BLAGOJEVICH FOCUSES IRE ON DRUG-BASED GAME

Gov. Blagojevich is using the roll-out of "Narc," a new video game set in
the drug underworld, to promote legislation that would ban the sale of
violent and sexually explicit games to minors.

"These kinds of games teach kids to do the very things that in real life,
we put people in jail for," Blagojevich said during a news conference
Monday at Glenview's Springman Middle School. "Just as we don't allow kids
to buy pornography or alcohol or tobacco, we shouldn't allow them to buy
these games."

The governor and other legislative backers of the bill showed a taped promo
for "Narc," an M-rated game that features various fictitious characters of
the drug demimonde, including narcotics officers faced with its
temptations. Midway, the Chicago-based maker of the game said its dark look
was influenced by films such as "Traffic," "Training Day" and "Rush."

Some Students Unenthusiastic

The game, to be released today, has automatic weapons, gore and the
fictitious officer Jack Forzenski, who spits out lines such as "You have
the right to shut the hell up."

Players can become "narcotics officers" who arrest dealers and use
confiscated dope to change the look and speed of "Narc" to score more
points. Pot slows the game; LSD changes the appearance of characters to
better distinguish enemies and crack increases the damage players can inflict.

The governor's Safe Games legislation cleared the Illinois House last week
by a vote of 91 to 19. The governor called Monday for Senate approval,
saying it would make Illinois the first state in the country to ban sales
and rental of such videos to youths younger than 18.

Some Springman students weren't as enthusiastic as the governor about the
proposal. "No comment," said Will Davis, 14, as he sat next to Blagojevich.

"I think violent video games are sometimes good for us, because instead of
taking our anger out on people, we can take our anger out on these games,"
said eighth-grader Hannah Fidoten.

Similar moves in other states have been thrown out by courts as threats to
freedom of speech, said Jason Della Rocca, executive director of the
International Game Developers Association.

A spokesman for Chicago's Midway Games said "Narc" is targeted toward the
same adults who enjoy shows like "The Sopranos," "Deadwood" and "C.S.I."

"There's no reason videos can't take on that same subject matter," said
Reilly Brennan, Midway director of media relations. Just as they monitor TV
shows and music, "it's up to the parents" to control their kids' video game
use, he said.