Video Games: Not Art, Not Media…Just Plain Evil

Courtesy of Gary DuVall comes this anti-video game attack in the Land of Lincoln:

"Video games are not art or media," says Illinois state Sen. Deanna Demuzio. "They are simulations, not all that different from the simulations used by the U.S. military in preparation for war."

Demuzio is the sponsor of a successful bill that would, in the AP's summary, "require store owners to determine which games are too violent or sexually explicit for anyone under 18. Anyone selling them to a minor could be fined." Gov. Rod Blagejovich is in favor of the law and a version of it has passed the state legislature, too. All they're haggling over now is whether you could get jail time for selling Grand Theft Auto to an underage kid.

Most laughable (we're crying on the inside) are the on-the-record quislings in Springfield:

Other senators said the courts have already struck down similar laws elsewhere. They predicted the Senate-approved measure would never take effect and the state would end up paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees.

Still, even some critics said they would not vote against the measure for fear it would be used against them politically.

"I'm going to vote for this bill, but I'm voting for it for one reason -- because this is a political bill," said Sen. Mike Jacobs. "If I vote against it, it will show up in a campaign mail piece."

Whole profile in courage here.