Do Violent Video Games Harm Children? Comparing the Scientific Amicus Curiae 'Experts' in Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association
12 Pages
Posted: 31 May 2011
Texas Southern University - Thurgood Marshall School of Law
Ohio State University (OSU) - School of Journalism and Communication
Iowa State University - Department of Psychology
Date Written: May 31, 2011
Abstract
The vast majority of experts who study the effects of violent video games on children's cognitive growth, hostility level, and personality agree that violent video games pose great risks to teenagers and pre-teens. Yet, some self-proclaimed "experts" with very little or no experience studying the effects of violent video games on children have offered support for the video game producers in Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association based on First Amendment arguments. This paper compares the credentials of the experts on both sides of the issue presented to the Supreme Court in Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association by presenting a quantitative analysis of the experts' relative research experience and knowledge, and concludes that the real experts support the state of California and the regulation of sales of extremely violent video games to minors.
Suggested Citation:
Suggested Citation
Pollard-Sacks, Deana and Bushman, Brad J. and Anderson, Craig A., Do Violent Video Games Harm Children? Comparing the Scientific Amicus Curiae 'Experts' in Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association (May 31, 2011). Northwestern University Law Review Colloquy, Vol. 106, p. 1, 2011. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1856116
