PSP World

Victory in Utah Game Bill Debate

Remember that crazy video game labeling law that was the brainchild of disbarred attorney Jack Thompson? Well, common sense eventually prevailed and today the Governor of Utah struck down the bill, saying that it was likely unconstitutional and would probably result in kids having easier access to violent content. In a prepared statement, Utah Governor Jon Huntsman explained his reasons for vetoing the bill:

"While protecting children from inappropriate materials is a laudable goal, the language of this bill is so broad that it likely will be struck down by the courts as an unconstitutional violation of the Dormant Commerce Clause and/or the First Amendment.

The industries most affected by this new requirement indicated that rather than risk being held liable under this bill, they would likely choose to no longer issue age appropriate labels on goods and services. Therefore, the unintended consequence of the bill would be that parents and children would have no labels to guide them in determining the age appropriateness of the goods or service, thereby increasing children's potential exposure to something they or their parents would have otherwise determined was inappropriate under the voluntary labeling system now being recognized and embraced by a significant majority of vendors."

We wholeheartedly agree with Governor Huntsman's assessment and we congratulate Utah gamers in their victory against the forces of video game censorship.

Cooler heads eventually prevailed and Utah Governor Jon Huntsman vetoed the Game Labeling Bill