New York - New York Gov. David A. Paterson has signed a new law that forces retailers to provide clearer video game ratings and game console makers to include parental lockout features by 2010, while civil liberties groups have said they plan to mount a legal challenge.

The law also calls for the establishment of an advisory council "to conduct a study on the connection between interactive media and real-life violence in minors exposed to such media."

Attempts to regulate the sale of video games in several other states -- usually by banning the sales of M-rated games to minors -- have been routinely tossed out as unconstitutional by the courts.

The New York Civil Liberties Union and National Coalition Against Censorship wrote to Paterson before the bill's signing, urging him to veto it, as the law "would directly involve the state in regulating constitutionally protected content in violation of the First Amendment."

Related Links:
http://www.ny.gov/governor/press/press_0722081.html

http://www.nyclu.org/node/1901

http://www.ncac.org/home.cfm