Eleven states have joined California’s impending U.S. Supreme Court showdown over restricting the sale of violent video games, reports Gamasutra. The attorneys general of Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia filed a brief outlining arguments for the upcoming case.
The state officials say their citizens are “vitally interested in protecting the welfare of children and helping parents raise them.” It argues that the California Appeals Court decision to strike down the law “unreasonably restricts” those interests. The brief also claims that constitutional law and the First Amendment can consistently allow laws to prevent minors from buying games that “invite players to commit digital homicide, torture, and rape.”
Connecticut attorney general Richard Blumenthal, who has Senate aspirations, issued a statement: “Protecting children from digital danger requires proactive parents — but they need and deserve help. The video game industry should act responsibly and agree to sensible self-imposed restrictions that block children from buying the most violent games. I am calling on the video game industry to follow the leadership of the motion picture industry, which sensibly stops unattended children from viewing violent or graphic movies.”
