Supreme Court Strikes Down Violent Video Game Law

Not your usual Gaming Board topic, but this ruling could have had a profound impact on gaming if the US Supreme court had decided to uphold the law.

Eesntially, the Supreme Court ruled that video games come under the protection of the First Amendment, and any laws restricting video games must meet an extremely high standard, so as not to offend free speech rights.

The court stated: "Video games qualify for First Amendment protection. Like protected books, plays, and movies, they communicate ideas through familiar literary devices and features distinctive to the medium. And “the basic principles of freedom of speech . . . do not vary” with a new and different communication medium"

The court voted 7-2 in favor of overturing the law (Thomas and Breyer were the two justices that wanted to uphold the law...very strange bedfellows)