California lawmakers have approved a bill that would ban the sale of violent games to minors, but Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has not said if he will approve the bill.

Lawmakers across the country have continued to target video games for violence and adult content, but there are better uses of their time. Even if any of these bans on games pass, major law enforcement organizations across the country have said that they are unlikely to enforce any such ban.

First, the research on the negative effects of video game is inconclusive. Yet, numerous research studies have proven certain positive effects of playing video games.

Second, law enforcement members point to bans on the sale of cigarettes and alcohol to minors. Cigarettes and alcohol have much more clear negative effects, and police have been unable or unwilling to stop these sales. Alcohol is much more difficult for minors to acquire but is still readily available in almost every city. Cigarettes on the other hand can be purchased by minors in the majority of gas stations in any community. Does any lawmaker truly believe that a local police department is going to use undercover agents in video game stings?

Third, there is no agreed upon basis to rate video game content and experiences for minors or adults. The ESRB ratings provide a ready system that is already in place today, but there are many critics of this system. Some of the proposed laws, such as a proposal by the Illinois governor, are written so broadly against violence that baseball and football games could not be sold to anyone under 18.

Fourth and finally, while the government can (although it should not) legislate morality and ethics, this will have no effect when what is truly needed is a change the behavior of parents. Independent studies have continually shown that the majority of Mature and Adult Only games played by minors are actually purchased for them by their parents/guardians.

While the average age of a gamer is now 29, most parents still do not play games or do not play the same games as their children, but that does not excuse them from understanding what their children are playing. Any parent that reads the box of a Grand Theft Auto title (or any game) has a fairly good idea of games content – not to mention the ESRB rating on the majority of games. Parents also have access to websites with reviews and in-store personnel.

If parents/guardians are the predominate purchasers of Mature and Adult Only games played by minors and parents do not take the time to understand the content, these proposed bans will have no real effect in market. Law enforcement, gamers, major retail chains and the video game industry all understand this. Politicians may understand this too, but the topic keeps them on the news.

It is time for a major political figure to take a real unbiased look at video games and stand up to these scare tactics by a select few of “media hounds”. Politicians continually claim they are looking for topic to connect with youth and bring them out to vote. They may have found it.

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