Last week, President Obama asked Congress to fund studies on effect of games on kids in the wake of last month's Newtown school shooting. The Entertainment Software Association has released a statement on President Obama's gun violence proposal.
"ESA appreciates President Obama's and Vice President Biden's leadership and the thoughtful, comprehensive process of theWhite House Gun Violence Commission. We concur with President Obama's call today for all Americans to do their part, and agree with the report's conclusion that the entertainment and video game industries have a responsibility to give parents tools and choices about the movies and programs their children watch and the games their children play," said the organization in its statement.
"The same entertainment is enjoyed across all cultures and nations, but tragic levels of gun violence remain unique to our country. Scientific research and international and domestic crime data all point toward the same conclusion: entertainment does not cause violent behavior in the real world."
"We will embrace a constructive role in the important national dialogue around gun violence in the United States, and continue to collaborate with the Administration and Congress as they examine the facts that inform meaningful solutions."
Now President Obama's proposal are expected to be the subject of a heated partisan battle. West Virginia Democrat Senator Jay Rockefellerintroduced a bill directing the National Academy of Sciences to study the effects of violent games and other media on children, with another of his party members and three Republican Senators co-sponsoring.
The full text of Senate Bill 134 (dubbed The Violent Content Research Act of 2013) has not yet been filed with the Library of Congress, but the bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, of which Rockefeller is the chairman. Co-sponsoring the legislation are Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV), and Sen. Mike Johanns (R-NE). Heller and Blumenthal also sit on the 24-person Commerce Committee. Rockefeller first proposed the idea last month, during the previous Congressional session.
The NAS study would look at whether exposure to violent media causes children to behave aggressively, and if the effect varies depending on the type of media. Specifically, it would attempt to identify any "direct and long-lasting impact" of violent content, and whether the interactive nature of games changes the impact on children. The NAS would also be directed to recommend further areas of study, with a full report submitted to Congress within 15 months.
Source: GameIndustry
