Supreme Court Hears Games Case
/So today was the big day. The Supreme Court heard the arguments between The State of California (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and the Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA which the ESA is a part of). For those that are not paying attention this is the final court case to decide if the State of California has the right to control "ultra violent" (a term which is never really clearly defined) game sales to minors. Now at first this may not seem like a big thing. Gamestop and Wal-mart already will not sell to a minor unless their parents are present. But where the law goes too far is it seems too much like government censorship.
What is to stop this law from leading to censorship in other forms of media? What would stop the jump from video games to comic, then comics to TV, and so on? And even if there is no jump to other media for violent censorship and if the worst thing that happens is that it stays in the realm of video games, there is a possibility that the threat of fines or low sales would cause game producers to censor themselves in the US.
What do you think of all this though? Sound off in the comments on your opinions and if you want you can read the court briefing below.
And when can we expect to hear the verdict on this case? Some time between tomorrow and June 2011. So don't hold your breath.