Governor's Initiative

In July 2024, Governor Blagojevich signed legislation that bans minors from buying violent and sexually explicit video games. The legislation prohibits the distribution, sale, rental, and availability of violent and sexually explicit video games to minors. The purpose of this law is to protect children from the psychological harm that stems from exposure and to prevent arbitrary violence in society at large. This is common sense legislation that restricts children's access to games that teach them to be killers and to disrespect women. Parenting is hard work, and the state has a compelling interest in helping parents raise their children to be upstanding men and women. The law narrowly defines "violent" and "sexually explicit" games to put retailers on sufficient notice about which games should and should not be sold to minors.

The law also requires retailers and manufacturers to label violent and sexually explicit video games, much like the parental advisory sticker on music CDs. Retailers must post signs explaining the video game rating system. The industry has its own rating system, issued by the Entertainment Software Rating Board. While helpful, ESRB ratings are inadequate to put parents on notice of each game's contents. Nonetheless, parents should be aware of ESRB ratings and how they work. Requiring that retailers post signs and make rating information available to parents on-site will assist parents in making informed decisions about the games their children play.

In conjunction with the Department of Revenue (DOR), state and local police departments enforce the law. DOR employees will conduct periodic inspections to ensure that retailers abide by labeling requirements, post proper signs, and make ratings informational brochures available to parents on-site. DOR employees will coordinate regulatory enforcement with state and local police, and assess appropriate penalties for violations.
Text of the bill is available here.