Schwarzenegger vs. The Entertainment Merchants Association

Introduction

Do playing violent video games entice violent behavior or not? The topic was under discussion since from the invention of video games. This divides people into three different groups one, who agrees that violent games are one of the major cause of violent behavior, second type of people completely oppose this approach, however the third group are comprises of those people who actually believes that parents are major controller of minor's behavior as they can limit the amount the minor play games or watch violent content.

In United States the Senator of State of California, Leland Yee (who is a psychologist as well) has tabled a resolution to limit the access of violent games only to the adults, as it is causing negative effects on children. This resolution was signed by the Governor of State of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the resolution become part of the law AB 1179, according to which selling or lending violent games to minor is a crime, and those who commit (merchant especially) would be fined an amount up to $1000 (Nitecki and Abels, p. 84-86).

In this connection, games developer and sellers felt serious concern as by limiting the access of games would eventually affect on sales and profit of the company. According to (Entertainment Software Association [ESA], 2010), seventy six percent of household in America play video games, however; 35 percent of them are under 18, which means that prohibiting violent video games would approximately affect 35% of the sales of video games developers. On the other hand such vague definition of violent games by law even includes games like Mario in violent category. (ESA, 2010) In addition to that the act is open violation of the United States First Amendment's of Bill of Right according to which limiting the freedom of US citizen is prohibited.

The definition “violent video games” according to law is means a video game in which the range of options available to a player includes killing, maiming, dismembering, or sexually assaulting an image of a human being.” (Assembly Bill, p. 91) If any games posses content relevant to the above definition comes under violent games and is prohibited to sell to minors. (Fairfield, p.1)

The definition of the violence games, limits most of the games to be sell to the minors which not by contradicting first amendment also affecting the sales of video games manufacturers, as a result ...