Tom Buscaglia’s awkwardly titled article on Gamasutra, Game Law:
Prior Restraint the Games – a Rant, was printed on January 19th, 2006, but I only just now read it.
It is easy to complain on web forums. It is easy to say, “Good job!” when someone writes a well-opinioned piece on games. Buscaglia argues that it is easy and it isn’t enough. Gamers and game developers need to organize in order to make sure that change is effected that preserves the game industry.
When Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was trying to pass a law banning the sale of violent and sexually explicit games to minors, I wrote a few letters. I wanted my concerns to be heard. I had to push, but I eventually got a response.
The Sun-Times never did print my letter regarding this law. Unfortunately, I never sent similar letters to the Chicago Tribune. I never sent one to smaller, local newspapers. I never sent them to national newspapers. I never submitted it to any gaming news sites! There was definitely more I could have done to raise awareness of the issues. I am glad that people like Jason Della Rocca are around, but I really can’t depend on everyone else doing the work for me.
I do know that I will not be voting for Blagojevich in the future. I won’t be voting for Don Harmon or Deborah L. Graham either. I guess what frightens me most is the idea that the alternatives won’t be any better, but I don’t like the idea of having my vote held hostage just because the politician is “good enough”.