Supreme Court v. Videogames

I was watching the news tonight and there was a segment on the Supreme Court preparing to hear a case to decide if States have the right to ban the sale of certain videogames and movies to minors. This case started in where else, California when Gov. Schwartzenegger signed the ban into law. The argument is that violent videogames and movies with graphic or gratuitious violence can make impressionable children desensitized to violence and make them  more likely to commit violent acts. I find it ironic that a man who made a career of making those types of movies and is known as the "governator" thinks that the State should control certain media (oops, a little national socialist DNA  popping up?) The other side of the argument is this is a free speech issue and the State should not get involved.

I don't see this as a free speech issue but  more of a personal responsibility issue. Whether or not YOUR child should be able to purchase mature rated games or for that matter play them or watch violent movies is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY not mine.  My wife and I  don't allow our kid to play mature games or watch R rated movies. As a matter of fact, the first PG-13 movie she   saw was  "Avatar"  (of course in 3D) and we  had to think about it for a while becaue we had to decide if she was old enough to know that it was just a story. She handled it pretty well except for a couple of scenes. Personally, I don't let her watch me play my games (except Guitar Hero and Peggle) and she doesn't get to play any games more violent than My Little Pet Shop. We didn't need a government mandate to make that decision.

Do violent videogames desensitize kids to violence? Maybe. I don't know.  I personally don't buy he desensitization theory because you can play COD until you're 10th prestige level 70 whatever and it is nothing like the real thing. You can watch every Saw movie ever made and it's not the same as seeing someone in the real world with half their head blown off. That shit desensitizes you a hell of a lot faster than any movie or videogame. I don't know of anyone who has bad dreams about  COD.

I don't think games or movies "make" a person violent but, I do think a person with violent tendencies tends to enjoy playing violent games and  watching those types of  movies. The problem with the theory that games or movies make people more violent  is, people have been violent since way before the invention of either. I agree people mimic things they see in movies, TV and videogames, but again, the underlying motivation is the desire of the person's  personality to learn or copy the act.  I can watch the Food Network all day long,  I might even  learn something about cooking, but if I don't want to learn how to cook, watching won't "make" me a chef.

Bottom line, you as a parent should be in charge of deciding  if your kid can play a particular game, watch a movie or purchase them. If you screw them up, that's your responsiblity not the government's.