Violent video games that
teach and encourage lawless, anti-social behavior are becoming more
and more popular among California's youth, just as they are across
America. Some video games are used by the United States military to
train soldiers for combat. Common sense would suggest that such
games should not be in the hands of minors. Yet the video game
industry is marketing many of these graphic products directly to
children.
A Bill is in progress to halt the sale of such games; AB 450, a bill
which would prohibit the sale and rental of violent video games to
children who are 16 years of age or younger. The measure
specifically targets video games that depict serious injury to human
beings in a manner that is especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel.
The bill would not affect those parents who want to buy these
products for their children.
PTC Advisory Board member Connie Sellecca said on this issue that
"countless research studies demonstrate the unequivocal effect of
media violence on a child's brain and cognitive development. How
many more tragic deaths must we endure before the game industry and
parents grasp the magnitude of this issue." Sellecca continued, "Our
one million members across the country will be watching closely to
see if the video game industry hides behind a First Amendment veil
in order to exploit children for the sake of corporate profit."
The entertainment industry is fighting this bill and others like it
around the country with piles of cash in the name of first amendment
rights. What they are really doing is protecting their corporate
bottom line by selling despicable acts of violence and depravity to
children. Please help the PTC remind our representatives that they
were elected to represent the public interest, not the financial
interests of deep-pocketed industry lobbyists.
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We urge you to contact your local representatives to see if there is
similar legislation pending in your state. The PTC is currently
supporting similar state measures in Illinois, Maryland, Michigan,
North Carolina, Washington State and the District of Columbia. There
may be others. We urge you to speak up and let your voice be heard.
Thank you for your support.
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A new study released this week shows that the brain's reaction to video game violence and real life violence is the same. According to Reuters, Researchers at the University of Aachen in Germany studied the brain patterns of 13 men between the ages of 18 and 26 who played video games regularly. A scanner monitored brain activity as the subjects played a violent video game. Researchers found that the brain's reaction to video game violence were consistent with what researchers saw in subjects who have had brain scans during other simulated violent situations.