This dissertation examines how games have been construed legally and publicly and compares the nature of games to the de facto legal criteria: in order for games to receive free speech protection, games must inform and communicate. In Chapter I, I review the literature surrounding the effects of violent video games. This literature review serves as a foundation for the rhetorical nature of the legal controversy since the controversy has no clear-cut answer to the effects of video games. Instead of a clear "Yes"€ or "€œNo"€ answer, game effects researchers can only posit "Maybe"€ and "No"€ findings. Game antagonists employed long-shot and shoddy research to argue their case that violent games produce violent people. The next two chapters lay a foundation for justifying why games have become increasingly controversial to date. In Chapter II, I outline a history of games and argue that games became communicative in the early 1990s. As a response to graphically communicative games and congressional bullying, the video game industry created a self regulatory rating board which should have quelled the public controversy. It did not. In Chapter III, I argue that Columbine changed the face of the game industry in the eyes of the public, as a matter of public morality. Before 1999, the public viewed games in a positive light, embodying one of America'€™s pastimes and helping the disabled with their motor skills. After the events at Columbine, the public saw the video game industry as an unruly and rogue force. In Chapter IV, I explain the legal hurtles the game industry faces in becoming protected speech. While video games have become communicative and informative, they likely will not receive free speech protection because of the public scapegoating of the industry during the last two and a half decades. I conclude by discussing the latest Grand Theft Auto "€œHot Coffee"€ controversy and how game developers remain gun-shy about the free speech issue.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2004. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 264 p.; also includes grafics (some col.). Includes abstract and vita. Advisor: Lesley K. Ferris, Dept. of Theatre. Includes bibliographical references (p. 246-264).

Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 2004. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains iv, 41 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 28-34).

The video game industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in the U.S. economy, with violent video games topping the charts among fan favorites. Due to frequent violence and mass shootings that have struck our nation in recent years, the gaming industry has been subject to much blame for endorsing violent acts. While many researches and psychologists have conducted experiments and meta-analytic reviews to test the correlation between violent video games and mass shootings, the debate remains prevalent in the media, to date. This thesis will not aim to prove whether or not violent video games are largely responsible for malicious attacks, but rather analyze why the blame is often adverted specifically to the video game industry in the aftermath of public massacres. This paper will analyze the positive and negative effects of gaming, the social and behavioral tendencies often developed from playing video games, and the current controversies surrounding the industry.

Thesis (BA(Hons) (Psychology)) - Faculty of Life and Social Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology, 2006. / "October 2006". Typescript. [A thesis is submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (Honours), Faculty of Life and Social Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology - 2006.].

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Texas A&M University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 152-161). Also available online.

Final Project (M.A.)--John F. Kennedy University, 2004. / "August 30, 2004"--T.p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 183-202).

Thesis (M.A.I.S.)--Oregon State University, 2010. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 79-81). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.A.)--Rowan University, 2009. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Villanova University, 2006. / Psychology Dept. Includes bibliographical references.