Laguna Beach Moms Talk: Video Game Violence and Your Kids

The $18 billion video game industry is cheering last week's 7-2 Supreme Court ruling that struck down California legislation banning minors from renting or buying M-rated games meant for mature adults.

Proposed  Assembly Bill 1179 carried a fine up to $1,000 per violation for a child under 18 if they rented or bought an M-rated game. Targeting some 46 million U.S. households with players, “ultra violent” games would have been stamped  “18.” (Currently, M-rated games carry a “17 or above,” label, requiring parent approval to rent or purchase.) Introduced by state senator Leland Yee, a Democrat from San Francisco, the 2005 bill never made it through appeals.

Senior Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia compared video  game violence to Hansel and Gretel and Cinderella fairy tales.  Writing for the majority in Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association in the June 27 ruling, Scalia said: "Children have not been protected from violence, as they have from sexual material." He cited Hansel and Gretel killing their captor by baking her in an oven and the wicked stepsisters having their eyes pecked out by doves. Supporting a child’s rights to rent or purchase violent video games, Justice Scalia said that no matter how disgusting, they are eligible for First Amendment free speech protection.

Latest polls back the ban. “A solid majority of U.S. adults say they think states should be allowed to bar sale or rental of violent video games to minors," according to Rasmussen Reports. The Rasmussen Reports survey, just released, indicated 67 percent of respondents said states should be able to prohibit sale of violent video games to children, flying in the face of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

Some of the games in question are Postal II, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto and Mortal Kombat. In Gears of War, raw language and gore rule as chainsaw guns rip apart the opposition. In Postal II, the player can pick up a shovel, go to his neighbor’s house and beat him to a pulp. The action escalates from there.  

Senator Yee concludes, “Corporate America triumphed over the interests of our kids”.   “As a result of the Supreme Court’s decision, Wal-Mart and the video game industry will continue to make billions of dollars at the expense of our kids’ mental health and the safety of our community. It is simply wrong that the video game industry can be allowed to put their profit margins over the rights of parents and the well-being of children.”

How do you feel about it? Is this a court ruling gone awry, or do vigilant parents and industry regulations already have this under control?

Would you rather be the deciding factor than have it regulated by law? Or does this ruling open the door to more commercial assaults on what is acceptable for minors? As 3D games with sensory feedback pop up, this issue may rival the games for intensity.

My experience with kids’ video games in the past was all about time absorption, rather than content. I was always prying them away from games that had lengthy mysteries that took forever to solve! The action in the game was not even close to today’s violence, but I do remember the intensity as my kids were sucked into the game. Winning was all; their total focus was on that screen. It was a big deal with friends.

Later, I found some great competition. Their new favorite game was not a commercial package, but a computer-generated flight simulator program. Suddenly, we had a houseful of budding pilots. 

How does it work at your house? Are games a big deal? Do you review and pick the games, setting the limits? Do you talk about the games or play them with your kids? Let us know how you handle it and what you think. We will share it on Laguna Beach Patch Moms Talk.

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Summer camp bonanza—everybody asking “What’s next?” Consider these:

Dana Sara and Jacob Cho of Cho’s Academy summer camp themes: Harry Potter, Sports, Superhero, Seeing Outside with Sandra Jones Campbell and Western camp.

“My eight-year-old son signed up for book camp last year and loved it so much we signed him up for a second week of sports camp,” said Cynthia Jenkins, a Laguna Beach Mom. "Drop-off was always filled with smiles—from me, too!”

First in the series is Harry Potter camp. Each child will complete his own Harry Potter journey, solve the mystery, and triumph over personal challenges.

Camp dates: Harry Potter (July 19-23), Sports (July 25-29), Superhero (August 8-12), Seeing Outside (August 15-19) and Western Camp (August TBD).

Environmental Nature Center’s Summer Camps

ENC in Newport Beach offers natural science enrichment by qualified community teachers for kindergarten through 6th grade in two-week sessions, with 10 students per class. Key field trips are featured with the camps.

Nature Camp is held Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. After-camp programs held Monday-Thursday, 1-3 p.m.

Remaining sesions: Under the Sea, July 11-21; Science Safari, July 25-August 4; Mad Scientists, August 8-18.