A report on Next Generation indicates that Louisiana’s violent game criminalization bill, HR 1381, has passed the State House of Representatives on a vote of 102 - 0. According to the text of the law, selling games to minors in accordance with the following standards:

1. 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.
2. The game depicts violence in a manner patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community with respect to what is suitable for minors.
3. The game, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors.

Penalties for violating this law would include fines from $100 to $2000 dollars, and up to a year in jail. The Entertainment Software Association’s response indicated that they felt that the law would be found unconstitutional under review. The bill will next face review by the Louisiana Senate, before moving on to the Governor. The text of the bill appears to be sufficiently vague that it would most likely not survive under challenge. The bill itself would seem to be basically an attempt to garner votes without enacting an actual law. Still, this follows in a long line of states attempting to ban the sale of violent video games, including Washington, California, Illinois, and Oklahoma.

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