Post by leunas on Sept 3, 2006 2:33:21 GMT -5
Brenda Brathwaite, chair of the IGDA's Sex in Games SIG and author of the soon-to-be-released book Sex in Video Games recently directed GP's attention to GameCensorship.com, the web presence of attorney Lawrence G. Walters.
Walters, who specializes in First Amendment issues, spoke recently at the Sex in Games Conference. While he's an ardent defender of free speech, he also displays an admirable pragmatism:
"I do not advocate government censorship in any of its devious forms. I do believe that it is important to take the issue of voluntary regulation seriously, and look closely at whether the industry is doing enough to educate parents as to the content of video games..."
"(the industry) also needs to look at the issue of restricted sales more closely, and see if current policies and efforts are working. According to the FTC study, they're not... be forewarned, if the industry doesn't do it itself, the government will be happy to step in... To the extent that the industry can be seen to be working in cooperation with parents, instead of against them, the censors will find support for their legislative efforts gutted and the potential political game, undermined..."
GameCensorship.com offers a number of resources, including a table which lists video game legislation. It's a nice supplement to GP's own Google Maps-based Legislation Tracker.
In any case, Walter's website is a terrific resource, and we're hoping to hear more about his work with video game issues. Walters, ironically, is based in Florida, home to another lawyer who is well-known to the GamePolitics crowd.
gamepolitics.livejournal.com/352256.html