Supreme Court: Violent Video Game Ban Unconstitutional

Politico reports today that the Supreme Court struck down a California law banning the sale or rental of video games to children under 18. In it's 7-2 decision, the Court held that video games qualify for free speech protection under the First Amendment and could not be restricted since "psychological studies purporting to show a connection between exposure to violent video games and harmful effects on children do not prove that such exposure causes minors to act  aggressively." The decision can be read in full here.



The California law would have fined video game retailers $1000 for selling violent video games to minors. It was written by California State Senator Leland Yee of San Francisco, a child psychologist who argued that violent video games desensitise their users and become "part of their repertoire for dealing with anger." Clearly, the Supreme Court disagreed.

Dr. Yee hadn't heard the news yet...

This blog agrees with the Supreme Court decision. There is no conclusive evidence that violent video games cause otherwise normal, peaceful children (or adults for that matter) to turn violent. The video game industry already has a voluntary ratings system that helps parents control what sorts of video games their children can play, if they choose to do so. California's law overreached, and the Supreme Court took care of it today. For that, we here at the O&E commend them.