NCJ Number
160246
Date Published
1995
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Many children play video games at home and in video arcades; some of these games are extremely violent and should be censored or pulled from the market.
Abstract
Warnings about the portrayal of violence in video games have come from widely divergent sources, including liberal Democrat Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut and California's conservative Republican attorney general, Dan Lungren. Lieberman has threatened government action if the electronic-games industry fails to temper violence and rampant sex in a product aimed primarily at children. Lungren wants certain games withdrawn from sales shelves. Although arguing that there is no causal relationship between video game content and subsequent violent behavior by game users, the producers of video games have promised some reform in an effort to avoid government intervention. Manufacturers have said they will institute a rating system that warns buyers about the degree of each product's use of violence. There is little hope, however, that the industry will voluntarily implement a system that would curtail its sales and profits. If the video game outrage compels rule-making by the government, such action should not be equated with an attack on freedom of the press. Just as there is action against dangerous toys that can harm children, so should there be action to prevent children from being exposed to violent and gory video games.