Persuasive Essay On Violent Video Games

In the case of Brown V. Entertainment merchants Associations, the issue raised is that of violent video games being purchased by underage consumers (Oyez). The legal question at issue is Whether or not the First Amendment prevents a state from restricting the sale of violent video games to minors.

In Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association, the US Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that California could not ban the sale of violent video games to minors because studies "do not prove that violent video games cause minors to act aggressively."

Parents around the world are blaming video games for their children's violence. Lets talk about that, firstly, you don’t see kids running around the world with guns pretending they're playing “Call of Duty” or anything. Yes there are school shootings once in a while, that doesn’t mean “Oh man, Video games are to blame” the number one cause of shootings is bullying or getting revenge on the bully himself.

In 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case of Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association that a 2005 law restricting the sale of violent video games to those under the age of 18 was unconstitutional. The court ruled that the law was not backed by scientific evidence and therefore goes against the first amendment, which requires proof of harm in order to violate. The case came about after a group of politicians expressed concern about the effects violent video games had upon children. Prosecutor Stefen F. Gruel fought in favor of the ban, citing studies and research which displayed a correlation between violent video games and violence in children. Whereas defense attorney Patricia A. Millett argued that the research was not thorough enough and that there is substantial evidence that negates the research Gruel’s used to argue his case. With the ever-increasing video game industry, it is important to fully understand the impacts such technology is having on children positive and negative. I believe that the evidence does not support a correlation between violence in video games and violence in children, though it does support the causation of other possible negative effects. I also do not think the government establishing a ban on violent video games for minors would greatly reduce the number of children playing them due to the culture of violence in the United States.

The Court decided that there was not enough substantive proof that video games established causality between violent video games and violent behavior. The Court then found that the California law did violate minors First Amendment right.

In the essay “The Supreme Court Tackles Violent Video Games” written by Katy Steinmetz, the author does a good job showing all the different points of view on the subject. Should the government be allowed to prohibit the sale of video games or is it a violation of free speech? This question is very difficult to tackle, the author states direct quotes from protesters. One protester is Lisa McKee she states “I don’t think keeping violent games out of the hands of minors is the government's job… It is the parent’s job to monitor what their children are playing” Thinking about this situation is difficult because one could think like the Supreme Court Justice’s do which is that the video games can create dangerous scenarios for children and could

It has also been revealed in studies that exposure to violence in video games can produce violent behavior, and possibly even lead to violence at school or home. The resolution of this problem is not easy, but one short-term explanation is for government guidelines for game sales. If the government makes retailers keep track of which games are being sold to young kids, then children would not be able to buy violent games. Because video games have a rating system, it would only be needed for retailers to guarantee that minors and young children are unable to buy games with a rating greater than their age limit. I do think that as parents we need to focus on what we let our kids see and the activities they participate in. The debate about whether video games have a negative or positive actions depends on one’s philosophical perspectives. Parents need to reexamine their method on how their kids should interact and engage with video games. This good vs. bad approach might be comfortable, but it also seems to be out of touch with the kinds of thinking that we consider through to be in the highest attention of our kids. Is this exactly how we show our kids to ponder about things? I do not think so! We insist that they learn to be at ease with some level of

Kids under the age of 16 should not be allowed to play video games Rated M. They could do the bad things the people on the video games do like drugs or other things that could ruin their lives. They could also lose respect like people older than them. Kids mostly get these things from the video games and sometimes they don't but most of the stuff they learn this from is from bad parenting and then the parents blame the video games they buy for them that shouldn't be bought for them. The kids may not learn these bad things and still be the good kids they are and they may never do drugs or disrespect anyone at

In the article, “State Lawmakers Again Trying to Justify Video Game Censorship” by Berin Szoka, Szoka discusses about the State Legislator to censoring on the video games. Also how the Supreme Court strikes a California law and supports the decision of Brown v. Ema. Censorship is a major problem with Video Games therefore they want to prove that violence video games can be prevented a violent activity.

Anyone who has played a video game knows there is a commonality of violence throughout the genres and ratings, because of this there is the ongoing argument that the influence video game violence causes real life violence. In order to curb the growing aggression in today's youth many parents support the idea of regulating children’s access to the video games they blame with the government and lawmakers. However many would argue that games aren’t to blame and, in fact, can help children with social bonding and harmless venting. There really is no solid ruling to support either standing, but should there be laws around the video games accessible to children or should this stay a matter varied by individual opinions?

First, I’d like to tell you about the evolution of violent video games. According to a user on ng4.com named ABizzel1 In 1986 a game called Chiller was released and it was heavily influenced by the popular horror movies of the time such as Halloween, Friday the 13th, and Nightmare on Elm Street. Chiller was extremely gory for its time and due to its gore and violence, it was one of the first games to be banned. In 1992 another game shared a similar fate, Mortal Kombat was released in 1992 and rivaled the famed Street Fighter and became an instant success due to its gore and iconic finishing moves and it was the first game to cause political backlash in the US, during a congressional hearing on December 9th, 1993 Mortal Kombat was mentioned, and was banned in several countries. Video games will continue to increase in graphics quality which will promote higher

In some states, it has been illegal for adolescents under the age of eighteen to purchase violent video games. In Illinois, Governor Rod Blagojevich is trying to outlaw the sale of excessively violent video games to

Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association (2011), a United States Supreme Court case looked at the studies about the relationship between violent video game playing and aggression. The Supreme Court found no proof from the research that violent video games cause minors to become aggressive. Their opinion stated that the effect of violent video games as “small and indistinguishable from effects produced by other media (p.173).” Also, the court found the state of California’s law on sales of violent video games as a violation of the First Amendment, saying that “states cannot attempt to regulate mediums like video games that display violence separately from other mediums such as literature, television, and movies (p.173-174).” Also, separate categories of media regulation cannot be the same for children as separate categories from that applied to adults. Copenhaver points out that violent video games do not cause children to be aggressive, also we know that not all aggressive children are criminals (Copenhaver, 2015).

Though, some stores have taken proactive steps to ensure that a child does not buy a game above their age rating, most stores have not. Even the stores that have taken such measures cannot ensure that all of their employees are going to follow through with carding each and every individual. The problem with the fact that video games are not regulated is that young children are buying mature rated games and are being influenced by the violence and viciousness of these games. Some will even buy the games and play them just to be in the “popular” crowd.

Ever since Tennis for Two, the first ever video game, created in 1958, video games have been one of the most popular forms of entertainment. Despite the fact that video games are often seen to be entertaining, the contents have become more violent and disturbing as technology has become much more advanced. However, almost all children enjoy playing video games. At times, parents can be shocked by all the violence and aggression they suddenly see in the video games. Some people argue that these are only games and there is nothing to worry about. However, others argue that such violence is harmful to the developing personality of a young person. The question is, what should the parents do when they see their child playing such game? Should they regard it as a temporary interest and let it be, or should they forbid the game? These days, the rise in popularity of violent video games, such as Mortal Kombat and Call of Duty, has also caused an increase in controversy. Parents and experts feel that some games are just too brutal and they wish to ban such games completely. Along with the fear of increased aggression in children, parents also feel that children become too addicted to video games. Some parents have even blamed video games for the decline of their children’s grades. Although video games can be seen violent and addicting, studies show that games have been beneficial to children.