Illinois Game Law Struck Down
In this CNN story, we find that the court has struck down the law banning the sale of violent video games to minors, just as I predicted. It was on First Amendment grounds. The judge said: “In this country, the state lacks the authority to ban protected speech on the ground that it affects the listener’s or observer’s thoughts and attitudes.”
Since voluntary ESRB rules already prohibited retailers from selling these games, whether the law exists or not doesn’t make any difference. But it is good to know that it is the industry itself self-regulating, rather than Big Brother state government acting as parents to the state’s children.