Our first stop on today's journey through game-related editorials takes us to Oklahoma, where Oklahoma political blog
Red State offers high-fives over the recent Congressional primary defeat of Republican Fred Morgan (left), author of the Sooner State's contested video game law:
"Gone is Fred Morgan, blow-dried blow-hard of negative campaigning and irrelevance whose lifetime goal of banning violent video games is unconstitutional..."
Next we turn to the halls of academia, where an op-ed in the University of Georgia's
Red and Black declares "America is under attack..."
But author Blake Miller offers no terror warnings. Instead, he disses political correctness and advocates a "hands-off" view of censorship, including video games:
"I'm talking about the Americans that force restrictions on the general public on the pretext of offensiveness... America capitulates to the demands of the few like an infection which, if left unchecked, may cause the amputation of the rights our country was created to sustain."
"...Spend tax dollars researching a violent video game like 'Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas,' and it will be one of the biggest-selling games of the year..."
Finally, in Minneapolis-St. Paul, the
Asian-American Press notes an increase in violent crime in the Twin Cities and looks for the underlying causes. A Minnesota law designed to prevent underage buyers from purchasing violent video games was recently overturned.
While one community leader interviewed for the piece cites issues like poverty, an aging community infrastructure and generalized hopelessness in some Asian neighborhoods, another believes that violent video games play some role in the crime surge.
Oanh Pham of the Vietnamese Community of Minnesota, agrees that crime and violence are complex issues, but adds, "The less obvious reasons for violent crime are buried deep in our culture. In the pursuit of excellence, the society often encourages and promotes extreme competitions, glorifies victories, emphasizes violent struggles."