Podcast 2- High Court OKs Sales of Violent Video Games To Kids

High Court OKs Sales Of Violent Video Games To Kids

http://www.npr.org/2011/06/28/137461841/high-court-oks-sales-of-violent-video-game-to-kids

• US Supreme Court decided that the first amendment was in violation when California, under a new law, tried to ban the sale of violent video games to minors.
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• California’s current law imposes 1000 dollar fine to anyone who sells video games to minors.
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• As justification the state has shown studies that violent video games desensitize our kids and make them more aggressive towards their fellow human beings.
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• The Supreme Court voted 7-2 against this law and it was stricken down almost immediately.
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• Traditional ideologies as well as parenthood cannot be subdued from these proceedings
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• A part of the Court, who is also a father, wrote for 5 of those members from the supreme court that:
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• The Government has no power to restrict freedom of expression and that just like books and movies are an opening for children, so are video games.
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• He also argues that books and movies that are for kids have no shortage of violence (ex. Hansel and Gretel who bake the witch)
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• For teenagers, he points out to high school given books, such as the Odyssey, where the Cyclops eye gets grinded out of its socket.

I definitely agree with the judge that this is just a new form of people trying to moderate violence out of a medium of entertainment ( Just like they did with video when it first came out, or with superman who u were considered a delinquent for liking.) I think it is important to also point out that people against the results want to specifically moderate video games to minors but don't mention TV or Radio or even novels.

Video Game Violence - Podcast 1

It's a duel: How do violent video games affect kids?


http://www.npr.org/2011/07/07/137660609/its-a-duel-how-do-violent-video-games-affect-kids

• Supreme Court last week overturned case to ban sale of violent video games to children


• Reason being that they have no real effect on children


• Scientists disagree/looking at same evidence, different prespectives


• Test is done on college students, one group playing violent video games while other doesn't.


• Measure how each student in the two different groups feel


• You can't give young college students guns to shoot eachother so...


• They measure emotional responses by showing violent pictures(such as a man shoving a gun down another persons throat)


• Findings: Violent Video Games make the brain respond lesss to violent images


• Particular scientist also made students blast eachother with the most unappealing sounds possible (chalkboard scratching, dentist drills, syrens)


• He states that the more "numb" they were by playing video games, the more aggressie they got with an extent of the sounds


• Bushman believes that violent video games desentisize people.


• Chris Ferguson believes differently, although same evidence is looked at:


• Minor acts of aggression discussed, murderous streak argument completely diminished.


• Many of the games do have morally objective material, we mistook our moral concerns and then assumed that moral objectivity is directly harmful.


• Brian Bushman: Playing violent video games will not turn you into a psychotic killer, but they will desensitize you and make you act more aggresively towards your family and peers.
  
  

Findings are interesting and so is study but findings are not conclusive and the editors don't explore either side but rather present it for the audience to judge