Editorial: Dealing with virtual violence

Saturday, Dec. 31, 2005 | 7:11 a.m.

A typical M-rated video game contains blood and gore, intense violence, strong language, strong sexual content and use of drugs and/or alcohol. Yet it is perfectly legal for children to buy graphic M-rated games without parental approval. Attempts to restrict the sales have been shot down by courts in several states on First Amendment grounds.

The latest law to be blocked by the courts is one passed in California that was scheduled to take effect Jan. 1. A federal judge was more swayed by attorneys from the video game industry than attorneys for the state. He issued a temporary hold on the law and will decide in the coming weeks whether to make the hold permanent.

California Assemblyman Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, who introduced the bill that led to California's law, argues that laws prohibiting sales of tobacco, alcohol and pornographic materials to children have passed constitutional muster. In an interview with a San Francisco Chronicle reporter, he asked why video games are different, especially when studies show that they can lead children into real-life violence.

We believe that is a good question. Yet we do not believe the judge was wrong to order a preliminary injunction against the state law. The First Amendment is a strong barrier against any kind of censorship or restriction of privileges. As reported by the Chronicle, the attorney for the video game industry pointed out to the judge that federal courts on six occasions have blocked or struck down state efforts to regulate sales of violent video games to minors.

A better question would be one asked of the adults who target children in producing, advertising and selling this material. They should be asked, "Do you want your own child getting virtual pleasure from splattering people's blood, degrading women and getting involved with drugs and alcohol?"

It is not judges who are to blame for millions of children engaging in such activities through video games. The blame rests primarily on the people responsible for bringing such perversions to the store shelves. And parents who allow their children to have gratuitously violent video games share in the blame as well.