In the wake of recent events, Vice President Joe Biden is leading a White House task force to explore the issue of gun violence, as issue many believe to be tied intrinsically with the entertainment issue. With this in mind, Biden will meet with representatives of the video game industry today to discuss the relationship between video games and violence.
After a day of meetings with other media representatives, including Comcast and the Motion Picture Association of America, Biden and his group turn to the video game industry for input on the influence of gaming on gun violence. As of now, it’s not quite clear how this discussion will go–whether there will be strife between the two groups, or whether solution proposals will flow freely. Mum’s the word on yesterday’s meetings, save for the meeting between Biden and the NRA, after which both parties left “disappointed.”
Polygon.com confirmed that Entertainment Software Association president Michael Gallagher will be among those representing the industry during today’s meeting at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, D.C.. Other representatives will include researchers on the issue of video game violence, studio executives, and executives from the retail sector.
These discussions come as part of President Barack Obama’s plan to tackle domestic gun violence after the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut and the movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado.
“It is certainly the case that we in Washington have the potential, anyway, to help elevate issues that are of concern, elevate issues that contribute to the scourge of gun violence in this country, and that has been the case in the past, and it certainly could be in the future,” said White House Press Secretary Jay Carney.
Despite the President’s fervor, the issue is clearly a divisive one. That said, the perceived impact of the entertainment industry is less polarized than it once was. A recent survey from the Common Sense Media and the Center for American Progress found that 89 percent of parents in the U.S. believe that violence in today’s video games is a problem, while 75 percent believe that violence in video games contributes to violent behavior. Statistics like these will surely drive the industry and its partners to continue their research into the effects of video game violence on real life violence.
According to Carney, President Obama is not expected to drop in on today’s meeting.
{Source: Associated Press, ABCNews}