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March 14, 2018 The Skanner Page 7 Arts & Entertainment Trump Discusses Violence With Video Game Execs and Critics By Catherine Lucey Associated Press WASHINGTON — Pres- ident Donald Trump raised concerns about the graphic depiction of violence in video games at a White House meet- ing last week with mem- bers of the industry and some of their most vocal critics. Searching for ways to respond to last month’s Florida school shooting, Trump has questioned the impact of video games, although decades of research have failed to find a link between gun violence and graphic de- pictions of violence in games. Meeting attend- ees said he sought to hear from all sides. “He asked a lot of ques- tions and he raised con- cerns with the violent nature of these games and asked the question: Is this causing the kids to have (this) violent be- havior?” said Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo. The White House put out a statement after the meeting, saying Trump “acknowledged some studies have indicated there is a correlation between video game vio- lence and real violence.” The statement included a link to a YouTube video with clips of video game violence. While some studies have shown a connec- tion between gaming and emotional arousal, there’s no evidence that this heightened emotion- al state leads to physical violence. Attendees offered op- posing views after the meeting. The Entertainment Software Association released a statement saying it had brought up “the numerous sci- entific studies establish- ing that there is no con- nection between video games and violence, First Amendment protection of video games, and how our industry’s rating system effectively helps parents make informed entertainment choices.” Melissa Henson, pro- gram director for the Parents Television Coun- cil, a conservative watch- dog group, said there is evidence that video games can “contribute to violent attitudes” or feelings of isolation. She said she sought to convey the challenges of keeping “ the wake of the Flori- da school shooting that killed 17 people. After weeks of public delibera- tion — including express- ing support for some gun control measures — Trump has not yet out- lined what he would like to see in legislation. During a Cabinet meet- ing Thursday, Trump congratulated Florida on school safety legislation approved by state law- makers, saying the state “passed a lot of very good legislation last night.” The measure would raise the minimum age to buy rifles from 18 to He asked a lot of questions and he raised concerns with the violent nature of these games and asked the ques- tion: Is this causing the kids to have violent behavior? violent games away from kids “even for the most diligent parent.” She described the meet- ing as a listening session, saying there were no de- cisions about next steps. “I don’t think there are easy answers and I don’t think that we’re going to be able to figure out the solution in the course of a one-hour conversa- tion,” Henson said. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., also attended. He noted in a statement that there was “no evidence” tying video games to the Florida shooting, but said he was interested “in making sure parents are aware of the resourc- es available to them to monitor and control the entertainment their chil- dren are exposed to.” Trump has focused on video games as he seeks solutions to deal with the scourge of guns in 21 and create a waiting period on weapons sales. It also would create a so-called guardian pro- gram, enabling school employees and many teachers to carry hand- guns if they go through law enforcement train- ing and their school districts agree to partic- ipate. Republican Gov. Rick Scott has not said if he will sign the bill. Trump also said the White House is working to ban “bump stocks” and said efforts to enhance background checks are “moving along well” in Congress. No votes have been scheduled yet in the Senate on a pending background checks bill, but the House has said it will consider school safe- ty legislation next week. This is not the first time Washington has focused on video game violence. In 2013, after the shoot- AP PHOTO/EVAN VUCCI White House statement claims link between violent video games and violent behavior President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Thursday, March 8, 2018, in Washington. ing at Sandy Hook ele- mentary school in New- town, Connecticut, Vice President Joe Biden held three days of wide-rang- ing talks on gun violence prevention, including a meeting with video game industry exec- utives. After the 2013 meetings wrapped up, the White House called for research on the ef- fect of media and video games on gun violence, but nothing substantial came out of that. While Trump has sug- gested rating both games and movies for violence, ratings already exist. Following an outcry over violent games such as 1992’s “Mortal Kom- bat,” the Entertainment Software Ratings Board was established in 1994 by the Entertainment Software Association to give each game a rating based on five categories ranging from “E’’ for “Ev- eryone” to “Adults Only” for those 18 and older. In 2011, the Supreme Court rejected a Califor- nia law banning the sale of violent video games to children. The deci- sion claimed that video games, like other media, are protected by the First Amendment. Associated Press writer Mae Anderson contribut- ed to this story from New York. presents DIRECTED BY WILLIAM EARL RAY Review cont’d from pg 6 and a shotgun before taking to the high- way in their trusty Winnebago. What ensues is a very eventful road trip fu- eled by a mix of tenderness, nostalgia and a little gallows humor. Thus unfolds The Leisure Seeker, a bittersweet romantic romp directed by Paolo Virzi (“Like Crazy”). The movie marks the shaky first foray into En- glish-language features by the talented Italian filmmaker. Virzi’s very lucky that he has a cou- ple of consummate thespians playing the leads. Helen Mirren disappears into her role, sporting a thick drawl as a sunny Steel Magnolia originally from South Carolina. And Donald Suther- land is quite convincing as an intermit- tently-lucid Alzheimer’s victim lectur- ing strangers about literary greats one minute, lost in his thoughts the next. The story is loosely-based on Michael Zadoorian’s bestseller of the same name which originally had the Spen- cers as Detroit natives and setting out for Disneyland. Here, Ella and John enjoy their fair share of excitement en route to Florida from New England, in- cluding a confrontation where exercis- ing their 2nd Amendment rights comes in handy, as well as a hilarious encoun- ter with a geriatric patient played by the late Dick Gregory making a memo- rable cameo. A touching travelogue with just enough heartfelt moments combined with comic relief to warrant this critic’s stamp of approval. Good HH Rated R for sexuality and mature themes Running time: 112 minutes To see a trailer, visit: TheSkanner.com. 7:30pm NOW THROUGH April 1, 2018 Friday/Saturday Sunday 3pm Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center (IFCC), 5340 N. Interstate Ave, Portland General Admission $25.00 | Groups of 10 or more $20.00 ea TICKETS : JP’s Custom Framing, 418 NE Killingsworth, or online at www.passinart.org 503-235-8079 | PassinArt.org SPONSORS: Ronni Lacroute PassinArtTheatreCompany