Stupid Missouri Bill Aims To Tax Violent Video Games Like ‘The Sims 3′

[Biggayshammy]

We thought Southington, Connecticut’s plan to burn “violent” games in a pit of toxic fumes was the dumbest proposal lately, but since they came to their senses and cancelled it someone else had to step up to claim the Dumbass Of The Month award. Oh, hello there, Missouri Representative Diane Franklin. You’re just in time.

To fight the nonexistent scourge of video game induced violence, Representative Diane Franklin (R, MO) introduced a bill to tax violent video games. But wait, it gets even sillier. Guess how the bill defines violent. If you said “in a way that could be struck down by the Missouri Supreme Court on a void for vagueness ruling”, you are correct.

From the proposed bill: “the term ‘violent video game’ means a video or computer game that has received a rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board of Teen, Mature, or Adult Only” That means that , if successfully passed, Teen-rated games like The Sims 3, Starcraft 2, EVE Online and Tropico 4 would all be taxed in Missouri on account of how unrepentantly violent they are. [PC Gamer]

The bill, if passed, would impose an additional 1% sales tax on all games rated Teen, Mature, or Adult, which is damn near all of them. The bill designates the money be used “for the treatment of mental health conditions associated with exposure to violent video games”. And those mental health conditions are what exactly?

Fortunately, similar bills proposed in Oklahoma and New Mexico recently were struck down. The sad thing about all this is that, besides being foolish and ineffective, Representative Franklin will probably get reelected on the claim of being “tough on crime”.

Won’t somebody think of the children? By that I mean my kids in The Sims. I deleted the pool ladder again. Next thing you know, I’ll be deleting pool ladders in real life.

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thoughts and opinions?

to me it sounds like part of the government wants to blame guns and mental illnesses for problems, and the other part wants to blame video games and say guns are the victims...

[Kelimbror]

to me it sounds like part of the government wants to blame guns and mental illnesses for problems, and the other part wants to blame video games and say guns are the victims...

This probably would be better in an off topic forum, because this is going to get political very quickly.

Obviously the NRA needs a scapegoat so that they don't have to defend why we need assault weapons in everyone's hands. Obviously people have a growing fear/desire that they will come up against our own military in the neart future. It's fucking ridiculous. They should clearly be advocating gun ownership for a potential zombie apocalypse. That's the only way I would vote for 'upholding' the amendment.

I think Video Game companies have enough money to make sure something idiotic like this never happens, but who knows. All sides of thinking are going super crazy these days.

[unholytestament]

The bill designates the money be used “for the treatment of mental health conditions associated with exposure to violent video games”. And those mental health conditions are what exactly?

Heh. All the politicos need to prove this shit BEFORE they start making up shitty ways to make money for it.

[pickley]

Shine on you crazy diamonds...

[Remilia]

6 3. The revenue generated by the additional tax imposed under this section, less any
7 reduction allowed under section 149.021, shall be deposited in the state general revenue
8 fund and appropriated solely for the treatment of mental health conditions associated with
9 exposure to violent video games. The revenues derived from the tax imposed under this
10 section shall constitute new and additional funding for treatment of mental health
11 conditions associated with exposure to violent video games and shall not be used to replace
12 existing funding as of July 1, 2013, for the same or similar funding for treatment of mental
13 health conditions associated with exposure to violent video games.

Yeah, the mental health portion of the bill is probably the funnier part.

[Deleted]

They should really have learned by now. There has been multiple studies conducted on this subject, and each time the claim has been refuted, video games do not cause violence, end of story.

If you want to ban or tax something at least have the good decency to put forward some irrefutable proof, otherwise you can take your "beliefs" and stick em where the sun don't shine.

[Biggayshammy]

as far as i can remember back when columbine happened no one blamed video games.. instead they blamed Marilyn Manson... no one wanted to increase the tax on music. idk this world is a mess right now. i think most of the problems would go away if social networking did. too many people have "voices" and "expert opinions" now and just keeps fueling the flames

[llDemonll]

whaaaaaat, the Sims is classified as violent?

i feel bad for this lady's kids if she has any

[mordale]

sorry, we grow'em kinda crazy here in Missouri.
not all of them are stupid crazy, but we do have the mining collage here.
that might not be a good thing but it sure makes the 4th of July interesting when the students bring a truck load of suped-up rockets the size of a large dog.

but yeah on-topic, i hope this ends up as little more then a waste of paper.

[zito]

Do these people not do any research on video games?

Obviously no since they are trying to "punish" violent video games.... again. Not to mention their reasons to tax video games does nothing to solve it? I don't even..

---------- Post added 2013-01-22 at 05:50 PM ----------

Missouri

nuff said..

No need to insinuate bad things about a state. Play nice! -sj

[WarpedAcorn]

Guns, music, video games, the list goes on. We as a people can't stomach the thought that the issue is ourselves and our lack of mental health care for citizens who truly have issues. Until the people and the politicians start talking about how all these individuals are mentall unbalanced/batshit crazy, all other discussions are moot.

[Digglett]

Well, you can burn them alive and drown them, also starve them... but.. that's not really the main goal of the game.

[Sj]

Just a friendly warning to leave the state- and/or nation-bashing out of the discussion!

[Biggayshammy]

Just a friendly warning to leave the state- and/or nation-bashing out of the discussion!

i may be wrong.. but is your avatar from wordmunch?!

[slime]

I guess a better question is how exactly does taxing violent video games fix the problem of violent video games?

Don't get me wrong I don't believe any of this crap but I guess I was hoping for more of a solution than 'well if it's a problem, we should at least get paid for it!'

[Dezerte]

Put tax on ignorance instead. Every time you're proved wrong, yet still refuse to accept the evidence you'll be fined.

[Sj]

i may be wrong.. but is your avatar from wordmunch?!

Word Munchers, Number Munchers, Fraction Munchers, etc.

Got my Apple II running and still have some floppies!


On-topic: Things like this (and other hot topics that I won't name in this thread) just show that lawmakers are ignoring the real issues and slapping legislation on the wrong things. Instead of putting restrictions on games, there should be funding for better mental health care (and regular healthcare) in the US.

[unholytestament]

Elsewhere, Sims 3 is being massively discounted on Steam.

Coincidence? I THINK NOT!

Time to go indulge in some heinous video game violence!

[Kelimbror]

Word Munchers, Number Munchers, Fraction Munchers, etc.

Got my Apple II running and still have some floppies!

Oh.Em.Gee. Number Munchers! I rocked that until my little guy got his red cape, then I was tearing more numbers up.

I go back to Oregon Trail though. Like an O.G.

OT: I love how they are railing against games, including things like the Sims, but aren't saying shit about music and movies anymore. Is that too 1990's for them? I wonder what the next form of entertainment to blame gun violence on will be in the next decade. Football? Somehow I'm sure watching that violence every Sunday is programming our children to be mass murderers.

Be warned, don't let them watch the Super Bowl. You might regret it in 5-10 years.

[Bryntrollian]

Its not really that big of a deal.