The White House could be the scene of a dramatic showdown Thursday over gun violence and video games.

President Donald Trump has invited executives from the video game industry to meet with him to discuss how depictions of violence may contribute to real-world massacres, like the one that killed 17 students and staff members three weeks ago at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

"I'm hearing more and more people say the level of violence on video games is really shaping young people's thoughts," Trump said after the mass shooting. He criticized the movie industry as well.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), a lobbying group for the video game industry, said it sees Thursday's meeting as an opportunity for a "fact-based conversation about video game ratings, our industry's commitment to parents, and the tools we provide to make informed entertainment choice."

But the meeting may not play out that way.

Also in the room will be some of the industry's biggest critics, including Brent Bozell, founder of the Parents Television Council, and Rep. Vicky Hartzler, a Republican from Missouri. Both have heavily criticized violent media.

They aren't alone. For decades, activists and politicians have blamed violence in video games, music and movies after gruesome tragedies. Former President Barack Obama encouraged research into the effects of violent video games on children.

But the game industry says there isn't evidence that links games with violent behavior. "Video games are plainly not the issue," the ESA said.

A representative for Rep. Hartzler said this meeting is the "first of many" with industry leaders.

Video game ratings

The video game industry has found itself under the national microscope many times before. One of those moments came in the 1990s, following the release of the bloody fighting game Mortal Kombat and a horror game called Night Trap.

Congress began to plan hearings. But before they could start in December 1993, the video game industry announced the Entertainment Software Rating Board, which would designate which games were for "general audiences" and which for "mature audiences."

The ESA says the system has been effective, with surveys showing nearly three-quarters of parents regularly check a game's rating before purchase, and even more are aware that the rating system exists. 

That hasn't stopped some lawmakers from pushing further. In 2005, California passed a bill outlawing the sale of video games to anyone under 18. Six years later, the US Supreme Court struck down that law, saying video games are protected by the First Amendment.

"It's shocking to me that we're having this discussion," said Michael Pachter, a longtime video game analyst at Wedbush Securities. He noted an argument, also made by the ESA, that violent video games are sold worldwide, including in places where there's considerably less gun violence. 

The White House didn't respond to a request for comment about the meeting, nor did representatives for the Parents Television Council. 

Update, 10:05 a.m.: To add comment from Rep. Hartzler's office.

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