ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Gov. David Paterson says a bill he signed will help limit video game violence.

The law creates an advisory council to study the effects of violent games on the children who play them. It also requires parental controls on game consoles by 2010 and prominent displays of age ratings on game packages.

But critics including the group Americans for Tax Reform say the law Paterson signed Tuesday is a hollow political gesture that will cost taxpayers when it is challenged in court. Similar measures in nearly a dozen other U.S. states already have been struck down.

A violation of the labelling and parental control provisions could result in a $100 civil penalty, far from the state prison time proposed by New York lawmakers.