Recently, a law was passed in California that banned the sale of all “violent” video games to individuals younger than 18. Now, the case of whether or not this law is constitutional is going before the United States Supreme Court. This is an important case, for it could end up setting the stage for alterations in how games look, how they are produced and who can play them. This law could be a catalyst that sparks stricter standards across the industry and could alter the First Amendment rights of young people in matters entirely unrelated to violent video games for decades to come.
NYRA is doing all we can to make sure the free speech of youth is protected. We are working with the ACLU and the National Coalition Against Censorship to write an Amicus brief to be submitted to the Supreme Court regarding this issue. Unlike the nine justices hearing this case and most lawyers on either side of the issue, NYRA staff and NYRA members have actually played video games. We are working to channel our combined expertise to help win this case, you can help!
NYRA is seeking testimonies from people who are familiar with video games and can explain their artistic, social and especially political assets. If we can prove that video games contain political speech, we very well may win this case. Please visit our blog and leave a comment about the political value of video games. The Internet is buzzing about NYRA’s campaign, and we’ve already received 95 comments about this. This overwhelming response represents a total of one-third of all comments the NYRA blog has ever received. But we’re not done yet! The more information we have, the better. Let your gamer friends know about us, too! We need to hear your thoughts as well as examples of specific games that are both political and violent. The more you have to say, the better!
