Stephen King Defends Videogames

King's comments follow in the aftermath of HB 1423,  which sought to have video games declared indecent and of "no redeeming social merit" therefore making them unsellable to minors in the state of Massachusetts.

Comments from the author show that he did his research into the bill's particulars before responding

"...when I heard about HB 1423 [I] hit the roof. HB 1423 would restrict or outright ban the sale of violent videogames to anyone under the age of 18. Which means, by the way, that a 17-year-old who can get in to see Hostel: Part II would be forbidden by law from buying (or renting, one supposes) the violent but less graphic Grand Theft Auto series

"...Now, what does and doesn't have social merit is always an interesting question. But what makes me crazy is when politicians take it upon themselves to play surrogate parents. The results of that are usually disastrous. Not to mention undemocratic.

"...The most effective bar against what was called 'the seduction of the innocent' when this hot-button issue centered on violent comic books 60 years ago is still parents who know and care not just about what their kids are watching and reading, but what they're doing and who they're hanging with. Parents need to have the guts to forbid material they find objectionable... and then explain why it's being forbidden. They also need to monitor their children's lives in the pop culture ? which means a lot more than seeing what games they're renting down the street.

"...Could Massachusetts legislators find better ways to watch out for the kiddies? Man, I sure hope so, because there's a lot more to America's culture of violence than Resident Evil 4 ."

The legislative community seems deadfast determined to keep the finger of blame pointed elsewhere. Yesterday, April 7th 2008,  the Arizona legislature successfully passed something called HB 2660 by a 36-23 vote.

Although HB 2660 uses sounds similar to the Massachusetts bill, its practical effects are much more drastic. Under the bill's provisions, those companies accused of supplying "dangerous" or "obscene" media could be found liable for damages if their products allegedly go on to incite a person to perform a a felony, an act of violence or an act of terrorism. It should be mentioned that HB 2660's provisions cover all forms of distributed media -- written, audio, digital or printed -- so products like movies and TV, including several of King books, are affected as much as video games.

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