California's argument would fare better if there were a longstanding tradition in this country of specially restricting children's access to depictions of violence, but there is none. Certainly the books we give children to read--or read to them when they are younger--contain no shortage of gore. Grimm's Fairy Tales, for example, are grim indeed. As her just deserts for trying to poison Snow White, the wicked queen is made to dance in red hot slippers "till she fell dead on the floor, a sad example of envy and jealousy." The Complete Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales 198 (2006 ed.). Cinderella's evil stepsisters have their eyes pecked out by doves. Id., at 95. And Hansel and Gretel (children!) kill their captor by baking her in an oven. Id., at 54.


High-school reading lists are full of similar fare. Homer's Odysseus blinds Polyphemus the Cyclops by grinding out his eye with a heated stake. The Odyssey of Homer, Book IX, p. 125 (S. Butcher & A. Lang transls. 1909) ("Even so did we seize the fiery-pointed brand and whirled it round in his eye, and the blood flowed about the heated bar. And the breath of the flame singed his eyelids and brows all about, as the ball of the eye burnt away, and the roots thereof crackled in the flame"). In the Inferno, Dante and Virgil watch corrupt politicians struggle to stay submerged beneath a lake of boiling pitch, lest they be skewered by devils above the surface. Canto XXI, pp. 187-189 (A. Mandelbaum transl. Bantam Classic ed. 1982). And Golding's Lord of the Flies recounts how a schoolboy called Piggy is savagely murdered by other children while marooned on an island. W. Golding, Lord of the Flies 208-209 (1997 ed.).

"Unfortunately, the majority of the Supreme Court once again put the interests of corporate America before the interests of our children," said the law's author, Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco). "As a result of their decision, Wal-Mart and the video game industry will continue to make billions of dollars at the expense of our kids' mental health and the safety of our community. It is simply wrong that the video game industry can be allowed to put their profit margins over the rights of parents and the well-being of children."

I don't see why people complain about video game violence when there are countless numbers of movies out there that depict large battles or gunfights where people are torn to pieces by the tools of war. Haters gonna hate.

I don't see why people complain about video game violence when there are countless numbers of movies out there that depict large battles or gunfights where people are torn to pieces by the tools of war. Haters gonna hate.

Honestly, I supported the law. All it really did was criminalize the sale of violent games to minors. Not in general, to minors. As a parent, I think certain games do need to be kept out of children's hands. If some guy at Gamestop sold my son Duke Nukem Forever, or something equally offensive and inappropriate, I'd want him thrown in jail too.

As a result of their decision, Wal-Mart and the video game industry will continue to make billions of dollars at the expense of our kids

Honestly, I supported the law. All it really did was criminalize the sale of violent games to minors. Not in general, to minors. As a parent, I think certain games do need to be kept out of children's hands. If some guy at Gamestop sold my son Duke Nukem Forever, or something equally offensive and inappropriate, I'd want him thrown in jail too.

Honestly, I supported the law. All it really did was criminalize the sale of violent games to minors. Not in general, to minors. As a parent, I think certain games do need to be kept out of children's hands. If some guy at Gamestop sold my son Duke Nukem Forever, or something equally offensive and inappropriate, I'd want him thrown in jail too.

Honestly, I supported the law. All it really did was criminalize the sale of violent games to minors. Not in general, to minors. As a parent, I think certain games do need to be kept out of children's hands. If some guy at Gamestop sold my son Duke Nukem Forever, or something equally offensive and inappropriate, I'd want him thrown in jail too.

I'm against censorship on the whole, but I think this is the wrong decision. There are certain games, like manhunt, that kids shouldn't be allowed to play unless their parents have seen the content and honestly think their kids are ready for it (of course, this then opens the question about whether parents are really paying attention).

Holding stuff back from minors to me isn't the "bad" kind of censorship (as long as parents can override), and is ok to me.

On the other hand, there are some games, like manhunt, that should never have been released (just because it was a terrible game, if advlts want to play violent games, thats their business).

It isn't the government's place to tell parents what to buy and what not to buy for their kids. Government is there to protect us from hostile invasions and violence from criminals. Even if your kid was able to buy Duke Nukem game, it isn't like you couldn't take it away - you're the parent, you make the rules

The law isn't preventing parents from buying these games for their kids. That I would oppose; I think any sane person would. The law is preventing minors from purchasing these games themselves, without their parents consent.

The law would throw the person who sold the game into jail. And how long do you think it would take before there's a law that criminalizes a parent allowing a minor to play one of these "terrible horrible violent video games"?

The law would throw the person who sold the game into jail.

And how long do you think it would take before there's a law that criminalizes a parent allowing a minor to play one of these "terrible horrible violent video games"?

The law in Ireland has been that if you're not as old the number on the box, you can't buy it. I'm aware that America has some vague rating system that doesn't work like that, but my point is that I think this is something Ireland (and the UK) got right.

Most retailers enforce the rule that if you aren't old enough to buy the game, you can't without a parent agreeing to it or buying it for you.

So basically, if the law had passed, the only real difference would be that retailers could be punished more harshly?