This fall, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case that promises to affect the lives of many children. Up for debate is whether a law aimed at curbing children's access to violent video games violates their constitutional right to free speech. Signed 5 years ago by Governor Schwarzenegger, the California statute, which has yet to take effect pending legal review, would prohibit the sale or rental of violent video games--games that include images of physical or sexual assault to humans--to anyone under the age of 18. The law would include a fine of $1,000 to be assessed to retailers violating these restrictions and add labeling requirements regarding video game violence. Video games have been increasingly available to children and adolescents for more than 3 decades. They were introduced to the American, Japanese, and European publics for home use in the early 1970s. Commercial viability was established with the advent of Atari and its premier game, Pong. In the almost 40 years since that slow paced, tennis-like game attracted the attention of teenagers across the globe, the availability and appeal of video games have skyrocketed. Video games have gone from very simple sport-oriented games to the current state of virtual reality, war, and avatars. Video games are now in the homes of most American youth, and the social, realistic, and futuristic caliber of the games is alluring to children and adults alike. As video games have become more engaging, children have become more engaged, spending ever-increasing amounts of time playing them. The negative impact on children's academic lives with increased time spent playing video games is two-fold: (1) school performance can suffer; and (2) children can become more aggressive. Concern about the effects of video games centers on both the time spent playing video games and the time not spent in more constructive activities, as well as the ever-increasing violence witnessed in video games.