As I explored the captivating world of Nier, unearthing its mysteries and reveling in its characters, I could not stop thinking about Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and his brethren on the Supreme Court of the United States.

Last week the court announced that it would take up the question of whether states may regulate the sale of video games to minors in a way that has not applied to books, films, visual art, music and other media. Put simply, the crux of the matter is whether the legal concept of obscenity, which has traditionally applied only to sexually explicit material, will be extended to cover depictions of violence. If the court does expand the meaning of what society considers obscene, rather than merely offensive, states will be free to regulate games that include violence, as they do magazines that include nudity.

Is it too much to ask that the justices actually play some modern video games as they consider this? Probably. One suspects that at least a couple of them already harbor a secret obsession with the likes of Minesweeper, Tetris, Solitaire or Bejeweled  as do so many desk jockeys  but it seems sadly unlikely that many, if any, of them will ever actually sit on a couch with controller in hand.

Yet an interactive experience can never be truly understood through noninteractive video clips. What distinguishes an electronic game from older forms of mass entertainment is that the game must be actively participated in, rather than merely viewed, to be fully comprehended. It is only through a player’s sense of responsibility, direction and individual agency that the pictures on the screen come to assume real meaning.