Doom. Mortal Kombat. God of War. Resident Evil. The ominous sounding video games, which rank among the most violent on the market, recently fought the law ... and won.
In a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court on Monday upheld a lower court's decision to block a California law that would have prohibited the sale of violent video games to children under 18. Offenders found to be selling to minors games that allow players to kill, maim, dismember or sexually assault a human form would have been fined $1000. The court found the law to be a violation of free speech.
Depictions of violence, Justice Antonin Scalia wrote for the majority decision, have never been subject to government regulation. Which means that parents will have to find other ways to control the flow of violent video games to their children.
In 2009, sales of video games reached $10.5 billion, according to NPD Group, a global market research firm. About 25 percent of gamers were under the age of 18, according to 2010 data from the Entertainment Software Association. Parents reported being present 93 percent of the time when their children were renting or purchasing games and said they always or sometimes monitor the games their children play 97 percent of the time.
Nadine Kaslow, professor and chief psychologist at Emory University Department of Psychology and Grady Hospital, said to truly address the issue – one that has been seen before in a slightly different fashion– input is needed from all parties involved, including kids.
"In my generation, there were toy guns and parents monitored whether or not they had guns in the homes. ... To some extent this is a fancier version of the toy gun story," Kaslow said. "Kids need to be part of figuring this out. They are going to have an idea about what works. They have so much access to games ... they can get them everywhere."
While there is evidence that exposure to violent video games leads to more aggression and less prosocial behavior in children, some studies also show there is no negative effect, said Kaslow. The broader issue, she said, is how to manage the amount of violence we are all exposed to. Here are some of her tips for addressing video game violence with children:
- Know what games your children are playing and be willing to discuss these games with them.
- Work out a time frame for how much time they spend doing this "virtual violence." Make sure they are also involved with their peers and other activities.
- Teach children effective strategies to resolve conflicts. Show them there are alternatives to shooting and killing people.
- Explain to kids the consequences of violence.
- If your child seems to be getting more violent -- either spending all of his or her time playing violent video games or engaging in violent behavior -- he or she may need help.
