Government's Responsibility to Censor Content in Video Games?

The Supreme Court recently had a case about censorship of video games in the United States. As many people are aware, there are video games on the market today which contain extremely disgusting and anti-social content, and games are getting worse and worse over time. This particular court case was brought forth to decide whether or not the government has the right and/or responsibility to remove such games from the market, and whether the 1st Amendment protects the right to put out any material the game developers want, no matter how offensive.

Basically, the Supreme Court ruled that the 1st Amendment covers the right to put out just about any kind of video game you could imagine; however, sales of offensive games would have to be regulated and limited. There is a rating system for games that prevents minors from buying games with offensive content. Any games with a "mature" rating cannot be purchased by anyone under 17 years of age.

My opinion on this subject is that the government should have the right to censor video games. I think that the right to free speech only goes so far and that these video games influence us negatively, whether we realize it or not. We shouldn't be surprised about how the murder and rape rates have gone up over the years. When the youth are growing up playing games that promote violence and rape, in many cases that is going to influence their behavior. I guess it is good that there is a rating system, but a lot of times, children will find a way to get a hold of these games despite the rating. I believe the best solution is to get rid of these games altogether.