Do Violent Video Games Harm Children? Comparing the Scientific Amicus Curiae 'Experts' in Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association

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.