Whenever Fox News starts talking about videogames, controversy usually follows. It has happened with Mass Effect, Medal of Honor and to a lesser extent, NBA Jam. Peter Moore, president of EA Sports went on Fox News to talk about NBA Jam’s inclusion of politicians such as President Obama and Sarah Palin.

EA has called out California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on his stance against violent videogames. Schwarzenegger is the main opposition in a piece of legislation that will soon be heard in the Supreme Court. If passed, it would be illegal for stores in California to sell what it considers to be “excessively” violent videogames to minors. Other forms of entertainment such as movies are not subject to such laws.

A CBS 12 news story out of Florida is reporting the New York police union officials see the game as an abomination as it’s dehumanizing officers and making light of violent situations. They believe the game is a negative influence on children despite the fact that Saints Row 2 has a Mature rating which is meant to prevent children from purchasing the game…

If you’ve been keeping up with video games in politics, you may or may not already know about HB1423, a bill being proposed in Massachusetts that would block the sale of violent games to minors. While there has been much debate amongst politicians since its introduction, best-selling author Stephen King cast his own personal vote on the matter in his latest Entertainment Weekly column.

King, who prefaced the article by stating that he was not a fan of video games at all, went on to blast the Massachusetts legislature, noting the hypocrisy of the…

New Mexico Democrat Gail Chasey is getting set to draw the ire of some of her consumer constituents, according to an Agence France-Presse (AFP) report. The lawmaker announced impending legislation last last week (January 25, 2007) that would levy a one percent tax on video games and televisions sold in the state. According to Chasey, the program will “Improve the academic performances of our kids” and help to fight child obesity.

Money from the fund, which is expected to garner four million dollars each year, will also be used to finance field trips to state parks and other outdoor areas. Chasey, a former educator, intends to use these outdoor classrooms to encourage healthy and active lifestyles for the students and bolster academic performance. The program is titled “No Child Left Inside,” a snarky homage to the current administration’s education policy.

In the recent race to the White House, politicians are not the only people fighting to be heard. In a recent issue of CitizenLink parents fear ESA’s (Entertainment Software Association) most recent activity of funding game friendly candidates.

According to CitizenLink, parents fear that ESA’s latest actions would “sway lawmakers” into allowing video games to produce more violent and sexually explicit games. The fear is apparent in CNN’s latest situation room blog where the site asks, “Should the government be able to limit violence on TV?”

Industry-friendly candidates will be getting financial support this election year from a political action committee established last fall by the Electronic Software Association (ESA). The New York Times spoke to ESA chief executive Michael D. Gallagher on Tuesday (January 15, 2008) regarding the status of the new committee and how it could affect politicians this year:

We will be writing checks to campaigns by the end of this quarter. This is an important step in the political maturation process of the industry that we are ready to take now. This is about identifying and supporting champions for the game industry on Capitol Hill so that they support us.

With the presidential candidates having already surpassed the twenty million dollar mark a full year before the election, $5,000 hardly seems like big money. But Gallagher’s action committee intends to write about $50,000 to $100,000 worth of donations, which is…

According to Wired and KHQ news, a 20-year-old man was recently arrested for stalking and threatening a 15-year old girl he met playing Halo online. Joshua Stetar (the perpetrator) had apparently driven cross country from to Spokane, Washington to see the girl he met on Xbox live. His other obscenely creepy behaviors included driving by more »

Common Sense Media reached out to a dozen presidential candidates (Republicans and Democrats) to ask each about policies they may implement should they be elected. Senator John Edwards (D-NC), former Governor Barack Obama (D-IL), Bill Richardson (D-NM) and Mitt Romney (R-MA) were a few who responded to Common Sense’s inquiry. An inquiry was also sent more »

According to ABC News and the National Institute on Media and the Family, Parents are helping their kids get violent games. In one of the more reactionary and ill-informed pieces the mainstream media has put out on the topic of violence in games, the ABC piece is full of quotes such as this gem from more »