The California state bill that would prevent violent video games from being sold to minors and establish a California-mandated game rating label system has been ruled unconstitutional by a district court -- as predicted last year by Game|Life and pretty much anyone with a brain.

Authored by assemblyman Leland Yee (now a state senator) and signed into law by Arnold Schwarzenegger, the bill would have made it illegal to sell games described as "violent" to anyone under the age of 18. It would also have required all such games to carry a label on the package with the number 18.

The Entertainment Software Association on Monday announced the launch of a new political network for video game players called the Video Gamer Voters Network.

The website was created for American adults to take action on policy issues affecting the computer and video game industry.

"With over seventy bills to restrict game sales to minors already pending in state legislatures across the country this year, it's time for gamers to make their voices heard loudly and clearly, to let politicians know that they will no longer stand by and let games be the scapegoat for larger social problems," said ESA president Doug Lowenstein.

"Gamers can join together through the Video Game Voters Network to send a strong message to politicians to let them know that gamers care, that they vote, and that they will no longer tolerate these unconstitutional, unnecessary, and uninformed attacks on this important form of entertainment."

The law, which California lawmakers passed and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed in October, would require that violent video games be sold with labels identifying them as suitable for those 18 and older, and would have allowed fines of up to US$1,000 against retailers who rented or sold those games to minors.

U.S. District Judge Ronald Whyte ruled that appeals against the law had a chance to prevail on free-speech grounds. Though the judge did find that at least one game, "Postal II," contained scenes that were "especially cruel and depraved," he said that didn't mean that the state should step in and stop them from being sold to certain individuals.

In fact, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton recently said she plans to introduce federal legislation that would limit what type of businesses could sell mature- and adult-rated video games.

Such a bill would undoubtedly face both fierce lobbying from game developers and other niches of the entertainment industry, which might fear a spread of the attacks on video games to movies and other forms of media.

Players that spend more than three hours online at a time will lose experience points and weapons in the cyber world.

Once a player has played for more than five consecutive hours, the system cuts the ability level of that player's character to the lowest level allowed by the game, often zero.

Players must take a two hour break before logging into the game again to avoid being penalized.

The new system will soon be adopted in all Chinese online games.

However, the $10 billion industry expects bills restricting game sales to pass this year in Illinois, Michigan and North Carolina. Two federal appellate courts have already ruled such laws violate the free speech guarantees of the First Amendment.