Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, introduced a bill Thursday to prohibit...

troubling rise in violent images in television, movies and video games which many fear desensitizes our society to real violence,” in a news release. “We need to empower parents, giving them full access to resources to block content in their own homes and to evaluate the media that may reach their children.” His bill, the Video Games Ratings Enforcement Act (HR-287), would require retailers to post Entertainment Software Ratings Board ratings of videogames and prohibit the sale or rental of mature videogames to those under the age of 17, according to the text of the legislation (http://xrl.us/boa86m). If enacted, retailers that violate the law would be subject to FTC enforcement under the commission’s rule regarding unfair or deceptive practices and would be subject to a maximum $5,000 civil penalty for each violation. The bill is similar to a California state law (http://xrl.us/bkvtkf) that was ruled unconstitutional in a 2011 Supreme Court decision. The court affirmed in Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association that videogames have First Amendment protections equal to that of books, newspapers and other forms of speech. The 7-2 opinion by Justice Antonin Scalia said videogames qualify for First Amendment protections and that the government lacks the power to restrict expression because of its message, ideas, subject matter or content. Kate Edwards, executive director of the International Game Developers Association, said in an email: “a bill enacting something the Supreme Court has already deemed unconstitutional would seem to be a waste of taxpayer money and of legislative efforts that could be better spent elsewhere.” The Entertainment Software Association did not comment.