Violent video games and the Supreme Court: lessons for the scientific community in the wake of Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association.
@article{Ferguson2013ViolentVG, title={Violent video games and the Supreme Court: lessons for the scientific community in the wake of Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association.}, author={Christopher J. Ferguson}, journal={The American psychologist}, year={2013}, volume={68 2}, pages={ 57-74 } }
In June 2011 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that video games enjoy full free speech protections and that the regulation of violent game sales to minors is unconstitutional. The Supreme Court also referred to psychological research on violent video games as "unpersuasive" and noted that such research contains many methodological flaws. Recent reviews in many scholarly journals have come to similar conclusions, although much debate continues. Given past statements by the American Psychological…
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Supreme Court decision on violent video games was based on the First Amendment, not scientific evidence.
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Comments on the article, "Violent video games and the Supreme Court: Lessons for the scientific community in the wake of Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association," by C. J. Ferguson, agree that the U.S. Supreme Court case involving violent video games offers scientists a unique opportunity to reflect on violent video game research and findings, but disagree with many of the points he made.
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