Jack Thompson, the man who has appeared on many media outlets campaigning for laws prohibiting certain times of video games from being marketed to minors, has made his way north to enact these laws in Massachusetts. According to FierceGameBiz.com the bill has already received support from 12 members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in addition to a gathering of senators and Mayor Thomas Meino. From GamePolitics.com we find that the bill would stop minors from purchasing game which do the following:

• depicts violence in a manner patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community, so as to appeal predominantly to the morbid interest in violence of minors

• is patently contrary to prevailing standards of adults in the county where the offense was committed as to suitable material for such minors

• and lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value for minors.

The bill currently lacks a sponsor an official sponsor and has not yet come up for a vote. In the meantime, though, you can study the articles here http://www.fiercegamebiz.com/story/video-game-law-proposed-for-massachusetts/2007-01-09

And here http://gamepolitics.com/2007/01/09/breaking-new-video-game-legislation-in-massachusetts-drafted-by-jack-thompson/ for more information.

Nick McCavitt at nmccavitt@forumwizard.net