Supreme Court to rule in games violence case

The US Supreme Court will deliver the final verdict in the increasingly feverous storm that is enveloping the US games sector that sees Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger trying to illegalise the sale of violent games to kids.

California hopes to become the first US state to successfully introduce legislation that bans the sale or rental of violent games to minors.

The proposed legislation would illegalise the sale of games that include killing, maiming, dismembering or sexually assaulting an image of a human being” to anyone under the age of 18, as well as adding new labelling requirements. Retailers who violate the rules would face a $1,000 fine.

At the moment this is not the case as until now it has been argued that the introduction of such a law would breach the US’ First Amendment. In addition, critics have argued that there’s no scientific proof that violent games have any measurable affect on the psychological welfare of children.

Those in favour of the change argue that laws are already in place protecting kids from pornography, tobacco and alcohol.

The Californian dispute has been raging since 2005 when Schwarzenegger, the star of family favourites such as Predator, Terminator and Commando, first signed a version of the proposed law.