The nation’s highest court will plug into the gaming world Tuesday, as the Court weighs California’s ban on selling violent video games to minors. Oral arguments begin in Schwarzenegger vs. EMA, the case challenging the ban written by State Senator Leland Yee. The Supremes must decide whether buying violent video games is protected speech or if, like alcohol, cigarettes and porn, the games should be kept out of minors’ hands. Do psychological and scientific studies show a link between playing graphic games and more aggressive behavior? Or has the nanny state prematurely grabbed the console?
Guests:
L. Rowell Huesmann Ph.D., Professor of Communication Studies and Psychology; Director of the Research Center for Group Dynamics Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan; co-author of Amicus Brief before the Supreme Court documenting the harmful effects of video game violence
Christopher Ferguson Ph.D., Associate Professor of Clinical and Forensic Psychology, Texas A&M International, co-signer of counter Amicus Brief