Marin County in California wants to collect toy guns and violent video games in exchange for free ice cream and a raffle ticket.
According to Marin Independent Journal, District Attorney Ed Berberian is teaming up with the Center for Domestic Peace and Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream to ask families to get rid of toy guns and violent video games as part of events planned during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Each Saturday in October, parents and children will be able to turn in violent video games at various locations. Everyone who turns in an item will get Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and adult parents will get a raffle ticket for a Center for Domestic Peace Event.
Two years ago, Berberian held a successful firearm buy-back program and has wanted to address violent video games since that time. He believes that getting rid of these items will provide "a chance to change today's modeling patterns" and alter how young people address conflicts.
"This is really all about having a conversation with our community and our children about the culture of violence," adds Marla Hedlund with the Center for Domestic Peace. "We're trying to inspire people to become part of the movement to create peace in a violence-free environment."
Violence in video games has increasingly become a target for American law makers, and Marlin isn't the first place to propose this type of return program. Last year, a Massachusetts city offered coupons to residents in exchange for violent video games. One city even announced what seemed to be a modern day book-burning with plans to destroy violent video games. The program was later cancelled.
So far, studies are divided on whether violent video games are related to violent thoughts and behaviors in children. A study this year out of Singapore found that children who play violent video games are more likely to demonstrate violent tendencies. But a decade-long UK study came to the opposite result.
computerandvideogames.com
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