The Entertainment Consumers Association is calling on people join the opposition to California Congressman Joe Baca’s bill calling for health warning labels on videogames.
Rep. Joe Baca stepped back into the spotlight a couple days ago with his third attempt at imposing legislation in California that would require all videogames rated E (Everyone) or higher to be labeled with warnings that “exposure to violent videogames has been linked to aggressive behavior.” Baca tried the same thing in 2009 and 2011, neither of which went anywhere, and the ECA wants to make sure that his 2012 attempt ends up the same way.
To that end, the ECA has launched a new action campaign calling on consumers to express their opposition to Baca’s bill to their own Member of Congress. The Association says Congress is “misinformed” on the issue, noting that while Baca cites scientific studies linking games to violence, there are a great many more studies which say there is no causal link between violent videogames and “negatively aggressive behavior,” and that some new studies have actually demonstrated that videogames can have a positive impact on the development of children.
It also warned that Baca’s call for warning labels on virtually all videogames – only those rated EC (Early Childhood) would be exempt – could also lead to confusion and undermine the ESRB labeling system that already exists and which is, we will once again remind you, the FTC says is the most effective media rating system on the market.
The process is almost entirely automated, requiring nothing more than a zip code [Americans only, I’m afraid] and a willingness to click the “Send This Message” button, so assuming you’re eligible, there’s no reason not to do your part. So take a couple of seconds out of your busy day, head over to action.theeca.com and get clicking!
