Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that he signed legislation to ban the sale of violent video games to minors.

“I signed legislation to ensure parent involvement in determining which video games are appropriate for their children. The bill I signed will require that violent video games be clearly labeled and not be sold to children under 18 years old. Many of these games are made for adults and choosing games that are appropriate for kids should be a decision made by their parents,” said Governor Schwarzenegger.

A great lobby was made by the video game industry, which has sales of more than $7 billion a year and is largely based in California, against the bill and vowed to challenge it in court, motivating that the ban will violate the First Amendment’s guarantees of free speech.

In addition the Governor signed legislation to: require cigarettes sold in California meet fire safety standards, protect high school athletes from the dangers of performance enhancing dietary supplements, improve and encourage adoptions, promote long lasting and loving homes for foster children, provide better support for youth leaving the foster care system and protect babies from neglect or abuse.