Be Vocal! Write a "Letter to the Editor" at Your Local Paper

The Supreme Court of the United States will be hearing the State of California’s infamous ‘violent video game case,’ Schwarzenegger v. EMA on Tuesday, November 2nd.  That means that this year, or early next, the Court is going to decide whether to agree with the lower federal courts or not. Agreeing would mean that they believe that video games are,

and should continue to be, First Amendment protected speech; just like books, movies and music. The court disagreeing would mean that they think video games should be treated differently. This could lead to new bills and laws curtailing video game access in states across the country.

For nearly two decades, elected officials have tried to regulate which video games you can buy, rent and play. Every single time they’ve passed a law, the federal courts have struck it down as unconstitutional. But this may change this fall.

We're asking you to to help spread the word and show a positive face of video game players.  Write your local newspaper a "letter to the editor" and say we will not stand for this, games should be protected and treated like other forms of First Amendment protected media.

Step 2 - Write your message

Subject:

Your Letter: I am writing to you to speak out about the upcoming Supreme Court case Schwarzenegger v. EMA that will be heard on November 2nd. This is the first time that the Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments on any of the state laws attempting to restrict or ban certain video games. Until now, all such laws have been struck down by lower federal courts as unconstitutional restrictions on free speech which is protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution. Video games are a part of so many of our lives, with sixty-seven percent of American households playing them. There’s also a misconception of video game players being little boys, when in fact the average video game player is 34 years old, has been playing games for 12 years and with forty percent of all gamers being women. The need for a law to restrict the sale of video games is not needed. Eighty-two percent of all games sold in 2009 were rated “E” for Everyone, “T” for Teen, or “E10+” for Everyone over ten years of age. The Federal Trade Commission has also recognized the video game industry as the top enforcer of such ratings, beating even the movie industry’s enforcement. This is an issue for parenting, not the government. Parents should be present to witness purchases by their children and, more importantly, help decide what media their children consume. But when the government does that, it’s called censorship. And even the type of censorship put forward with this law would have chilling effects in the industry, causing companies to think twice about what retailers will stock, which will affect what games publishers produce. The video game industry has a ratings system in place, and it’s been proven by the FTC that it works. There’s no need for a state to decide what we can and can not purchase, leave that to the consumers and parents. Thank you. First Name* Last Name* Email* City* State/Province* Select a state Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware D.C. Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Armed Forces (the) Americas Armed Forces Europe Armed Forces Pacific Alberta British Columbia Manitoba Newfoundland New Brunswick Nova Scotia Northwest Territories Nunavut Ontario Prince Edward Island Quebec Saskatchewan Yukon Territory Other Zip/Postal Code*

Click on a point to add it to the letter. All entertainment has gone through these types of fights and each has resulted in self regulation and ratings. Movies and comic books have had rating systems for years and government in no way censors them. How is a character any different in a video game than appears in a movie or comic? It’s entertainment and escapism, just in different forms on consumption. The average age of a frequent game purchaser is 40 years old. Parents have taken up the role of being involved in their children’s entertainment consumption. In homes with children under the age of 18 with a gaming console parents are present 93 percent of the time when their kids play. A majority of parents believe games are a positive part of their children’s lives.