Video Games, Violence and the Psychology of Play
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California's law against violence in video games was thrown out this week by the US Supreme Court as a violation of the First Amendment. That's good news for California companies that have 41 percent of a $20 billion industry. Is it bad news for parents who worry, not just about what their kids are exposed to but what they're participating in? Does anybody really know the impact of virtual violence? Also, federal agencies are ordered to protect 40 endangered species in California national forests. On our rebroadcast of today's To the Point, American infrastructure and Chinese competitiveness.
Banner image: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Making News
SoCal Environmental Protection Gets Boost from Judge ()
A federal judge today issued an order to three federal agencies: "Take all necessary measures" to better protect 40 endangered species in the Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres and San Bernardino National Forests. Louis Sahagun reports for the Los Angeles Times.
Guests:
- Louis Sahagun: Los Angeles Times
Main Topic
Videogames: Violence, the Law and California's Economy ()
California's law to fine retailers of excessively violent video games was put on hold by a federal judge before rules or regulations had been established. The state's software entertainment makers, which comprise 41 percent of a $20 billion national industry, took it all the way to the US Supreme Court. This week, it ruled that the law infringed on the First Amendment, and that nobody really knows the impact of virtual violence.
Guests:
- Dan Isett: Parents Television Council
- Ben Kuchera: Ars Technica
- Arnav Jhala: UC Santa Cruz
Main Topic
Is China Becoming the World's New Civil Engineer? ()
During his White House news conference today, President Obama insisted again that infrastructure, especially high-speed rail, will be essential to getting the US economy back on track. One of many competitors in this regard is China, which has ballyhooed this week's opening of a high-speed train between Beijing and Shanghai as its latest demonstration of technological expertise. The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge is being rebuilt partly in China, by Chinese workers using advanced technology. What about the President's call for infrastructure construction to bolster America's economy?
Photo: Aerial view of the Bay Bridge retrofit project, © California Department of Transportation
Guests:
- Adam Minter: Bloomberg World View, @AdamMinter
- Tony Anziano: California State Department of Transportation
- Leo Gerard: United Steelworkers of America
- Philip Levy: American Enterprise Institute
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Underwriters
Which Way L.A.? is made possible in part by the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation, the Nathan Cummings Foundation, and the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation, which supports study and research into policy issues of the Los Angeles region.
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