Why You Should Care About Today's Supreme Court Case. - Violent games to minors.
41 replies, posted
Transcript here [URL]http://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/08-1448.pdf[/URL]
[IMG]http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/supremecourt_case.jpg[/IMG]c
[quote=http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2010/11/02/supreme-court-gaming-esa/]Today marks an important day for the gaming industry. Just under an hour ago, the case of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California, et al., Petitioners v. Entertainment Merchants Association began in the United States Supreme Court. I realize that many of you aren't super concerned about the daily goings-on of the Supreme Court, but in this case, you should know what's at stake. In a lot of ways, video games are being put on trial.
Basically the Supreme Court is hearing arguments as to whether a California law is unconstitutional. The law states that retailers can be fined by the government for selling violent video games to minors. Thus far, the law has been blocked by the lower courts, but the Supreme Court has the power to overrule those decisions if it determines that the law is constitutional.
But you're not a minor. Or you are a minor, but you have no problem getting friends or your parents to buy you violent games. Why should you care? After all, most video game retailers are already pretty strict about not allowing video games to be sold to minors.
Why you should care is because of the precedent that would be set should this law be passed. It's a question of the freedom of speech, which currently protects movies, music, TV shows and video games from government censorship (so long as the content is not determined obscene). The argument that the state of California is trying to make is that video games are different than those other forms of media and that they have the ability to do irreparable harm to children. Put another way, they're trying to say that video games had some direct responsibility in school tragedies like Columbine because the perpetrators played titles like "DOOM." Therefore the government should be allowed to limit what children are exposed to.
Why the double standard for video games and not other forms of media? Good question. Legislators argue that it's all about interactivity. The fact that kids are active using guns in games makes the experience more damaging than, say, watching "Die Hard." But you probably played a violent video game or two as a kid. You likely have plenty of friends who have played violent video games, too. How many of them have gone bonkers and shot up a school? What they're talking about is making freedom of speech limitations based on inconclusive science which states that violent video games are damaging.
You can start to see where a simple "Don't sell violent games to kids" law can start to spiral out of control when you consider where such legislature might lead.
The case is being heard today, but we likely won't hear the final decision for a few months. Unfortunately that means we're somewhat powerless to change the outcome, but it's still important that you know what's at stake.[/quote]
Oh shit.
If you're selling games rated 18 or 16 to a minor well then of course there should be some penalty such as a fine.
Wow this op is misleading
I don't understand? This is somehow going against freedom of speech...even though it isn't?
The article is extremely biased and written in a way that exaggerates the situation into something it's not.
Any sort of rating system, be it video game or movie, is ridiculous. Let parents do the parenting, not the government.
I haven't been paying much attention to this at all.
What exactly does this new law do? I was under the impression that stores weren't allowed to sell Mature games to anyone under 17; so what does this new law change? Is it completely restricting any violent video game sales to children (i.e. a rated T game like Uncharted would no longer be sold to children)?
As far as I understand this doesn't change anything.
The only people who oppose this are the underage.
I'm underage, I get all of my games from Steam. They don't need to see my mommy about it.
We get it. It can legitimize or de-legitimize video games as a form of speech. Sessler won't shut the fuck up about it. They can't give the ESRB ratings the power of law; the suit, in its current state, can't possibly win.
This isn't censorship, it is simply prohibiting children from purchasing material they aren't supposed to be. Even more so, it is putting in a consequence for retailers that do still allow underage people to buy M rated video games. I can imagine that many stores sell M rated games to minors and this is a way of preventing that. To make a little comparison, I can assume that if there was no legal consequence for selling alcohol to a minor that there would a good number of people who could buy alcohol although they are underage. Putting in the law that stops most of that.
Anyway, terrible article.
opinion article on a blog =/= news
[QUOTE=Pepin;25819716]This isn't censorship, it is simply prohibiting...[/QUOTE]
Uhh
[QUOTE=Pepin;25819716]This isn't censorship, it is simply prohibiting children from purchasing material they aren't supposed to be. Even more so, it is putting in a consequence for retailers that do still allow underage people to buy M rated video games. I can imagine that many stores sell M rated games to minors and this is a way of preventing that. To make a little comparison, I can assume that if there was no legal consequence for selling alcohol to a minor that there would a good number of people who could buy alcohol although they are underage. Putting in the law that stops most of that.
Anyway, terrible article.[/QUOTE]
except alcohol is actually harmful
I don't really see how this is censoring in an actually..bad way, it just doesn't allow people under 17 to walk into a store to buy a game, which is what happens with theaters and movie stores.
Er, I meant to buy an M rated game, or overall a game out of their age range
"I'll join the army instead then, mom."
[QUOTE=Tetracycline;25819776]I don't really see how this is censoring in an actually..bad way, it just doesn't allow people under 17 to walk into a store to buy a game, which is what happens with theaters and movie stores.
Er, I meant to buy an M rated game, or overall a game out of their age range[/QUOTE]
The game's "age range" is decided by an organization with no government oversight. It's like the government siding with Shell and banning people from buying BP oil
I waited until I was 17 I hope these assholes do too.
[QUOTE=mzathemind;25820073]I waited until I was 17 I hope these assholes do too.[/QUOTE]
"I sat at the back of the bus so I hope the asshole next generation does too" said Rosa Parks
Wait no she didn't
Nothing is going to happen.
Jesus Christ that article is misleading.
I am all for it, would be nice if that reduced the amount of 12 year olds in games like halo and cod.
I'm not a minor and I don't live in California. :smug:
Fucks sake just get your goddamn parents to buy the game for you, or if that fails bribe a homeless man or a random guy on the street.
I remembered when I cared about this. Now I couldn't give a shit.
Waste of the Supreme Court's time. No one is stopping minors from playing those games they only need parents permission to buy them. This way if a Columbine ever happened again its entirely the parents fault if they try and pin it on games.
The ESRB system is great too and should stay the way it is to stop politicians from tampering with it to gain popularity and in the process make it a shit storm of bureaucracy.
Stores shouldn't be selling m-rated games to kids, I don't want to be called a faggot by a child
[QUOTE=ZekeTwo;25820888]"I sat at the back of the bus so I hope the asshole next generation does too" said Rosa Parks
Wait no she didn't[/QUOTE]
Not quite the same thing
[QUOTE=pointyface;25823422]Stores shouldn't be selling m-rated games to kids, I don't want to be called a faggot by a child[/QUOTE]
I don't want to be called a faggot by anyone, be it a child or adult.
Also recently I saw 2 boys around 12 buying fallout 3 and gears of war 2 from gamestop. Clerk didn't ask them anything, just handed over the games and that's it.
[QUOTE=johan_sm;25823452]I don't want to be called a faggot by anyone, be it a child or adult.
Also recently I saw 2 boys around 12 buying fallout 3 and gears of war 2 from gamestop. Clerk didn't ask them anything, just handed over the games and that's it.[/QUOTE]
Life goes on.
To be honest, it completely depends on the person though, and the best judge of that would be the parent.
[QUOTE=ZekeTwo;25820888]"I sat at the back of the bus so I hope the asshole next generation does too" said Rosa Parks
Wait no she didn't[/QUOTE]
Fuck that I waited 5 years until this year someone has to pay.
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