Skip to main content

Eleven States Claim Support for California Video Game Law

Image used with permission by copyright holder

For those who have been following the California law that proposes a ban on video game sales to minors, this news will either make you cheer with optimism or scream with rage, depending on which side you are on.

Gamesutra is reporting that the attorney generals of eleven states have issued an amicus brief – a brief filed by a party claiming to be an expert on the matter but not directly involved in the case – in support of the California law, as it heads to the Supreme Court.

The law, originally proposed in 2005, sought to ban all sales of games that were deemed “violent” to anyone under the age of 18. Retailers caught breaking the law would face fines of up to $1,000 per incident. The law faced immediate legal opposition from video game publishers and developers including EA, Disney, Microsoft and Sony.

Supporters of the law are citing existing precedence with pornography cases that involve minors, while opponents are claiming that the case is a clear violation of the First Amendment, and that video games should be protected under free speech. Supporters counter that several studies have claimed a connection between violent video games and aggressive behavior in children, but the studies have been contentious, and have since been dismissed by the courts.  Other states have attempted similar laws, and all have been defeated in court, but this is the first that the Supreme Court has agreed to hear.

“None of the research establishes or suggests a causal link between minors playing violent video games and actual psychological or neurological harm, and inferences to that effect would not be reasonable,” Judge Consuelo Callahan said in the 9th Circuit ruling that found in favor of the video game industry. Callahan also stated that there are less restrictive ways to protect children from “unquestionably violent” video games.

Now as the case of Schwarzenegger v. Video Software Dealers Association moves to the Supreme Court, eleven states have come out in support of the law, including: Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia.

“Protecting children from digital danger requires proactive parents — but they need and deserve help,” Connecticut Attorney General, Democrat Richard Blumenthal said in a press conference explaining his support. “The video game industry should act responsibly — play nice, not nasty — and agree to sensible self-imposed restrictions that block children from buying the most violent games. I am calling on the video game industry to follow the leadership of the motion picture industry, which sensibly stops unattended children from viewing violent or graphic movies.”

According to the FTC, the “video game industry outpaces the movie and music industries” in terms of “restricting target-marketing of mature-rated products to children, clearly and prominently disclosing rating information, and restricting children’s access to mature-rated products at retail.”

The case goes before the Supreme Court in October.




Editors' Recommendations

Ryan Fleming
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…
PlayStation Plus’ most notable free April offerings come from Microsoft
Four players stand together in the 4v4 PvP mode of Minecraft Legends.

Sony outlined all the new offerings PlayStation Plus Essential subscribers can expect in April; surprisingly, Microsoft is the company behind two of this month's four offerings, Minecraft Legends, and the Overwatch 2 Mega Bundle.

On April 2, PS Plus can get those two things free of charge in addition to Immortals of Aveum and Skul: The Hero Slayer. Immortals of Aveum is a single-player shooter where players use magic instead of weapons. Although the thing it's most notable for is flopping upon its release, Immortals of Aveum is still a solid shooter that you might have missed out on, and you should give it a shot now that you can get it through PS Plus. Meanwhile, Skul: The Hero Slayer is a tough 2D platformer roguelike that should entertain fans of that genre for quite some time.

Read more
These are the 10 best gaming PCs I’d recommend to anyone
Graphics card in the CLX Hathor PC.

We review dozens of gaming PCs each year. In 2024, there are a ton of great options, but we've narrowed down a list of the 10 best gaming desktops that deserve your hard-earned money.

In 2024, we still recommend the Alienware Aurora R16 due to its fantastic design, solid performance, and decent value. However, there are several other options depending on your needs and budget. If you want a deeper look into how we evaluate gaming PCs, make sure to read our post on how we review desktops.

Read more
Mecha Break’s robot customization shakes up the battle royale formula
Mecha Break robot head with glowing blue eyes

Mecha Break isn't the kind of multiplayer game you can master right away.

You might equip a lance that you barely know how to use because it seemed like a good idea, and spend the rest of a round attempting to bash yourself into enemies to help your teammates. It incorporates action that's more similar to that of Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon than it is to the shooter-focused gameplay in Gundam Evolution, Bandai Namco's multiplayer mecha shooter that shut down last year. Overwatch does come to mind, but in a way where mechs are still the focus rather than the pilots within them.

Read more