From the Cape Cod Times following the U.S. Supreme Court decision that violent video games are afforded 1st Amendment protection:
“Violent video games can have bad effects, no effects, or good effects depending on the player, the game, and the context of play,” [CMS faculty member Nick] Montfort wrote in an e-mail to the Times. “There are games that depict violence to show that war is horrific and should be avoided, for instance, and for some players game play can be a cathartic experience, or a way to take out aggression, rather than serving as an example to be imitated.”
Responsibility ultimately falls on parents for all media consumption by their children, including game-playing, according to the MIT instructor. “Reading reviews and playing games at least a bit with your children is a good way to be aware of what these games are like, which ones aren’t acceptable for children of certain ages, and how to help your children understand the views these games represent.”