Games Could be Hazardous to Your Health

The next time you visit your local Gamestop or EB Games, you may have to be careful about which games you choose to purchase, because if Congressman Joe Baca (D-California) has his way, video games could be labeled as hazardous to your health. 

There have been many political groups that have targeted video game violence in the past, but this could be the very first time a bill has been put forth to amend the labels on video games to warn of hazardous effects.

The Video Games Health Labeling Act of 2009 proposes that violent video games, which have been rated Teen or above by the ESRB, be amended with a warning label that states the health risks from playing such games.  It is currently illegal to sell Mature rated games to minors in most states and in Canada; however, if this bill is successfully passed, video games is one step closer to being classified with other dangerous substances such as cigarettes.  According to a report by GameSpot, the wording of the bill is such that games rated Teen or above without explicit violent content may also be subject to this warning label.

In the introduction of the bill, Baca had this to say: “The video game industry has a responsibility to parents, families and to consumers to inform them of the potentially damaging content that is often found in their products.  They have repeatedly failed to live up to this responsibility.  Meanwhile, research continues to show a proven link between playing violent games and increased aggression in young people.  American families deserve to know the truth about these potentially dangerous products.”

As far as studies on violent video games and its affect on a young person's mind is still left up for debate; there has been no concrete evidence that proves one side or the other of this argument.  On a social side of the argument, the responsibilities of the parents has also been debated in areas of violent video games.

If video games were to be grouped into a similar category as harmful substances, it could potentially open up the whole industry to regulation already common to the tobacco or liquor industry.  Have you ever felt uncontrollable rage after a session of Mortal Kombat?  Let us know in the comments!