The Hyperion Chronicles

The Hyperion Chronicles
"Now allowing any and all riffraff to opine"

Editors Note: In my continuing effort to bring you all sorts of different points of view (and get out of writing these myself), I have asked Joe Boyd to be a guest columnist today. Let's all sit up straight and pay attention to him, and save the vitriol for when I go back to work Monday, okay? -Hyperion

#125 Beating Up Super Mario

Recently the Governor of Washington signed into law Bill 1009, which imposes a fine on any retailer who sells a violent video game to a minor. Being an avid "gamer" myself, my immediate reaction was "Unconstitutional!" Video games are a means of expression, like movies and music, so this bill seemed like it was violating First Amendment rights to free speech. The ACLU would be all over this.

It was later pointed out to me that courts routinely deny full constitutional rights to children. This makes sense, seeing as how it would be utterly foolish to allow a 5-year-old to buy a shotgun, regardless of what the Second Amendment says. Children simply are not mature enough to handle all the responsibilities of adults.

Still, it seems unfair for this type of regulatory law to be applied to one form of media but not to others. There are no laws against selling R-rated movies or CDs with explicit lyrics to children. Video games are a form of media in the same vein that movies, music, and books are, so why single them out?

The answer is that one aspect of video games-interactivity-makes them very different from these other media. Video games set up their own worlds and rules that must be followed. Usually, if the game is considered fun to play, the rules lead to consistent mental feedback given to the player through visual, aural, and even tactile cues. This feedback can be positive or negative, and in many cases is in direct response to choices made by the player.

So what does this have to do with Bill 1009? Well, people learn from this sort of biological feedback. When I was younger, if I threw a temper tantrum then my rear end found out about it, and after a couple of times I stopped doing it. The same thing happens when someone plays a video game. Through a system of rewards and punishments, the player learns what is and is not acceptable in the video game world. Depending on the person, this conditioning can carry over into real life. Young children who have difficulty distinguishing between the real world and the virtual world of a video game may apply rules that were acceptable in the video game world to what they experience in the real world, regardless of whether or not they are really applicable or appropriate.

Here is where the violent content of some video games could potentially be a problem. The Washington legislature "finds that there has been an increase in studies showing a correlation between exposure to violent video and computer games and various forms of hostile and antisocial behavior." State Representative Mary Lou Dickerson, who sponsored Bill 1009, wrote in an opinion column in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

There used to be a debate over whether violent games affect the development of children's brains and values. Not any more. As the American Psychological Association put it, arguing that violent video games have no harmful effects on children "is like arguing against gravity."

I must take issue with this claim of scientific validity. I did quite a bit of research on this subject on the Internet using a variety of sources from both ends of the spectrum. One study by a Dr. Anderson that was cited often for its supposed evidence of a causal connection between violent video games and aggressive behavior had more holes than Swiss cheese. Moreover, it's easy to locate studies that have found no correlation between exposure to violent video games and violent behavior, and there are even studies that conclude video games in general have positive benefits. (To see articles on both sides of the issue, search the APA journals and type in "video games")

I am not going to sit here and say that video games are not a factor in determining a child's behavior; only a fool would deny that they have any impact. However, a consensus in the scientific community as to the extent and direction of this effect has not been reached. For political leaders to jump on questionable scientific experiments and present them as conclusive fact is irresponsible.

American society was a lot more bloodthirsty before video games came into being. Just look at the Old West, or if you want a modern-day comparison, look at what's happening in the Middle East, where video games are almost nonexistent. When held up against factors such as religion, socioeconomic status, genetics, and upbringing; how can anyone claim that video games actually cause violence?

Unfortunately, since the video game industry is only about 25 years old, it is an easy victim for the scapegoating of society's ills. Parents get busy and don't pay attention to what video games their kids are playing, and then they get upset when they find little Tyler playing Mortal Kombat.

Then the news media over-sensationalizes incidents like Columbine (which obviously was tragic) and everyone starts pointing fingers in a knee-jerk reaction. People want a simple solution and someone else to blame, so they pick evil rock music, graphic movies, dirty comic books, or the zombie television Every one of these established industries has gone through this, and the fact that it is now happening to video games only shows that they have "arrived."

I wouldn't want my kid to go buy Grand Theft Auto any more than I'd want him to hug a poisonous snake, but the idea that is behind Bill 1009-abdicating parental responsibility to retailers and to the industry-is exactly the wrong position society should be taking. This attitude is lazy and irresponsible, and not a solution to the problems that exist now.

When a kid purchases a violent video game, either his parents don't know about the content or don't care. In either case, will a law prohibiting minors from buying these video games really have an effect on the games to which children are exposed? The answer is no; either parents will continue buying the games for their own kids, or the kids will play the games through some other means, such as going to a friend's house.

One area where I do strongly agree with Rep. Dickerson is that parents should be more actively involved in the games their children play. There is a voluntary ratings system by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) that has become the industry standard. Analogous to the widely known movie ratings, this system includes 'E' for Everyone, 'T' for Teen, and 'M' for Mature. I strongly encourage parents to check the ESRB ratings that are prominently displayed on the front of game packages and to read the details provided on the back.

Parents should not stop there, though. They can read countless reviews of games and even rent them to try on their own before making a purchase. Most importantly, parents should take the time to sit down and watch or play games with their children. This will help them understand the social context of video games, provide them with insight into what their children's interests are, and show kids that their parents care about what they are doing.

Finally, lest you think I'm solely about criticizing parents and legislatures, I want to take a look at the industry itself. The Interactive Digital Software Association reports that the average age of video game players is 28. In the past fifteen years video game players who were weaned on Super Mario Brothers have matured, and the industry has matured right along with them. Since the content of many video games deals with adult-related themes, video game developers and retailers have a responsibility to provide consumers with enough information so that they can make appropriate decisions regarding their gaming purchases. The industry has done a less than satisfactory job of doing this. In addition, some groups claim that some industry members specifically market games with adult content to children. Pay attention to the commercials during Saturday morning cartoons and you will see their point.

This poor performance is the reason why Bill 1009 is now law. If the industry took a more proactive approach to making consumers knowledgeable about their products, then not only would parents and kids benefit, but the industry itself would benefit in the long run as this greater public awareness would allow it to be taken more seriously.

Battling Goombahs (in a non-violent manner),

Joe Boyd
May 30, 2003

Joe's Credits
Thanks to Hyperion for fabulous editing
Thanks to Laureate for good insight
Thanks to Birdie for giving me the NES
Thanks to my brother for the fun and for making me practice
Endless thanks to my parents for making me do other things than play video games!

Hyperion's Credits
Thanks to Joe for all his hard work on this, and for giving me a day off