Illinois Lawmaker Trying to Ban Violent Video Games Statewide

The more things change, the more they stay the same. For what feels like the millionth time, a U.S. politician is trying to ban violent video games.

Illinois state representative Marcus C. Evans Jr. has introduced an amendment to a 2012 Illinois law that bans underage children from buying violent video games. His amendment, HB3531, would prohibit "the sale of all violent video games," in Illinois, and includes a $1,000 fine for anyone selling those games.

How does one define a violent video game? This bill says it's any game that "allows a user or player to control a character within the video game that is encouraged to perpetuate human-on-human violence in which the player kills or otherwise causes serious physical or psychological harm to another human or an animal."

The bill would also expand the definition of "serious physical harm" to include other types of violence, including "motor vehicle theft with a driver or passenger present inside the vehicle when the theft begins."

Evans' proposed amendment arrives after an increase in carjackings in Chicago, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago resident Early Walker, who runs a towing company and an anti-violence organization called I'm Telling Don't Shoot, reportedly reached out to state legislators after noticing similarities between the carjackings in Chicago and those in Grand Theft Auto. Fancy that.

This is hardly the first time the Grand Theft Auto series in particular has prompted pearl clutching. Nearly every game in the franchise has been met with concern about the violent and sexual content contained within. Around and around turns the carousel of history.

Evans' bill is still in its early stages. It will have to pass both the Illinois state House of Representatives and Senate, and even then could still be vetoed by the governor. It may also run into that pesky First Amendment, as the Supreme Court case Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association ruled video games are protected free speech and struck down California's law banning the sale of violent video games to minors without parental consent.

The Entertainment Software Association has announced its opposition to the bill.

"While our industry understands and shares the concerns about what has been happening in Chicago, there simply is no evidence of a link between interactive entertainment and real-world violence," reads its statement. "We believe the solution to this complex problem resides in examining thoroughly the actual factors that drive such behaviors rather than erroneously ascribing blame to video games based solely upon speculation."

A large and growing body of research has failed to find a causal link between violent video games and violent behavior, per the American Psychological Association.