A lot of ink has been spilled, both virtual and physical, over the recent Supreme Court ruling on video games. Specifically, the court overturned the California law that would make it illegal to sell violent video games to minors. That ink has been spilled by better writers than I, but I’d like to take this chance to drop a few more dribbles for readers who don’t keep up with such news. (Waves to the family.)
I’ve seen a couple headlines on this story that suggested the Court has no problem with kids playing overly-violent video games, or that it’s wrong to try and control what kids play. That’s not the case.
What the Supreme Court said with its ruling is that video games get the same First Amendment protections enjoyed by books and films. The government (in this, the state of California) can’t arbitrarily decided that this media is its own category, some misbegotten half-breed consumer product that needs to be regulated like tobacco or alcohol.
It said, in essence, that video games are art.
Not all art is suitable for children. Some art will offend. But it’s all protected as free speech.
Sorry, Californian parents. You can’t count on the government and Walmart clerks to do your job for you. It’s up to you to monitor what your kids are playing and — this is hard, I know — tell them “no” when you don’t approve.
Here’s a handy guide: Every video game has a rating on its packaging, from E (for everyone, the gaming equivalent to a “G” movie) to AO (adults only, same as “X,” and no, they don’t make many of these). Look at the ratings on the games in your house. Do you want your kids playing that? If not, don’t let them.
I’m not being snarky, by the way. I’m serious. As both a parent and guy who makes games, it’s important to me that parents be part of their kids’ entertainment choices.
Are you the parents of a gamer? What are you thoughts?
