Clinton vows gaming crackdown

News - New laws forthcoming if Clinton takes power

Hilary Clinton has vowed to crackdown on violent videogames, if elected US president. The democrat's stance on censorship puts her in the company of several Republicans, who are in favour of stronger ratings and rules governing the industry, which is at present self-regulated in the USA.

Presidential candidates were questioned as part of Common Sense Media's survey, which aimed to question US political heavyweights on media issues. Here is the question Clinton was asked, according to GamePolitics.com:

"To date, nearly 10 states have considered legislation to keep violent video games out of kids’ hands. Would you support this type of legislation at the federal level? What other strategies would you support to keep the video game industry and other media companies from marketing and selling inappropriate content to children?"

Senator Clinton responded: "When I introduced the Family Entertainment Protection Act [FEPA] two years ago, I did so because I felt that video game content was getting increasingly violent and sexually explicit, yet young people were able to purchase these games with relative ease while their parents were struggling to keep up with being informed about the content."

Large fine and community service orders would punish those breaking age legislation rules, while investigations into hidden game content a la Hot Coffee would be instigated.

"When I am president, I will work to protect children from inappropriate video game content," Clinton affirmed.

"Studies have found that exposure to TV violence can increase the risk of aggressive behavior in children and may be related to attention problems later in life. And some experts say that time spent watching too much TV or surfing the Internet or playing video games may detract from the time children spend interacting with their parents, participating in physical activity, or using their imaginations," the Senator concluded.