The country of Venezuela is only a few weeks away from a final vote that will determine whether violent videogames and toys will be outlawed. If the law passes it will be illegal to produce, import, distribute or sell any game or toy that is ruled to be eligible for prohibition by Venezuela’s consumer protection agency. Failure to adhere to this law could result in fines up to $128,000.

In the event the bill is written into law, crime prevention classes will be required in classrooms and media outlets will be required to teach children about the dangers of violent games. The government would also start to promote games that encourages players to respect their enemies.

Parents represent one half of the audience that are for the new law, whereas others feel the proposal is a stunt perpetrated by Venezuela’s president Hugo Chavez to draw attention away from Venezuela’s rising violent crime rates. A lawmaker in Venezuela named Jose Albornoz believes one way to curb the crime rates is to sever the link that exists between violent videogames and crime.