Laws restricting video games not a reasonable solution

As printed in The Northern Light newspaper
Jan. 30, 2007

Video games - along with rock 'n' roll, movies, television, rap, heavy metal, the Internet and everything besides bad parenting - are once again (or rather, still) being blamed for the problems of the world's youth. Germany, which already has heavy censorship of video games, recently urged the European Union to ban violent games and is itself trying to make virtual violence in games a jailable offence, according to Reuters news service and the Guardian newspaper. The cited definition of violent games includes games from the "Star Trek" and "Lord of the Rings" series.

Attempts at banning or restricting games continue in the United States as well. Friday, Jan. 26, a committee in the Utah House of Representatives voted to hold off on a bill (HB50) that would have made providing certain video games to minors a third-degree felony, according to the Desert Morning News. Audio recording of the hearing featured those for the bill expressing concern about the influence of violent games on children. Those against the bill pointed out that the bill doesn't even differentiate between businesses and individuals, meaning parents would face mandatory jail time for letting their child play a game that fits the bill's vague definition of violence. And if a 17-year-old boy wants to buy the Teen-rated "Call of Duty," it would be a felony - but if he turns 18 the next week, the army would have no problem teaching him to kill for real. The bill was held because the state's legal experts and its own Attorney General Mark Shurtleff felt the bill would likely fail any constitutional challenge, as similar bills have failed in other states. The committee is supposed to meet about the matter again.

Restricting certain games would likely stifle the game industry, as no retailer would risk being shut down for selling certain games to a minor. That would affect every gamer.

What all of these overreaching politicians fail to realize is that the average age of gamers is 33, and 93 percent of game buyers and 83 percent of game players are over 18 years old, according to statistics from the Entertainment Software Association. And seriously, $600 PlayStation 3s and multi-thousand dollar PC gaming rigs are not children's toys, and people should realize that just because it's a game does not mean it's targeted at children. Henry Jenkins, director of comparative studies at MIT, wrote an essay called "Eight Myths About Video Games Debunked," where he points out that no causal relationship has ever been shown between youth violence and video games, and that violence among youths is actually at a 30-year low. So there's just as much circumstantial evidence (which is all anti-gamers have) showing that video games actually decrease violence. He also debunks the myths of games being antisocial, desensitizing and without artistic merit.

If movies are allowed unrestricted free speech, with a rating system in place for parents, video games, which have a similar rating system, should have even more protection. Think about it: Gamers' experiences are based on their own actions, meaning the protected expression can be as much their own as it is the game maker's.

These attacks on video games are not really about protecting children, despite whatever rationale the politicians and concerned parents have. Maybe gamers used to be children, but they're grown up now and likely play games with their children that they feel are appropriate. It'll probably take another generation before politicians have a better understanding of games and don't act in such broad overreaching strokes as they try today. Until then, let's hope they turn their attention to some actual problems.