NEW YORK – Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) has vendors that sell or rent Mature (M) and Adult Only (AO) rated video games to minors in her sights. The fact that violent or graphic gaming material often winds up in the hands of children has motivated Clinton, whose name has been bandied about as a possible 2008 presidential hopeful, to introduce punitive legislation directed at the practice. The proposed legislation would include a maximum $5,000 fine, and it would require that affected games be placed in locked cases and behind counters, viewable only by adults with a valid ID.“As parents and advocates for children, we have to draw the line,” Clinton explained recently, after stating that “video games with truly pornographic and violent content is being marketed to our children.”

Clinton’s actions are, in part, inspired by the recent revelation that the Mature (M) rated game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas contains a sexually explicit “Easter Egg” of sorts for those who can unlock the scenes via an unauthorized key circulating on the internet. According to the senator and her supporters, the existence of such content, even if hidden and inaccessible via any officially sanctioned means, is proof that the Entertainment Software Rating Board’s current voluntary ratings are inadequate and poorly enforced.

In order to address this, Clinton will call upon the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the situation, find out who is responsible for the hidden Grand Theft Auto content, and decide whether the game should be assigned an Adults Only (AO) rating. She is considering calling for a nationwide recall of the game and reimbursement for those who purchased it.

As Clinton sees it, there is more at stake than mere mislabeling in the Grand Theft Auto case.

“The disturbing material in Grand Theft Auto and other games like it is stealing the innocence of our children and it’s making the difficult job of being a parent even harder.”

Research on the relationship between exposure to violent video games and youthful aggression has frequently resulted with evidence of a positive association. It is believed by many that the ease with which young people are able to access age inappropriate content has greatly increased. Some support greater enforcement of existing laws designed to keep sexually explicit or violent material away from minors, while others prefer to create new legislation. Informative sites such as Media Wise (www.mediawise.com) exist in order to provide details to parents or others considering the purchase of new video games.

The National Institute on Media and the Family claims that M-rated games are easy for teenagers and even children as young as seven to procure. A study conducted by the organization concluded that half of boys between the ages of seven and 14 could purchase such a game, that only half of all stores train their employees in the use and enforcement of the rating system, and that a quarter of retailers did not understand the rating system.

“No wonder these games are falling into the hands of our children and no wonder so many parents feel everyday like they are fighting this battle with their hands tied behind their backs,” Clinton said. “We need to do better.”