, instead of just regurgitate the things the ESA tells them?

Now, I don't want people to read my comments and think I fully support this bill; I think the bill needs a major overhaul before it should be passed. However, I will continue to defend this bill when GI continues to cover it the way it does. Printing / uploading stories that are obviously one sided and biased, devoid of facts, and journalistically unscrupulous is not only wrong, it slaps your readers in the face with blatant disrespect!

Come on GI, tell both sides!

I don't think that was a fair mock trial, if they knew the ESRB ratings system, then I could have called it fair. If this law passes, it will be Game Over for the game industry.

what a waste of time

i have to have my parent with me if i go into gamestop to buy a rated M game, how will the passing to the law change anything?

Yeah, the mock defending attorneys won't even come close to matching the professionalism and knowledgeable methodology that the ESA will show in the actual hearing.

So, if this law were to pass, it would be perfectly legal for a child to go to the movie theater and watch the R rated Resident Evil Movie. It would also be perfectly legal for the child to buy an R rated DvD of the Resident Evil Movie. It would also be completely legal for the child to buy a explicit and gore filled book based in the Resident Evil universe. But it would be illegal for them to buy the Resident Evil game...Yeah.

If this law passes it will have a devastating, chilling effect on this entire industry and the industry's around us including the film industry. First Amendment Rights allow is to live freely of Government censorship. This law intends to open up a never before seen section on the Constitution and add video games as unprotected content for children. It does not want to censor any other entertainment, just video games.

To the many, many morons who continue to convince themselves that all this law will mean is that children will not be able to buy M rated video games, I urge you to read some of the Briefs against this law. I.D. Software, the makers of Doom, have a great brief that was delivered to the supreme court. So does the ESA and many, many First Amendment organizations which will clearly explain to you why this could crumble the industry one brick at a time.

If children are not given the same rights we are, then we remove their choice. Removing their choice is something we have done time after time after time in the past. And each time it led to nothing but failure...Here is a link to all the briefs.

http://www.abanet.org/publiced/preview/briefs/nov2010.shtml#schw

You may or may not need to scroll down a little until you see Schwarzenegger's name, and below is the 4 briefs in favor of this law, and the 27 against it. If you still think all this law will do is ban children from violent games, you owe it to this entire industry to read some of these briefs. You will probably get angry at California for trying to stop the creative minds in this industry from expressing themselves, so go to the ESA's website and sign their petition which will be given to the Supreme Court in all of our names.

If the supreme court doesn't do research, I am moving out of this country. o.o

Hesus Chresto,  parents need to stop whining about video games and actually take up responsibility on raising their kids instead of blaming video games.  they are just games. GROW UP PEOPLE.

Ignorance is bliss ain't it?

Not in this case though.

I don't really see this matters.  If parents don't mind their kids playing M rated games they could just go and buy those games for them themselves.