Illinois politician wants to ban Grand Theft Auto after a rise in Chicago carjackings

February 23, 2021 The ESA has issued a statement on the proposed Illinois legislation.

A rash of carjackings in Chicago over the past year has, of course, led some to point fingers at violent videogames. Now, an Illinois lawmaker wants to amend a state restriction on selling violent games to minors so that it would ban the sale of violent games to anyone - and would define depictions of motor vehicle theft as violence.

Following the original publication of this article, a representative of the Entertainment Software Association, the US game industry's largest trade association, reached out with the following statement: "While our industry understands and shares the concerns about what has been happening in Chicago, there simply is no evidence of a link between interactive entertainment and real-world violence. We believe the solution to this complex problem resides in examining thoroughly the actual factors that drive such behaviors rather than erroneously ascribing blame to videogames based solely upon speculation."

Illinois's criminal code of 2012 restricts the sale of violent games to minors, with a fine of $1,000 USD as punishment. Democratic State Representative Marcus Evans Jr. has introduced HB3531, which would ban sales of violent games outright. The bill would also modify the definition of 'violent' to "include psychological harm and child abuse, sexual abuse, animal abuse, domestic violence, violence against women, or motor vehicle theft with a driver or passenger present inside the vehicle when the theft begins."

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