Can't Stop Juvenile Car Theft? Ban Grand Theft Auto!

According to a Post article the City Council has announced plans to ban the sale of violent, or sexually explicit video games such as those making up the Grand Theft Auto series. Attacking such games for inspiring violent behavior, council member Adrian Fenty described them as "unbelievably misogynistic and geared toward making whoever is playing perpetuate the worst parts of our society.'' Fenty and his fellow council members are not alone in their quest, Mayor Williams has expressed strong support for the measure. I am dubious. Of course I don't support letting 8 year olds play such games, but how much will a new law really do to (A) keep adult games out of children's hands, and (B) reduce juvenile crime? Keep in mind there are already widely enforced rules about who stores will sell these games to (remember the stickers?). As the Post points out:

The Washington-based Entertainment Software Association noted last year that the average age of a video game player is 30 and that the average age of a video game purchaser is 36. Parents are involved in the purchase of games 83 percent of the time, the association said.

It's time for a little reality check. First kids aren't really the ones buying these games most of the time. Second, while giving a kid these games is probably not a very responsible thing to do, and may put some bad ideas in his/her head, video games are probably not the only place many District kids witness drug use or violence. How about we deal with those issues rather than grand-standing over symbolic actions? Besides, even if this law does reduce in store sales of violent games to minors, the Council may find it a bit difficult to keep such games entirely out of the hands of minors when it is extremely easy to just download them on the internet (and burn them to CD, to pass onto friends), or to buy them off e-bay. No, no , clearly I'm wrong. It's a much better idea to introduce redundant legislation so we can pretend we're doing something to help kids and fight crime.

I don't have a problem with this legislation. I just hope we don't let surface rule over substance.