New York Gov signs video game persecution...errr...legislation

A story posted today on Kotaku discusses a new state legislative move, taking effect in 2010. New York Governor David Paterson has approved a bill that the State Assembly passed to create a council to study the relationship between video games and youth violence. The bill also requires game consoles be equipped with parental controls to block certain content and "all content" must be rated to be sold.

Ignoring countless other laws being thrown out, and study after study refuting the facts, hasn't deterred this Governor from using mountains of tax payer funds and manufacturers/retailers money to chase down a non-issue. The beauty is that apparently New York is going to make the whole internet safe for New Yorkers:

“We have the obligation to be constantly vigilant about amending our laws to protect the residents of New York State. Many of these bills will do just that by closing loopholes or creating new laws to enhance the quality of life for all New Yorkers,” said Governor Paterson.

Let me know how that turns out Gov. The preceding are mostly facts, but I'll submit this writer's opinion starting here...

People who know nothing about a situation should not be making rules on said situation. I'm fairly confident that the creators of the legislation and all of the supporters combined couldn't tell the difference between a FPS and a RTS. And did I miss something? Doesn't New York have bigger issues to deal with like drugs and other serious concerns? Luckily for us, these types of laws have been stricken in other states for being unconstitutional. The video games portion of the bill is just one facet of the overarching legislation. There are a host of other "public safety" initiatives intertwined, so this looks like a case of guilt by association. Video games are currently lumped in with school official sex offenders...do you see any logic there? I am an old guy, and I get rules, but I don't get this. Do you?