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Tuesday, October 11th, 2005
Time
Event
8:02a
It was just last week that GamePolitics reported on a $15.6 million settlement reached in the California-based Kirschenbaum vs. Electronic Arts class-action suit. Another California class-action, Hasty, remains active.
It now appears that a third class-action is pending against EA, this time in the management-friendly state of Florida. Once again the issue is overtime pay. The Boston law firm of Shapiro, Haber & Urmy is handling the case, Tam Su vs. Electronic Arts, Inc..
Tam Su, an interface artist, worked at EA's Tiburon Studios facility in Maitland, FL, from 2002 to 2004. He filed suit against EA in February of this year, claiming that EA had violated the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) by failing to pay overtime to interface artists. Last week, Shapiro, Haber & Urmy filed a motion to assert Tam Su's claim on behalf of all EA employees in Florida with the job title of assistant artist or associate artist. The law firm is presently searching for additional plaintiffs via a posting on its website.
Tam Su's online resume indicates that he worked on such EA titles as "NFL Street" and "NASCAR: Chase for the Cup 2005."8:03p
In the interest of journalistic fairness, GP points out that the following were all sent to us from Assembly Speaker pro Tem Leland Yee's staff.
First, there's a Windows media file of Yee and some members of the Girl Scouts discussing California's video game bill prior to the signing.
Next comes word that Yee debated the new game law with Rob Bernstein of Sync Magazine on CNN's Showbiz Tonight as part of their "showdown" segment on Monday. Afterwards, CNN ran a web poll with the question "Violent video games: Should states ban their sale to minors?" 78% of voters agreed with the law, with about 4,500 votes cast in total.
Finally, the San Francisco Examiner weighs in with an editorial in favor of the California law.
All in all, a heady few days for the Democratic assemblyman who deftly steered AB 1179 to passage.8:33p
It's fair to say that video game retailers are not pleased with the Governator.
Hal Halpin, president of the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association (IEMA), a trade group that represents 90% of North American retailers, was highly critical of California's new video game law.
Halpin was quoted in GameDAILY Biz saying, "We were disappointed that Governor Schwarzenegger signed A.B. 1179 into law. Given his tireless speeches about taking the politics out of lawmaking and prohibiting government waste of valuable taxpayer dollars, this decision seems counter to that message. It is clear that this course will lead only to this law, like all previous efforts to alter the First Amendment regarding violent video games, being overturned - yielding no significant change and squandering much-needed resources... We remain supportive of the ESRB and stand ready to aid the ESA in their lawsuits, as we have done in the past."8:47p
Our correspondent Stephen Broida discovered this upcoming event and brings it to your attention. If any of our GP readers can attend, we'd love to hear about it afterwards!
This Friday, October 14th, Michigan State University will host a debate on "Game Content, Ratings, Censorship, and the First Amendment."
It's a particularly apt topic for MSU given that Michigan is one of three states to enact video game legislation in 2005. The university has come up with a really impressive panel, including:
-Henry Jenkins III (pictured), professor of comparative media studies at MIT, who has written extensively on the benefits of video games
-Craig Anderson, psychology professor at Iowa State University, whose research shows there is a significant relation between exposure to media violence and aggressive behavior
-Clay Calvert, professor of communications and law at Penn State University, who argues that the recent legislation that restricts violent video game sales infringes on the First Amendment
-Jason Della Rocca, executive director of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), who advocates that digital games should not be treated any differently from other forms of art and creative expression
-Kevin Saunders, MSU law professor and author of "Saving Our Children from the First Amendment"
-John Lazet, chief of staff for Michigan Sen. Alan Cropsey, who recently sponsored legislation that restricts the sale of violent video games in Michigan.
The panel session is part of the international conference on the future of game design and technology, called Future Play, taking place at the MSU Union October 13-15.
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