Source: Public Relations and Information Department

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Banning sale, rental of violent video games to minors pressed
14 July 2008 10:32:14 AM
Writer: Jennifer Arteche-Valenton, MAS-PRID

A lawmaker is seeking a ban on the sale or rental of violent video games to minors to protect and promote their well being as individuals.

Rep. Narciso D. Santiago III (Party-list, ARC) filed House Bill 4095 penalizing any person who shall sell or rent a violent video game to a minor. Violators could suffer imprisonment of not more than one year or pay a fine not exceeding P100,000, or both.

In filing the bill, Santiago cited recent studies that revealed minors who play violent video games are more likely to exhibit violent, asocial or aggressive behavior toward others, including other minors.

Minors into violent video games experience feelings of aggression, or a reduction of activity in the frontal lobes of the brain, which are responsible for controlling behavior, Santiago explained.

According to the lawmaker, a "violent video game" depicts human-on-human violence in which the player kills, seriously injures, or otherwise causes serious physical harm to a human or character with substantially human characteristics, including but not limited to depictions of death, dismemberment, amputation, decapitation, maiming, disfigurement, mutilation of body parts, or criminal sexual conduct, in a manner that is especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel.

"Taken as a whole, it lacks serious literary, artistic, political and scientific value for minors, and the average person, applying contemporary statewide values, finds it appeals to minors’ morbid interest in violence," Santiago said.

The solon called for the immediate passage of the measure saying "the State has compelling interests to prevent violent, aggressive, asocial behavior, prevent psychological harm to minors who play violent video games and prevent physical harm to the victims of violent minors, including other minors."

It is also the responsibility of the State to eliminate any societal factors that may inhibit the psychological and neurological development of the youth and facilitate the health development of the youth into well-meaning productive adults, Santiago said.