Bill to Tax Violent Video Games Introduced in Oklahoma

[jalek]

What the MPAA lobbyists who ignore this sort of thing should realize, if "hours and hours of viewing" violence in games is accepted as desensitizing people, movies WILL be next.

 

[Ichy]

The tax; if passed, will only serve as a spear head for a miss guided movement by idiot law makers to quell what they view as the cause of violence and bullying because they make some sort of loose connection to the crime an a scenario from a game.

However, I can understand some of their mentality in thinking this do in large part to Isolated incidents where troubled people have claimed that a scenario from a game "inspired" them and they felt a need to recreate the scene for real.

The real problem isn't just that the games are getting into the hands of the miss-guided and troubled. It also stems from parents not able to understand the ESRB... and retailers enforcing the ESRB. It may be a bit rash to say, but I feel that game purchases should require ID, just like tobacco or alcohol, though the problem of teens having a stranger purchase the items for them would still be a problem.

 

[founck]

Am I the only one that thinks Rep. Fourkiller sounds a lot like Rep. Quad-Damage?

 

[billybobser]

There is no good intention, it's just a Tax.

It was easy to pass, because you put some buzzwords under political noses, then you garner support using the blown-out-proportion media coverage.

Given that after playing manhunt, I went on a murderous rampage, I do not think the 1% tax on that game wouldn't done anything to a) stop me, b) compensate the families.

So, if these games are detrimental to our health and society in general with definitive proof, surely they should be banned? (Guess not eh!)

Taxers gonna Tax

 

[Guest]

[citation][nom]alidan[/nom]how about more leanency to violence in schools... here me outmy parents generation, it wasnt as horrible as it gets now, they dont talk about it much, but really a punch to the face of the person making fun of you ends allot of the "bullying"neighbor who was in school about 7-10 years older than me, was picked on till the day he beat the crap out of the worst one... ended the crap that day... life improved significantly. when i was in 7th grade, got surrounded by a group of 50+ people who all wanted to get a kick in on me, one who wanted to jump off a small hill to body slam me... not a single teacher who watched it cared. 2 weeks later i choked the person responsible for everything bad in my life at that point till he turned purple. 90% of all the crap that happened to me stopped when they saw it took 6 people to get me off him... same teachers who saw them surround me saw that... reason nothing happend to me... and a week later the other person who... lets say mentally challenged (not really but so stupid) decided to go after me, and after i flipped him over my back down a hill, the rest of the 10% that still annoyed me stopped. if any of this happened today they(we) would be expelled. you cant go to a teacher either, because that makes you everyone's enemy. i really think we should open the doors a bit on violence in schools, because that, as bad as it sounds, is how most problems get solved, and solved fast.[/citation]

+1

I myself coming from a parochial school grade school to a public high school dealt with a lot of bullying from the unintelligent end of my grade. I was forced into a confrontation which ended up with the bully on the ground after a grapple where I told him to knock it off and I refused to fight him, leading to cheap punch to my face after letting him up. Then it eventually lead to a confrontation out of teacher sight where I threw him in a head lock in front of my classmates and I went to town on his face. I went to my Honors society teacher telling him what I did, He laughed, "teachers used to pay kids to take care of bullies back in my day, don't worry about it."

Back to the article, video games such as GTA may be fictional, but they contain many real scenarios which do not originate from games such as GTA, if there's reference to the game, it's just reiterating what takes place in real life. Push pro gun laws and legally allow people to carry and it will make thugs think twice.

 

[rpgplayer]

*Fourkiller, whose last name sounds like an Xbox Live alias, claims he was inspired to write the bill based on first-hand experience on how video games can lead to obesity and bullying. "A gentleman shot a police officer and stole his car," he told Oklahoma City's KFOR-TV, referring to a recent incident. "He had been playing Grand Theft Auto."*

There is no evidence to support a link between violent video games/television shows and violence in real life.

There are two premises to my statement; One, The number of laws covering violent crimes has increased therefore decreasing the number of incidences "swept under the rug". And Two, while there has been a staggering increase in violent media, there has actually been a decrease in the violent crime rate.

The peak of violent crime rate was in the early 90's when the most popular game of the time was "Super Mario World". The violent crime rate is actually now half of what it was in the 90's and todays most popular video game series is Call of Duty.

According to this line of reasoning Mario is more of a detriment to society than any other video game.

 

[dextermat]

If U.S Would have an Ahole tax, they would be out of debt within a couple of years .....

 

[vertigo_2000]

[citation][nom]NuclearShadow[/nom]You are missing the big picture. This is on top of any other taxes that exist for one.[/citation]
I think he's got the picture. The article specifically states, at the top, that "slap[ping] on an extra tax" "should discourage sales to minors." Jezus was simply pointing out that a 1% tax increase on a $60 dollar game amounts to 60 cents. Minors are not going to be discouraged over 60 cents. They could probably find 60 cents on their way to the store. And would agree, 60 cents is not a deterent.

 

[egmccann]

Politics: It sounded like a good place to put the terminally stupid. Then they figured out they could pass laws.

 

[igot1forya]

I just disagree with sales taxes in general. Lets see how this works...

Raw Materials - Mine ores and sell to Foundry - *taxed*
Foundry - filter/mold/forge/extrude/extract and sell to Supply Chain - *taxed*
Supply Chain - Build simple components and sell to Manufacturer. - *taxed*
Manufacturer - Create complex systems/services sell to dealer - *taxed*
Dealer - Sell to end user or business - *taxed*
End-User - Use product to end of life or resell on used market - *taxed*

Where does it end! The taxes paid on these things end up being more than the goods cost to create!

 

[Guest]

Actually, as an Oklahoma resident i can say stuff like this is pretty typical. I mean heck there is a law before the Senate now that would ban Pepsi from putting aborted fetuses in their soft drinks... (seriously)

The ironic thing is that people like Fourkiller campagined on the idea of small goverment not meddling in your affairs...

then they write laws like this
or the one that you cant use sharia law... in a state that is 99% christian
or the one that you have to have an id to vote... even if your in military uniform
or the one that they eliminate the income tax... without a way to make up the shortfall
or the one that anyone who doesnt pass the 3rd grade reading test is retained
or the one that makes english the offical language of the state (good thing this place was never a haven for native americans)

 

[Guest]

We should have a 90% tax on politicians that come up with new taxes.

 

[PrvtChurch]

Ooooo.... 60 whole cents, Guess I wont be buying this game /sarcasm.

 

[wiyosaya]

This guy should change party affiliation. At least then I would understand this. The singular case he cites goes against scientific research on the matter. There has got to be a better way for him to raise money for his charity.

 

[wiyosaya]

[citation][nom]Okrahoma[/nom]Actually, as an Oklahoma resident i can say stuff like this is pretty typical. I mean heck there is a law before the Senate now that would ban Pepsi from putting aborted fetuses in their soft drinks... (seriously)The ironic thing is that people like Fourkiller campagined on the idea of small goverment not meddling in your affairs... then they write laws like thisor the one that you cant use sharia law... in a state that is 99% christianor the one that you have to have an id to vote... even if your in military uniformor the one that they eliminate the income tax... without a way to make up the shortfallor the one that anyone who doesnt pass the 3rd grade reading test is retained or the one that makes english the offical language of the state (good thing this place was never a haven for native americans)[/citation]
+1
As Spock might say: "Fascinating."

 

[wiyosaya]

[citation][nom]dcompart[/nom]Push pro gun laws and legally allow people to carry and it will make thugs think twice.[/citation]
The trouble I see with that is that people like Fourkiller will then be allowed to carry guns. I cannot say that I have warm fuzzy feelings about people like him carrying guns.

 

[gm0n3y]

I think that a very small tax (

 

[fracture]

Also, his name sounds dangerous, Fourkiller. They better tax him for that.

 

[fracture]

LoL, he's talking about Bully and bullying, yet what he's doing is another form of bullying. Trying to take people's lunch money from buying video games. It's like, Hey, knves are dangerous. I want a cut so you don't get cut.

 

[Northwestern]

[citation][nom]alidan[/nom]how about more leanency to violence in schools... here me outmy parents generation, it wasnt as horrible as it gets now, they dont talk about it much, but really a punch to the face of the person making fun of you ends allot of the "bullying"neighbor who was in school about 7-10 years older than me, was picked on till the day he beat the crap out of the worst one... ended the crap that day... life improved significantly. when i was in 7th grade, got surrounded by a group of 50+ people who all wanted to get a kick in on me, one who wanted to jump off a small hill to body slam me... not a single teacher who watched it cared. 2 weeks later i choked the person responsible for everything bad in my life at that point till he turned purple. 90% of all the crap that happened to me stopped when they saw it took 6 people to get me off him... same teachers who saw them surround me saw that... reason nothing happend to me... and a week later the other person who... lets say mentally challenged (not really but so stupid) decided to go after me, and after i flipped him over my back down a hill, the rest of the 10% that still annoyed me stopped. if any of this happened today they(we) would be expelled. you cant go to a teacher either, because that makes you everyone's enemy. i really think we should open the doors a bit on violence in schools, because that, as bad as it sounds, is how most problems get solved, and solved fast.[/citation]
The reason schools are so tight about secutiry is to prevent lawsuits up the butt from parents of kids who can't bother to shut their mouth when they need to. Parents hardly want to hear the other side of the story if they know their child is dead right.