Remember when Tipper Gore wanted to have labeling for adult lyrics in music? Frank Zappa and others protested this was a Constitutional violation and that it was the responsibility of parents to decide what kids listen to - yes, pop musicians were against Democrats and actually expected that parents should listen to everything their child might access in advance of them accessing it and... well, it was a silly argument. Record labels made no different in music sales but it at least gave parents an idea what not to buy for their kids, even if they couldn't keep children from obtaining it themselves.
In 2005, California passed a law prohibiting the rental or sale of violent video games to minors, citing scientific evidence that those games promoted feelings of aggression and antisocial behavior but the law never went into effect because the courts determined it violated free-expression rights. Yes, children's right to free speech is stifled if they can't virtually split open someone's head with a golf club, they contend.
But California persisted and so the Supreme Court is set to decide if kids have a constitutional right to buy a video game.
And, game manufacturers also contend, there is already a rating system in place - though creators are not required to submit games. Still, laws prohibit the sale of alcohol and cigarettes to minors, not simply labeling them as available for purchase only to adults. If game manufacturers don't agree, we need to ask how many of them would let their children watch cartoons where the characters smoke and drink.
Do video games cause violent behavior? Some studies say yes and some studies say no.
