A couple of days back, we wrote a post detailing a piece of videogame legislation proposed by U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) known as S.3315. Well, the full bill is now available after the jump for you to read. Don't worry, it's only three and a quarter pages long. Learn more about it after the jump!

Download: S.3315: The Video Game Rating Enforcement Act of 2008

With all the flak that video games have gotten from politicians, we're tempted to think that two will probably never mix.

The latest one involves U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama and his comment about video games. You can read an excerpt of his statement n the full article after the jump.

These days, technology has made the costs of game development higher than ever, and gamers are beginning to feel the weight. Don't look now but things just might get a bit more expensive as a Wisconsin State Senator introduces a proposal to add more taxes to gaming. It's for a good cause, but are you with the legislator on this one? Read the full story in the detailed version.

The big buzz just a few days ago loomed over the societal-political sector, when a video game violence bill beset by a preliminary injunction was held back permanently after courts found the law was unconstitutional. The bill, proposed by senator Leland Yee and former California Assemblyman, was signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger back in 2005.

But before the law could come into effect on January 1, 2006, the collective alliances of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the Video Software Dealers Association (VSDA), and the Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA) countered the law with a suit. The result rendered the law useless when courts decided to place a preliminary injunction on the law.

Like many other video game laws, the California video game violence law wanted to restrict the sale of violent video games (as classified by the law) to anyone under the age of 18. It only went as far as punishing violators with a US$ 1,000 fine, but back in Monday, the law was proven unconstitutional and was rendered ineffectual - permanently.

The game industry, instead, had provided invitations to the political sector to aid in the much-needed re-education of purchasing decisions and rating systems for media and to encourage parents to partake in the game selection process for their inappropriately aged children. But it appears the politicians will not sway so easily.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has suggested that he will appeal the ruling by U.S. District Judge Ronald Whyte and stand by the bill "the Governator" signed into law two years ago. In defense, he commented:

I signed this important measure to ensure that parents are involved in determining which video games are appropriate for their children. The bill I signed would require that violent video games be clearly labeled and not be sold to children under 18 years old. Many of these games are made for adults and choosing games that are appropriate for kids should be a decision made by their parents. I will vigorously defend this law and appeal it to the next level.

As GamePolitics put it, "It’s not over until it’s over in California," and we couldn't help but nod in agreement.

According to a report by GamePolitics, a new bill has been proposed by the Democratic side of New York's legislature. This report comes after the fact that another bill was passed earlier by the legislature of the same state, spearheaded by the Republicans of the Senate, specifically Senator Andrew Lanza.

But probably the most significant issue that this news has raised is that if a retailer happens to sell or rent any game to inappropriately aged minors, that same retailer would be committing a felony - a class E felony. An excerpt of the proposal goes:

1.) selling or renting to a minor a game which includes “depraved violence and indecent images” would be a class E felony under the state penal code

The bill refers to "depraved" as depictions of "rape, dismemberment, physical torture, mutilation or evisceration of a human being." The proposed bill, called A08696, goes further to iterate that each new game console should integrate a parental control mechanism. It defines this mechanism as:

…a mechanism, device or control system that allows an owner, through the use of a personal identification number, password or similar technology, to prevent the display of video games, or portions thereof containing certain content…

And that's not all. According to a section of the proposal, the state attorney general will be granted the authority to petition the court for an injunction blocking further sales of any console not meeting this requirement. And yes, it's specifically targeted at consoles, not PCs or handhelds.

The proposal also suggests the formation of a council, dubbed "Advisory Council on Interactive Media and Youth Violence," to monitor and evaluate research on interactive media, "violent behavior among children," and review the ESRB system. Furthermore, it says:

4.) The measure contains a severability clause, which states that if any portion of the proposed law is found to be unconstitutional, such a ruling would not invalidate the other sections.

This new bill was proposed by Assemblyman Joseph Lentol and co-sponsored by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, and Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer. There are even talks that the new proposal is currently favored by Governor Eliot Spitzer, a Democrat. And if he does pass and sign the law in the state, it will go into effect in 120 days.

We saw it coming from a mile away. If you've heard about V-tech Rampage, a Flash game simulating the events of the biggest shootout in the U.S., you know that some lawyer from somewhere would stand up and say something against it - even if he has no idea what he's talking about.

Coming from New York, Senator Andrew Lanza came up to say something against the game. "There are certain things in life you don't make light of and should not be turning into a game. It's not a game, it's a tremendous loss of life."

We may share his sentiment, but we know more than asking retailers and manufacturers to shun the game. He even compared V-tech Rampage, a Flash game made by unemployed 21-year old Ryan Lambourn (Sydney, Austraila), to upcoming commercial game Grand Theft Auto IV.

As if unfamiliar to the gaming scene, he commented "You've got Grand Theft Auto where you murder police officers. To me, I can't imagine people marketing and distributing it, and putting it in the hands of kids, but it's happening." Apparently, he has no idea about Flash games that thousands of users create everyday, to compare it with actual commercial games and talk to retailers, manufacturers, and websites about it.

Iowa senator Bill Heckroth recently reminded clerks and fellow senators in Iowa that playing video games on state-issued laptops while debates and other proceedings are going on is inappropriate and may be viewed negatively by the visiting public.

While with his family in the hall, he observed that people were talking about how everyone with computers in the hall were playing videogames on their laptops. "I looked down and there were a lot of people, clerks as well as senators, with solitaire, stuff like that. I just got to thinking that just doesn't look real professional," said Heckroth.

"You hear enough bad things about being a politician," adds the senator as he made it clear that as a new senator, he wants to feel good about the image of the institution he is serving. Heckroth didn't take long to find himself up at the podium, telling everyone of what he thought.

Minority leader Mary Lundby was apparently unfazed by Heckroth's speech.  "Freshmen are always shocked by what goes on," she says. "Next year he won't even mention it. He'll probably be playing games."

Senators and their staff explained that playing games has been part of a day's work to pass time when proceedings drag on and sessions go on extended hours. Solitaire, by the way, is the game of choice.

While we can understand his sentiment, Senator Barack Obama's choice of rhetoric was a bit stale. Game Politics notes an Associated Press report that mentions his use of gaming as an equivalent to slacking.

According to the Associated Press, Obama was heard saying this at a a recent promotional rally in Austin, Texas:

Obama told the Austin crowd that they should try to recruit their friends to support his campaign. "I want you to tell them, 'It's time for you to turn off the TV and stop playing Game Boy,'" Obama said. "We've got work to do."

It obviously wasn't meant as a literal term, as the senator's been somewhat vocal in getting newer voters to go out and rock the vote (for him, presumably). He previously criticized youth culture as "watching TV, playing video games, and avoiding tough classes in school." Whether or not he wins the elections, we just want to tell him one thing though: "The new handhelds are the DS Lite and PSP. Take your pick for your next performance."

Back in September, one of our MyQJ contributors talked about Kansas Senator Sam Bronwback (R) and his introduction of a bill called the Truth in Video Game Ratings Act. The gist of the bill is that the Entertainment Software Ratings Board's (ESRB) game ratings should be based on the game's entire content and not just on viewing a game's most offensive content.

Fast forward to today. Doug Lowenstein has relinquished his ESRB presidency and Senator Brownback is gunning to be the next top inhabitant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (that's the White House for those who don't know). He is also re-introducing the said bill. This is what he said in a statement about it:

Video game reviewers should be required to review the entire content of a game to ensure the accuracy of the rating. The current video game ratings system is not as accurate as it could be because reviewers do not see the full content of games and do not even play the games they rate. The Truth in Video Game Rating Act would also commission a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study to determine the efficacy of the... ESRB ratings system.

Former ESRB head Doug Lowenstein said in September that this bill will not succeed and that people would not be represented by the average American parents. With him out of the picture, what happens next?

Unfazed by the incidents that occurred in Illinois and, most recently, in Utah, North Carolina Senator Julia Boseman proposed a video game bill designed to restrict the access of minors to violent video games.

This move was not a surprise, since before the bill was introduced, political tongues had already been wagging that the Senator was keen on re-introducing video game legislation. She first proposed video game legislation in 2005. The bill passed the Senate, but failed to move in the House.

Senate Bill 87 (SB87), the Boseman-introduced bill, aims to add violent games to an already existing NC stature which defines what materials are harmful to minors. Reading through the filed bill, video game violence is defined in the same terms used to restrict minors' access to porn.

It mentions that video games with graphic violence, which is harmful to minors, should be located in an area not open to view by minors. Video game retailers must also inform their customers about the ESRB ratings. Graphic violence here was defined as:

The realistic visual depiction of serious injury to human beings, actual or virtual, including aggravated assault, decapitation, dismemberment, or death.

The law is also applicable to video arcades. If this is passed, the bill would become a law by the end of the year.