Supreme Court Ruling Allows Violent Video Game Sales to Kids

If you happened to read my post, I talked about my friend EQ; she works at a video game store and is really shocked at the number of parents who pay no attention to game ratings and content of games when they are making purchases for their kids. So when the Supreme Court struck down a 2005 California law that banned the purchase of violent video games to minors a few weeks ago, I was paying attention.

This started a big conversation with my 20 year old son.

I feel that the ratings should be in place. Just like going to see a movie, I want to be able to make decisions on which games are appropriate for each of my kids. The rule in my house has been that violent games that are very graphic are not allowed until the kids are older than 15 or 16. Cartoon violence is allowed when my kids are 8+. Any game that has sexual content or rape is not allowed at all. Period.

My 20 year old feels that laws that ban the purchase of games are a violation of our rights. He argues that the trend by video games creators is going away from realistic looking violence because it is too expensive to create and not necessary anyway. He also argues that violence in video games doesn’t create violence in real life – that instead it gives kids an outlet for aggression.

I decided to research his argument a bit. I found some stats on pbs.org that back up his argument. This site claims that according to Federal crime statistics, juvenile violent crime is at a 30 year all time low. I don’t know if this is a reason to allow kids to purchase violent games, but I think that parents can use this information to make decisions for their families based on their own values.

This ruling doesn’t affect how I purchase games for my kids at all. I research the ones I am unsure about, which includes doing an online search, asking my kids about the game and then asking at the store before I purchase the game if it is appropriate for my child. I am also lucky enough to know EQ – she knows about every game on the market because she works at a game store. My 20 year old is so well versed in the gaming world that he has been a great resource for deciding what games are allowed for his younger siblings. More than once he has nixed a game for his brother for violence, sexual content or language.

So often parents ask me how to keep on top of the latest games and websites and how to know which ones are safe. If you don’t have a teen or college kid in your life to ask, you will have to do the research on your own. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

1. Do some research. I like CommonSenseMedia.org for reviews of games, websites, apps and movies!

2. Ask before you buy. Store employees are a great resource for game content, compatibility with your computer and if a device has Internet capabilities. Ask before you purchase so you know if this item is right for your family.

3. Use technology to your advantage. Parental controls are often built into new gaming devices, but you have to set them up before your child uses the device. Research the item before you buy or ask for help at the store. For websites and computer games, use a product like McAfee Family Protection to keeps kids from seeing inappropriate content or playing games online that you don’t approve.

As always I would really love to hear your opinion on this matter. Comment below and let me know what you think.

Stay safe out there!

Tracy

Tags: games, online games, parental controls, violent video games

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