PSP World

Should Video Games Carry a Health Warning?

It seems that the political argument about the effects of video games continues to rage in Washington DC. According to US congressman Joe Baca, video games should come with a health warning label. The democratic representative has proposed legislation that would force video games to carry a warning label similar to those found on packages of cigarettes. The warning would inform consumers of potential mental health risks of playing violent games.

The legislation, called the Videogame Health Labeling Act of 2009, would force all game manufacturers whose games received a rating or “T” or higher to carry the following message on the front of their packages:

“Warning: Excessive exposure to violent videogames and other violent media has been linked to aggressive behavior.”

Baca has been a long crusader against violence in television and digital entertainment media. In a recent statement he said that game producers and retailers have failed to live up to their responsibility to protect children from harmful messages. He cited recent studies from the University of Indiana and the University of Michigan as evidence that games are harmful.

"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,” said Baca.

Despite the recent flurry of academic activity surrounding the negative effects of games, there has been no scientifically conclusive evidence that games directly impact mental health. The study of “media effects” is an interesting field, but it often struggles to find direct causation between exposure to media and behavior. That is because there are many different influences with the potential to shape human actions and it is difficult to isolate one type of media as the sole cause. Given that the research community is still divided on the issue, the prospect of warning labels actually appearing on video games seems like it is a long way off.

[Source: Press Release]