Venezuelan Bill Seeks To Curb Video Game Violence, Real Violence

A bill currently working its way through the Venezuelan legislature will ban the sale of violent video games and toys in the South American country if it passes. The bill has already been voted through by the country's National Assembly, according to a newly published Reuters report. According to the report, if the bill passes another vote and is signed by President Hugo Chavez, it will become law. Proponents of the bill hope that its success will help curb the country's real-life crime issues. Some have allegedly claimed that the country of approximately 27 million residents has seen 100,000 murders in the decade since Chavez took power. Similar bills, or those looking to assign tighter restrictions to violent games without banning them outright, have been attempted numerous times in specific states of the U.S., but are generally struck down relatively quickly. For example, this year the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled against a California law restricting the sale of violent games to minors. In a separate incident, Utah governor Jon Huntsman vetoed a bill planning to impose fines on retailers who violate the voluntary ESRB age recommentations.