William Fourkiller (pictured above), an Oklahoma lawmaker, has put forward a proposition stating that every game considered ‘violent’ should be taxed 1%.
The tax would apply to “a video or computer game that has received a rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board of Teen, Mature or Adult Only.”
Time notes that this criteria would include Zumba Fitness 2 and Dance Central 2 (both rated ‘Teen’ by the ERSB) as liable for this ‘violence taxation’.
Half the proceeds from this tax would go to the Childhood Outdoor Education Revolving Fund, a fund that promotes outdoor activities for youths, and also towards other efforts to combat childhood obesity and bullying.
While the proceeds of this proposed tax (well…half of it) would go to a very worthy cause, the thinking behind it seems to set a dangerous precedent. By making a clear distinction between violent videogames and other forms of media that depict violence, the state of Oklahoma would be, in effect, discriminating against some videogames, not because of their content, but because of the medium they belonged to. Remember when the American Supreme Court deemed that videogames should receive first amendment protection, just like every other form of media? Surely Fourkiller is going to receive a lot of opposition along these lines as he attempts to push this bill through into law.
A similar bill was suggested in New Mexico back in 2008 but never made it into law
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