Last week the Supreme Court, in a 7-2 ruling, ruled that video game sales cannot be restricted. California had a law that video games rated M (for Mature, similar to an R- rating for movies) could not be sold to minors. The Supreme Court said that violates free speech and the sales cannot be restricted.
This is very disappointing. The content on video games rated M is intended for adults, those MATURE enough to understand what they are seeing. Hopefully they are for those who are MATURE enough to understand the real cost of violence, the real consequences of violence. Most children, especially those with parents who have the incomes to provide video game consoles and the games that go with them, are not exposed to real violence that they are seeing and committing in those games. Their exposure to violence is you can just shut it off when you are done. No consequences for killing, maiming, raping, etc......
Just like books, children need to be old enough to take the information they are reading and put it in proper context. That is difficult to do when it is presented before they can do that. It takes maturity to really be able to see the consequences of your actions in a far-reaching way.
I know there is disagreement about this, but violent video games do not have a positive effect on anyone, mature or not. We limit the sale of alcohol and tobacco to minors. Firearms sales have restrictions. We limit the sale of products to minors all the time, to protect them.
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