Members of Congress would like to create the Violence in Video Games Labeling Act.
Congress is trying to take a stand on violence and wouldn't you know it, they are going after an old friend. Entervideo games to the mix and allow me to introduce the Violence in Video Games Labeling Act. The act is calling for most video games to have a label that reads “WARNING: Exposure to violent video games has been linked to aggressive behavior.” If it passes, all games except “early childhood” games would need the violence label. It sounds like too big a sample window to me but I guess that’s why I’m not in Congress yet.
It has been stated by Joe Bacca, one of the Congressmen trying to pass the act, that “"The video game industry has a responsibility to parents, families and to consumers to inform them of the potentially damaging content that is often found in their products. They have repeatedly failed to live up to this responsibility." It sounds like he wants the video game industry to have to point out examples of common sense to the people buying the games. Sounds like this similar to the time Cosmo Kramer spilt coffee on his legs and sued the coffee company for free café lattés.
It was also stated by Bacca that “Meanwhile research continues to show that playing violent video games is a casual risk factor for a host of detrimental effects in both the short- and long-term, including increasing the likelihood of physically aggressive behavior. American families deserve to know the truth about these potentially dangerous products.” In Congress, you don’t usually have just one person being for something. Here we have Frank Wolf, another congressman that would like the bill to actually happen. He states “"Just as we warn smokers of the health consequences of tobacco, we should warn parents — and children — about the growing scientific evidence demonstrating a relationship between violent video games and violent behavior."
It seems at times that violence in video games is an easy target for government officials to go after. Every time, something terrible happens, the violence in video games talk is going to pop up, like it has now. The violence in video games discussion has come up before and it’s going to come up again. I guess all we can do about it is adapt with what changes. Also what history has shown in these discussions is that nothing really happens. Personally, there are more important things that violence in video games that the government should be looking into. I’m sure many people would agree on that subject.
