After the record-breaking $500 million first-week sales of Grand Theft Auto IV, the business of video games is under the microscope again this week. This time, however, it’s not outraged parents doing the scrutinizing. It’s lawmakers. Congress introduced a bill this week pushing for government regulation of the gaming industry, just as the Federal Trade Commission released a report that found some stores are selling violent video games to kids despite a drive to have them observe the industry’s rating system. The Video Games Ratings Enforcement Act, introduced to the House floor this week by Reps. Lee Terry, R-Neb., and Jim Matheson, D-Utah, would force stores to check the identification of anyone purchasing games rated M and AO. Stores that violate the rule would be fined $5,000 by the FTC.

Established by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, the current rating system while widely adhered to by major retailers, is presently voluntary. The Entertainment Consumers Association, a group that represents gamers, says the proposed legislation is unconstitutional, and they have case law on their side. Similar laws in nine states have been passed, and then later struck down by federal courts as unconstitutional.

Source: ABC News