Dear Senator Hatch,
I am writing to you regarding an important issue that I feel should be considered in our national and state policies. The issue at hand is violent video games. I am sure this is a subject has crossed your desk many times before, but I hope you will take a few minutes to hear me out.
In November of 2010, the Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association case decided that violent video games were protected under the free speech clause of the First Amendment, and decided against a policy that would require individuals under a certain age to have parental supervision in order to purchase certain violent video games. While this was seen as a victory for the video game world, it should be viewed as an enormous fail for our children.
Violent video games pose a very real and well-documented threat to individuals, families, and society as a whole. While there are many studies that find there is not a strong correlation between violent video games and increased violence among individuals, we should be more concerned with the overwhelming amount of evidence that shows how violent video games increase aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Although this topic is well-researched, it is grossly under-reported by news and media outlets that benefit from companies that produce violent games. Despite the consistent findings that indicate the negative effects of violent video games, these games are available to purchase for any customer willing to pay, regardless of age.
The effects of violent video games are very real, and yet no action is taken against regulating these games. Although video games have ratings, these ratings do not prevent any individual who has enough money from purchasing them. There is a dire need to change this. Not for the sake of limiting individuals, but for the sake of protecting our children. The content of these games range from first-person-shooter experiences to the encouragement of criminal activity, including theft, prostitution, and murder. With games involving such explicit content, how can we sit idly by while children and adolescents of all ages are permitted to purchase and play without question?
There is a policy widely throughout Utah that places plastic covers over obscene or inappropriate magazine covers featuring explicit titles and under-dressed women. This movement was started by a concerned mother who wanted to protect her children’s innocence while waiting in line to check out at the grocery store. If this kind of preventative measure is available for sexually explicit content, why is a similar regulation available to prevent underage children from purchasing graphically violent and disturbing games?
I am not necessarily asking for the same policy that was denied in California to be implemented in Utah. I am, however, asking that this be a more frequent topic of discussion within public policy. There needs to be a change in the way such explicitly violent material is regulated and obtained. The ratings are simply not enough. We need to take the safety and wellbeing of our children into consideration and stop tossing it aside for the sake of marketing.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Lindsey LeCheminant
