Doug Lowenstein Quotations

If this law is implemented, it will not only limit First Amendment rights for Michigan's residents, but, by virtue of its vagueness, it will also create a huge amount of confusion for Michigan's retailers, parents, and video game developers. I'm confident the court will affirm our position given the rulings on similar statutes in other jurisdictions; indeed, the facts, the science, the law, and the U.S. Constitution have not changed since those decisions were handed down.

For the sixth time in five years, federal courts have now blocked or struck down these state and local laws seeking to regulate the sale of games to minors based on their content.

Microsoft fired the first salvo, if you will, in 2005, and the rest of the parties will join the battlefield in 2006.

We obviously are gratified with the decision. We said from the outset that there is no basis in law or in fact for this suit. As much as we'd like to find easy answers, there are none.

There has been a complete shift in the balance (of power). The game industry is, on most levels, equally powerful compared to these other media.

With the average age of game players now 30, our industry naturally creates content appropriate for a wide range of audiences, just as there are TV shows, films, music, and books for people of all tastes, interests, and values.

Better late than never. The decision sends a powerful signal to government at all levels that efforts to regulate consumers' access to the creative and expressive content found in video games will not be tolerated.

This is the only entertainment sector that has shown sustained growth over the past decade. That reflects well for the future of the game market relative to the entertainment industry.

Everybody needs feedback, and it's a heck of a lot cheaper than paying a trainer.

It is therefore time to look past legislation and litigation in favor of cooperative efforts to accomplish the common goal of ensuring that parents use the tools available to control the games their kids play.

The entertainment software industry has no reason to run and hide. We do have responsibilities to consumers, and we've been proactive in meeting them.