Excellent news for Michigan gamers: the courts have thrown out as unconstitutional a recently passed bill that would have made selling certain games to minors illegal.

What really impresses us about the story is just how much common sense the judge, George Caram Steeh, seems to have. Here's some quotes from his statements.

On the subject of whether or not the First Amendment applied to games: "The interactive, or functional aspect, in video games can be said to enhance the expressive elements even more than other media by drawing the player closer to the characters and becoming more involved in the plot of the game than by simply watching a movie or television show." In other words, the First Amendment applies more to games, not less.

On the subject of correlations between game violence and real violence: "Dr. (Craig) Anderson's studies have not provided any evidence that the relationship between violent video games and aggressive behavior exists... The research not only fails to provide concrete evidence that there is a connection between violent media and aggressive behavior, it also fails to distinguish between video games and other forms of media."

Congratulations to the ESA for a hard-won victory and three cheers for Judge Steeh, who actually seems to get gaming.

Breaking: Michigan Violent Games Law Thrown Out [GameDaily.Biz]

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