As Expected, Video Game Industry Sues to Block Oklahoma Law

The other shoe has dropped in Oklahoma.

As expected, the EMA (retailers) and ESA (publishers) jointly announced yesterday that the video game industry has filed suit in Oklahoma to challenge the state's new video game law on constitutional grounds.

"Legislators have sold parents a bill of goods for political expediency," said ESA President Doug Lowenstein in a press release. "They know the bill will be struck down, they know it's based on bad science, and they know it won't help parents do their jobs. What they won't tell voters: we just picked your pocket to the tune of a half million dollars, the amount the state will have to reimburse the ESA after the inevitable decision is made to strike down the law."

The video game industry press release was especially harsh on language in the law which the ESA chief said criminalizes a parent's decision to give their child a violent video game. On this the industry statement says, "the state of Oklahoma is the first in the country to pass a law that takes the unprecedented step of telling parents that the government knows better than they what games their children should play."

Bo Andersen, President of the EMA, added, "The law's definitions are so vague and imprecise that no video game retailer could ever know whether a particular video game is covered by the restrictions. No retail clerk should suffer the ignominy of a criminal record where no reasonable person could determine whether a particular video game may legally be sold or rented to a minor."

The Oklahoma law is currently slated to take effect on November 1st. Oklahoma T.V. station KTEN-10 reports that Gov. Brad Henry (D) had no comment on the video game industry lawsuit, while Rep. Fred Morgan (R, seen at left), the primary sponsor of the legislation, said he was not surprised by the suit. Morgan, who must vacate his seat in the Oklahoma House due to term limits, is running for Congress.

The Oklahoma law has been supported by the Parents Television Council (PTC).

GamePolitics is, of course, your #1 source for news about politics and video games. Check out our ongoing coverage of the Oklahoma situation. We've been tracking developments there since October, 2005.

Want to talk about it? You can discuss this story via the "comments" feature (click below), or in the new GamePolitics Forums...