Louisiana Game Lawsuit Blocked

The ESA and EMA win in case against the Louisiana Congress for restricting the sales of mature-rated games.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) have announced that they have beaten a Louisiana Congress bill attempting to ban the sale or renting of games to minors. Following a temporary injunction issued in August, the Louisiana judge extended his ruling to permanently block the proposed law. A written judgment has not yet been submitted, and official comments from the plaintiff organizations will be released following the case's official close.

Democrat Roy Burrell (the bill's author) and supporter Jack Thompson pushed the bill to be signed by the state Congress in June. The content of the laws were based on previous media and obscenity laws, but reapplied for the games industry.

Under the new laws, it would have been illegal to sell or rent games to minors if:

- "The average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find that the video or computer game, taken as a whole, appeals to the minor's morbid interest in violence."

- "The game depicts violence in a manner patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community with respect to what is suitable for minors."

- "The game, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors."

Source: Gamespot