Hakimi, Jedd
(2019)
“Why Are Video Games So Special?”: The Supreme Court and the Case Against Medium Specificity.
Games and Culture.
pp. 923-942.
Abstract
The 2011 U.S. Supreme Court case Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association adjudicated the State of California’s right to regulate the sale of “violent” video games and, in the process, effectively considered how video games should be apprehended as a cultural form under the law. The court’s decision cited the missteps of judicial film censorship in protecting video games as a form of expression under the First Amendment, placing video games into a cultural time line of expressive forms. Some media scholars contest the court’s approach for overvaluing the cultural aspects of video games and neglecting their distinct digital materiality. However, a close reading of the case and the circumstances that led the justices’ opinions helps articulate a crucial critique of overly materialist approaches to video games associated with media archaeology. The case details reflect the inextricability of materiality and experience in considering video games as a form of expression.
Share
| Citation/Export: |
|
| Social Networking: |
|
Details
| Item Type: |
Article
|
| Status: |
Published |
| Creators/Authors: |
|
| Date: |
27 June 2019 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Journal or Publication Title: |
Games and Culture |
| Publisher: |
Sage Journals |
| Page Range: |
pp. 923-942 |
| DOI or Unique Handle: |
https://doi.org/10.1177/1555412019857982 |
| Schools and Programs: |
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Film Studies |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Article Type: |
Research Article |
| Date Deposited: |
30 Sep 2024 17:44 |
| Last Modified: |
30 Sep 2024 17:44 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/46988 |
Metrics
Monthly Views for the past 3 years
Plum Analytics
Altmetric.com
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |
![[feed]](/images/feed-icon-32x32.png){kind=icon}