US Supreme Court finds games should be protected by First Amendment

The highest legal body in the United States has just found that games are no different to any other media, and should be protected under US free speech laws.

It may seem like the overnight decision by the US Supreme Court, which found that state-based restrictions on game sales does in fact violate the First Amendment (ie, freedom of speech), has little impact on the rest of the gaming world. However, to our mind, it speaks quite loudly to the inequality of our own local ratings system.

Arguably the most important part of the ruling is this: "Video games qualify for First Amendment protection. Like protected books, plays, and movies, they communicate ideas through familiar literary devices and features distinctive to the medium." 

Just as importantly, the Court found that video games are not in fact more harmful than other forms of media. Our own ratings body believes the opposite, interestingly - that the interactivity of video games makes any violence of transgression more impactiful. It will be interesting to see if the US decision has any impact on the upcoming meeting of censorship ministers in July.

And if you want to see what the games industry thinks of the whole thing, Kotaku's got an excellent series of reactions from some of the biggest names in gaming. Check it out.