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from the better-do-10%-less-in-nice-video-games dept.
Philly.com (the website of Philadelphia's two local newspapers), published an editorial about a little known bill which would impose a 10% tax on the sale of all M for mature and AO for adults only rated video game sales in Pennsylvania.
On Jan. 28, several Pennsylvania members of Congress introduced a bill that would impose a tax of 10 percent on action-oriented video games rated M for mature or AO for adults only. In 2011, the Supreme Court ruled that California's efforts to single out action games violated the First Amendment. Beyond standing on similarly questionable grounds, Pennsylvania's own proposed bill is more likely to do harm than good.
The proposal is driven by the popular belief that such games cause acts of violence. In a September memo that previewed the legislation, its sponsor, Republican Rep. Christopher B. Quinn linked violent games to societal violence, including the 2018 Parkland shooting in Florida. He cites a Washington think tank that connects playing videos games to showing aggression in real life. But as researchers in this field, we've found the evidence to be clear: No links exist between video games and violence.
[...] data on school shootings going back to a 2002 Secret Service report find that less than 20 percent of school shooters played violent video games with any amount of regularity. Evidence suggests these individuals are actually less interested in violent games than the typical high school student. Many people continue to believe falsely that some shooters, such as those in the 2012 Sandy Hook and 2007 Virginia Tech shootings, were avid action gamers. Yet official investigations reported that these individuals preferred the nonviolent games Dance, Dance Revolution and Sonic the Hedgehog, respectively.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Thexalon on Friday February 08 2019, @03:21PM (4 children)
There is little if any evidence to support the idea that violent video games make people violent. What there is a great deal of evidence to support is that people become violent because they're put in real-life environments where violence is OK or even good. That includes but is not limited to kids who are abused by their parents, people who go through military combat, football players, and cops.
Oh, and if they're worried about sexy video games making people want sex, they need to understand that what makes teenagers want sex is being 14 years old.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by nitehawk214 on Friday February 08 2019, @03:24PM (2 children)
And if video games did make people violent, what would be the point of taxing them? How would that decrease the violence?
Its just another money grab.
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Thexalon on Friday February 08 2019, @07:17PM (1 child)
I could see taxing them to pay for the resulting hospital bills from the extra violence.
That said, this isn't a money grab so much as "Anybody who votes against this will be painted as in favor of mass shootings in the upcoming election."
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 08 2019, @09:16PM
And anyone who votes for it supports political blackmail.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 08 2019, @04:18PM
Don't pay any attention to the man behind the curtain. We have a whole library full of scientific studies backing our position. You can't make an informed decision until you fully review our alternative facts.
In other news, have you tried our new Jump to Conclusions mat?