[JURIST] California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger [official profile; JURIST news archive] has signed a bill [text] that bans the sale or rental of violent video games to minors under the age of 17, and requires retailers to label violent games as such. The bill cites several factors to be used to determine whether a video game is violent, including "infliction of gratuitous violence upon the victim beyond that necessary to commit the killing, needless mutilation of the victim’s body, and the helplessness of the victim." Similar legislation was passed earlier in the year by Michigan [bill text] and Illinois [bill text; JURIST report]. The video game lobby is expected to challenge the California law in court. Last year, a federal district court ruled that a Washington law that restricted violent video game sales to minors violated free speech rights [JURIST report]. Knight-Ridder has more.