More Reviews
REVIEWS GRiD 2 Review
Grid 2 surprised me. I was going through the motions, getting used to the cars and their handling, when suddenly something happened. I started having fun.

State of Decay Review
Undead Lab's zombie-infested action title has finally hit XBLA. Is it worth a few of your precious Microsoft Points, or should you whack it over the head with a two-by-four and continue on your merry way?
More Previews
PREVIEWS Daylight Preview
Weapons are for the weak. Give me a cell phone and some flares and I’ll find a way out of this ghost-infested hospital in no time. AH, WHAT IS THAT!? HELP!
Release Dates
NEW RELEASES Deadpool
Release date: 06/25/13

Dynasty Warriors 8
Release date: 07/16/13

Turbo: Super Stunt Squad
Release date: 07/16/13

Mamorukun Curse
Release date: 07/16/13


LATEST FEATURES The Last of Us: Seven Tips For Survival In A Post-Pandemic World
Staying alive isn't easy in The Last of Us. But use these tips and your chances won't be so grim.

Software Without GamePad Purpose Drives Nintendo's Disappointing E3
If Nintendo can't develop games made especially for the Wii U GamePad, then no one will be able to.
 
Coming Soon

LEADERBOARD
Read More Member Blogs
FEATURED VOXPOP Starling
E3: PC or rather about the lack of it
By Starling
Posted on 06/15/13
E3 2013 has been very silent for me. There's tons of media, but most of it buzzes past my ears without them catching the important keyword that my ears are fine tuned to receive: "PC" or "Personal Computer". Microsoft, Sony, EA and Ubisoft have all shown their cards...

GAMING NEWS

Missouri Proposes Tax On Violent Video Games

Posted on Wednesday, January 16 @ 09:19:36 Eastern by Keri_Honea


And the rolling tide from the Newton tragedy continues, as a Missouri Representative—Diane Franklin—has proposed a 1 percent sales tax on violent video games to be effective immediately.

The House Bill 157 defines violent video games as "a video or computer game that has received a rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board of Teen, Mature, or Adult Only." Please note no exceptions are made for games with such ratings that have nothing to do with violence. All money raised from the tax would be used exclusively "for the treatment of mental health conditions associated with exposure to violent video games."

I haven't read the DSM in quite a few years, but has there been a mental health condition linked to exposure to violent video games? I'm honestly curious.

The NRA has endorsed Franklin and this bill, which is odd considering that the NRA recently released a first-person shooter on iOS. In addition, Franklin proposed a resolution earlier this week to encourage Missouri high schools to add trap shooting to their sports programs.

Missouri isn't the first state to propose such an unconstitutional tax. Oklahoma proposed something very similar just last year, and that bill has gone nowhere. Most likely, this one will go to the same place, although in the wake of Newton, it may take longer to get there.


More from the Game Revolution Network




Comments
  • wildmario
    wildmario

    Joined: Jan 2007
    Posted: Jan 16th, 2013 at 9:36 am
    Thanks, lawmakers, for making honest people like myself having to pay more money for a video game because some mentally ill person went out of control. And people wonder why piracy keeps going up.
  • cereal13killer
    cereal13killer

    Joined: Nov 2008
    Posted: Jan 16th, 2013 at 12:55 pm
    wildmario - don't confuse mental illness which characterizes things like schizophrenia, depression, psychosis, etc, with cognitive conditions or disorders like aspergers syndrome, autism, etc. Entirely different things.
  • wildmario
    wildmario

    Joined: Jan 2007
    Posted: Jan 16th, 2013 at 1:29 pm
    Sorry, but lawmakers are basically profiting off the Sandy Hook tragedy from this proposal. It doesn't matter how you spin it; if they are going to put a tax violent video games to fund for treatment as you stated in the reply, then it just shows that they didn't really give a damn about the people who suffer from a mental disorder, cognitive disorders, or whatever. It's just trying to make themselves look good.
  • 213EDD
    213EDD

    Joined: Sep 2007
    Posted: Jan 16th, 2013 at 2:25 pm
    Politics 101. There is no right and wrong. Only improvement of self-image.
  • Nick_Tan
    Nick_Tan

    Joined: Jul 2006
    Posted: Jan 16th, 2013 at 10:03 am
    I would like to impose a tax on bills that waste taxpayer money and take that money to fund independent game developers. I would call it The Humble Political Bundle.
  • tinymhg
    tinymhg

    Joined: Jun 2011
    Posted: Jan 16th, 2013 at 10:18 am
    Nick Tan for Prez!
  • darkvictory
    darkvictory

    Joined: Apr 2011
    Posted: Jan 16th, 2013 at 10:38 am
    Yes, this is a ****ing brilliant idea because video games are the cause of all the world's violence and mental problems. Might as well make them the cause of famine and rape and all the other thing plaguing this planet. Quick fact: I play video games where I shoot people to NOT go out and do it in real life. So let's just avoid the fact that the individual that did the shooting had serious MENTAL problems. I know the guy killed himself and people were robbed of justice but the douchebag that did it is still to blame. Why no tax on violent movies? Yeah, the stupidity here pisses me off. Damn, didn't mean to rant.
  • Ivory_Soul
    Ivory_Soul

    Joined: Nov 2005
    Posted: Jan 16th, 2013 at 10:58 am
    Let's also tax R rated movies, adult novels, comics, cartoons, explicit music, and knife factories. THEY ALL CONTAIN VIOLENCE! This damned country needs to get it's priorities straight. We need to stop worrying about grocery bags clogging drains and video games and start worrying about real issues like stop printing money, pay off some national debt, secure the border. Oh wait, that makes sense.
  • Chunibrow
    Chunibrow

    Joined: Mar 2010
    Posted: Jan 16th, 2013 at 11:18 am
    "We have decided based on nothing that violent video games cause spree killings. Should we ban them, Johnson?"
    "Sir, why ban them when we can just make money off them?"
    "Caring AND fiscally responsible... Dammit if that hasn't just earned you a promotion, Johnson."
  • Chunibrow
    Chunibrow

    Joined: Mar 2010
    Posted: Jan 16th, 2013 at 12:04 pm
    I missed the part where the money goes to a good cause, ill just commit seppuku now.
  • Jobin_Wendy
    Jobin_Wendy

    Joined: Mar 2012
    Posted: Jan 16th, 2013 at 12:25 pm
    It's not a good cause. It doesn't exist.
  • Chunibrow
    Chunibrow

    Joined: Mar 2010
    Posted: Jan 16th, 2013 at 1:07 pm
    Excuse me, what they think is a good cause. They're not planning on keeping it is what I mean.
  • Jobin_Wendy
    Jobin_Wendy

    Joined: Mar 2012
    Posted: Jan 16th, 2013 at 1:36 pm
    I think I understood you.

    After a second look, I guess I'm not surprised, since this is coming from the state with the third worst education system in the country.
  • Sourdeez
    Sourdeez

    Joined: Feb 2012
    Posted: Jan 16th, 2013 at 11:33 am
    I doubt it will go through, I would be surprised. I would specifically start having people in other states buy my video games for me and just gift them to me.
  • wildmario
    wildmario

    Joined: Jan 2007
    Posted: Jan 16th, 2013 at 11:35 am
    On an added note, I like how the tax money made from this is going towards projects and other groups that help the mentally ill. You mean to tell me no one gave a damn about the mentally ill until now? SHOCKING NEWS! While we're at it, let's tax pornography so that the money can be used to cure STDs from people who are addicted to pron!
  • Chunibrow
    Chunibrow

    Joined: Mar 2010
    Posted: Jan 16th, 2013 at 1:09 pm
    My pet lobster is addicted to prawn.
  • oblivion437
    oblivion437

    Joined: Nov 2006
    Posted: Jan 18th, 2013 at 1:04 am
    Don't porn addicts generally stick to the very safest of sex practices? As a general rule it follows that they would be unlikely to have STIs.
  • Klandathu
    Klandathu

    Joined: Apr 2008
    Posted: Jan 16th, 2013 at 12:17 pm
    Would this include all sports games as well? Those are pretty violent. Especially football games.
  • cereal13killer
    cereal13killer

    Joined: Nov 2008
    Posted: Jan 16th, 2013 at 12:58 pm
    This whole legislation is garbage and is attempting to use tragedy as another way to earn tax revenue. People still buy cigarettes despite higher taxes, so if it's purpose is to keep it out of the hands of people who "shouldn't have them" (like children and cigarettes), making people pay a little more for them isn't going to stop anything.
  • xDUMPWEEDx
    xDUMPWEEDx

    Joined: Jan 2012
    Posted: Jan 16th, 2013 at 1:16 pm
    "We here at the Missouri State Government have recently passed a new law stating that all State legislators are to receive a new 2013 Ferrari free of charge. Since we were elected democratically, you the taxpayer automatically agreed to this. Thank you all for your cooperation and understanding during these troubling times." -Missouri State Government
  • InFinnIte
    InFinnIte

    Joined: Nov 2011
    Posted: Jan 16th, 2013 at 2:10 pm
    Genius...because firearms clearly have absolutely nothing to do with gun violence...

    America has no-one to blame but themselves and certainly not entertainment mediums.
  • Jessica_Vazquez
    Jessica_Vazquez

    Joined: Sep 2010
    Posted: Jan 16th, 2013 at 2:11 pm
    How about higher taxes on guns and bullets!!!? *waves hands in the air at the idiots" You can't shoot a video game out of a gun people!
  • pennpsu
    pennpsu

    Joined: Sep 2010
    Posted: Jan 16th, 2013 at 3:46 pm
    Exactly, let's outlaw virtual weapons, but keep the ****ing real ones. Brilliant.
  • tinymhg
    tinymhg

    Joined: Jun 2011
    Posted: Jan 16th, 2013 at 3:50 pm
    Oh, hey, a girl is waving at us. We should wave back. *waves at Jessica*
  • UghRochester
    UghRochester

    Joined: Jun 2006
    Posted: Jan 16th, 2013 at 4:25 pm
    Two things might happen in this situation. One, they'll pause and look at you, then go back and cheering for their ridiculous idea. Or two, they won't pay attention to you until you do something crazy like flashing everyone. Of course you won't, because you're a better person. What I'm trying so say is it doesn't matter what we do. Nobody will care about this in a few months.
  • Ranim
    Ranim

    Joined: Nov 2005
    Posted: Jan 16th, 2013 at 8:42 pm
    2 problems: The tobacco tax dollars are almost completely redistributed to nothing they should be supporting in spirit, this bill will probably end up the same, and then the tax will limit the capacity of the industry. This could seriously frustrate the entire industry just because it exists, we could see even more ejections from the industry than we've seen in the last couple years.
  • Zpyder
    Zpyder

    Joined: Sep 2010
    Posted: Jan 17th, 2013 at 3:50 am
    The NRA game released on iOS is actually rated as non violent, and has a minimum age requirement of as young as 4. It isn't rated as violent because there's no blood, no swearing, no sexual content and no violence directed at human beings (you shoot targets). So it's not surprising they support the bill, it doesn't affect their game at all.
  • arthur4
    arthur4

    Joined: Oct 2012
    Posted: Jan 17th, 2013 at 4:26 am
    This tax would be a "content-based" restriction on free speech and probably (hopefully) unconstitutional in the United States.
  • Heath_Hindman
    Heath_Hindman

    Joined: May 2011
    Posted: Jan 17th, 2013 at 7:40 am
    Can we put a tax on shitty movies, too?
    And can I be the decider on what is shitty?
  • oblivion437
    oblivion437

    Joined: Nov 2006
    Posted: Jan 18th, 2013 at 2:25 am
    I put a post on my blog about this. It's there instead of here due to length restrictions for article comments.
  • whoisme
    whoisme

    Joined: Apr 2009
    Posted: Mar 25th, 2013 at 9:03 pm
    The reasoning makes "sense", it's people that don't play games that think that it causes violence. Yet Canadians play as much games (per capita) and I can't recall the last mass shooting in Canada but you know, video games!

Post a Comment
LOGIN or REGISTER to post a comment or rate this article.
More On GameRevolution