Video games aren’t speech
- Cory Doctorow
- Uncategorized
- May 06, 2002
Wagner James Au analyzes the 7th Circuit’s decision that video games aren’t speech. The court reviewed a video tape of four violent games (including a couple of ancient games, I mean, Doom? Why was he looking at Doom? Why not Pac Man, then?) The ruling said:
“[There is] no conveyance of ideas, expression, or anything else that could possibly amount to speech. The court finds that video games have more in common with board games and sports than they do with motion pictures.”
What a revoltin’ development. Games don’t convey ideas or expression? Games are a platform for all manner of expression, as Wagner points out, citing Black and White and the Sims, among others. Come to think, the Doom engine has been adapted by dozens of authors to play out some moment in history or some fantastic world. Damn. Link Discuss