Rhode Island Representative wants to tax violent video games

[midian182]

Nearly 20 years after the Columbine high school massacre, it seems that video games are once again being blamed for the violent actions of others. The latest example comes from Rhode Island Representative Robert Nardolillo, who plans to add ten percent tax on all video games rated Mature and above as a way of funding counseling and mental health programs in schools.

Under Nardolillo’s proposals, the money would go into a special fund that would give schools extra resources to help students deal with their aggression “in a positive way.”

"There is evidence that children exposed to violent video games at a young age tend to act more aggressively than those who are not," Nardolillo said, without pointing to any studies.

"Our goal is to make every school in Rhode Island a safe and calm place for students to learn. By offering children resources to manage their aggression today, we can ensure a more peaceful tomorrow."

As the First Amendment protects free speech in the digital age, states cannot ban the sale of violent video games to minors. Nardolillo says his plan will "counteract the aggression they may cause."

Video games have been put under the spotlight once again following the Florida high school shooting, which Kentucky governor Matt Bevin blamed "garbage" games.

“...they’re [video games] forced down our throats under the guise of protected speech. It’s garbage. It’s the same as pornography. They have desensitized people to the value of human life, to the dignity of women, to the dignity of human decency,” said Bevin.

Some studies do show video games can make kids more aggressive, but this definition covers actions such as making annoying noises at other players during online games; there’s no clear link between violent video games and behavior. While finding ways to fund school counseling programs is commendable, many will disagree with how Nardolillo is going about it.

The 1999 Columbine massacre was one of the earliest instances of violent crime partly blamed on video games. Families of those who lost their lives tried to sue several game companies, but the suit was dismissed.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/73415-rhode-island-representative-wants-tax-violent-video-games.html

 

[Jaabaaar]

Video games and cannabis make people violent.

 

[noel24]

Video games don't kill people, guns do. I'm no US citizen but what makes Second Amendment more important than First Amendment? Why not add 10% to every gun sold in US? Video games cost anywhere from $1 up to few thousand dollars in the case of pay-to-win titles like StarWarsBattlefornt 2. Assault rifle's price starts at few thousand dollars. It's only logical You will make more money from taxing guns?

 

[Theinsanegamer]

“...they’re [video games] forced down our throats under the guise of protected speech. It’s garbage. It’s the same as pornography. They have desensitized people to the value of human life, to the dignity of women, to the dignity of human decency,” said Bevin.

And yet study after study shows no link between violent video games and real world violence. Yes, those that shoot others sometimes play violent video games, but many others dont (see las vegas shooter) and correlation does not mean causation. Not to mention, nobody is FORCING you to buy games. 'Forced down our throats' only really describes, say, a tax on games because politicians dont understand science.

I thought we had finally figured that out after jack thompson made a fool of himself.

And rhode island is tiny, and apparently has never heard of the internet. If they start taxing games, gamers will simply buy them from elsewhere and ship them in instead.

Why not cut apart ridiculous government waste and use all that cash to bring back proper mental health programs and facilities to keep the truly deranged off of the streets and away from guns? Hell, the FBI knew about the florida guy and did nothing, why not crack down on intelligence agencies not doing their job? Why not tax guns, or ammo?

Because that would be hard, and wouldnt give the government a boogeyman to chase.

 

[trancers]

Some studies do show video games can make kids more aggressive, but this definition covers actions such as making annoying noises at other players during online games; there’s no clear link between violent video games and behavior. While finding ways to fund school counseling programs is commendable, many will disagree with how Nardolillo is going about it.


This is just lie because there is under 1 month old stuty to show that there is no link on games and violence

Source: University of York
Summary: Researchers have found no evidence to support the theory that video games make players more violent.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180116131317.htm

 

[Bubbajim]

And yet study after study shows no link between violent video games and real world violence. Yes, those that shoot others sometimes play violent video games, but many others dont (see las vegas shooter) and correlation does not mean causation. .

Dude, didn't you know? All of these shooters ate food, therefore food causes school shootings. Because, Facts!

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Dude, didn't you know? All of these shooters ate food, therefore food causes school shootings. Because, Facts!

And dihydrogen monoxide is present in all food.....

THATS IT! BAN ALL DIHYDROGEN MONOXIDE!

 

[noel24]

Dude, didn't you know? All of these shooters ate food, therefore food causes school shootings. Because, Facts!

And dihydrogen monoxide is present in all food.....

THATS IT! BAN ALL DIHYDROGEN MONOXIDE!

No, It won't pass. You see, dihydrogen monoxide is serious constituent of majority of alcohol beverages. Booze industry is just too big.

 

[stewi0001]

Dude, didn't you know? All of these shooters ate food, therefore food causes school shootings. Because, Facts!

And dihydrogen monoxide is present in all food.....

THATS IT! BAN ALL DIHYDROGEN MONOXIDE!

Man, I thought I was the only one that knew about the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide XD

On a more serious note, video games are not the problem, the real problem comes down to the family. But how we fix families is a really tough question.

 

[senketsu]

Perhaps if they addressed government corruption, corporate power, the whole financial industry, etc, and addressed the ever increasing gap between the rich and the poor, and the fact that the young today generally will not do as well as their parents financially plus some other issues like kids with cell phones, social media and the endless parade of bad news, fake news and the overwhelming political correctness, and the attitude continually pushed on us that if you are not rich and famous you are a worthless human being, just maybe kids might feel better and not go on rampages.
edit: add in stressed parents, both with jobs, trying to 'make it'. Hard to raise kids if you hardly see them and are so frazzled from work, plus add in all the single parent families

 

[Uncle Al]

Simply can't be ..... I didn't see a video game until AFTER El Salvador, in fact, I calmed way down after I got my first copy of DOOM and now I'm just a regular *****cat ..... Thanks GTA!!!

 

[davislane1]

Guns --> Gotta ban 'em

Violent games --> Gotta ban 'em

"Toxic" masculinity --> Gotta ban it

SSRIs that are almost always in mass shooter's bodies --> 2nd amendment didn't anticipate weapon advancement.

No need to comment, Mr. Nardolillo.

 

[HIC99]

I'm fine with a small tax on M rated games if it shuts up people like this. A Large tax however, I will not agree with.

 

[CBTex]

Video games don't kill people, guns do. I'm no US citizen but what makes Second Amendment more important than First Amendment? Why not add 10% to every gun sold in US? Video games cost anywhere from $1 up to few thousand dollars in the case of pay-to-win titles like StarWarsBattlefornt 2. Assault rifle's price starts at few thousand dollars. It's only logical You will make more money from taxing guns?

Ugh, ignorance much? There is already a 10% federal excise tax on handguns and a 11% federal excise tax on rifles, shotguns and ammunition. Sorry if this comes off as rude, it isn't meant to be. I guess it's just par for the internet. People spouting opinions without doing research.

And neither guns nor video games kill people. Crazy, mentally unstable people kill people. Guns may be a much more efficient tool to kill than a video game, but a person could be beat to death with a console.

I know vilifying inanimate objects is easier, but we need to address why people feel the need to indiscriminately harm others. Until then, psychos will always find a way to kill.

BTW, why do non-Americans care so much about our laws?

 

[MoeJoe]

People kill.

Guns,
Knives,
Bombs,
Box vans
and
Video games
don't.

And CBTex is damn straight...
Foreigners should stay out of it.
Their opinions matter not.

 

[MoeJoe]

I'm fine with a small tax on M rated games if it shuts up people like this. A Large tax however, I will not agree with.

Grow a spine and profit !

 

[MoeJoe]

Video games + mental illness don't mix.

Just sayin' ...

 

[Arionic]

People are already aggressive. Our primal instinct to compete, destroy or maintain power and control over others is still there. It's a natural process that every species on the planet takes part in. If anything, video games are an outlet. We can't go out and hunt every species to extinction for sport or prestige. We can't slaughter each other in arenas like gladiators. No launching missiles at each other to dominate resources...

But video games though... you can create, explore, conquer, spread love, experience community and partake in thousands of other experiences that our normal society will judge you for. I can't defend earth from aliens in real life yet, but you bet I could playing Halo.

 

[Thorney]

People kill.

Guns,
Knives,
Bombs,
Box vans
and
Video games
don't.

And CBTex is damn straight...
Foreigners should stay out of it.
Their opinions matter not.

The sooner Trump makes The Purge law the better

 

[noel24]

Ugh, ignorance much? There is already a 10% federal excise tax on handguns and a 11% federal excise tax on rifles, shotguns and ammunition. Sorry if this comes off as rude, it isn't meant to be. I guess it's just par for the internet. People spouting opinions without doing research.

And neither guns nor video games kill people. Crazy, mentally unstable people kill people. Guns may be a much more efficient tool to kill than a video game, but a person could be beat to death with a console.

I know vilifying inanimate objects is easier, but we need to address why people feel the need to indiscriminately harm others. Until then, psychos will always find a way to kill.

BTW, why do non-Americans care so much about our laws?

Why ignorance? I see lots of products around Me (in EU) to have tons of taxes included. Petrol got some 100% excise and 23% VAT on top of that, so I pay $5,2/US gallon right now. Is it a lot compared to US? The same goes for tobacco or alcohol. There is no limit of taxes that state can put on any product that there is demand for. Why treat mental problems of kids shot at school by taxing VG when there is no sound scientific studies associating gun violence with video games? On the other hand, no amount of NRA sponsored scientific studies will deny that those kids are being killed with a firearm. Some tarded politician won't change it or deny it, so He has to come up with some other distraction, cause He loose NRAs support. In Europe gun control is tighter and its harder for mentally unstable person to kill 17 people in a row within one hour.
To answer Your second question: US is such a big influence on rest of the world, that some dumb decisions made by Your lawmakers may hit the rest of us with a ricochet. Pun intended, although the topic is rather morbid.

 

[IAMTHESTIG]

This is all total BS, they are just reaching for straws as usual. Always trying to pin something for the blame rather than someone.

You can still have morals and respect for life and be desensitized. Medical professionals, law enforcement professionals, etc. see the result of violent actions all the time and could be considered "desensitized". Millions of people play terribly violent video games and are not violent, including a good percentage of children I'll bet.

It all comes down to the individual, the environment (life style) they are in, and some parenting. Some kids just grow up in bad environments and become bad people. Sure violent video games may have an affect on them but that isn't the fault of the video game, that is the fault of that person and their caretaker. It is the responsibility of parents to regulate what their children are exposed to and if they can't handle violent games then they shouldn't play them. We already have age recommendation and "mature content" labels all over our media. It is up to the parents to oversee this and up to the individual to control their behavior. Easier said than done I agree, but video games are not to blame.

A video game is just as innocent as a firearm. They are things, it is what people do with the things where problems can occur. Simple logic the left just doesn't seem to grasp.

 

[antiproduct]

How about a massive tax on assault weapons? Or maybe a tax on politicians that seek scapegoats for real problems that they're really profiting from?

 

[Capaill]

"There is evidence that children exposed to violent video games at a young age tend to act more aggressively than those who are not," Nardolillo said, without pointing to any studies.

Somebody please force this guy to watch Barney the Dinosaur for 24 hours straight. He can then go vent his rage in some shooting video games and then get back to living a normal life.

Being serious:
Please bring in gun control. If that means that people cannot get guns until they have been vetted and done some basic training, then that has to be better. Different levels of guns/hardware would need different levels of vetting and training. Most ex-military are well trained on using guns, so should be no problems there. And then repeat the process every few years. Include training on securing the weapon in the home and informing owners and families that a gun is not a toy and not a way of getting revenge. If it's a sensible vetting and training regime, most mature people won't mind the minor inconvenience of it. While I would prefer to see many guns removed from America, your nation is not ready for that yet. But there has to be some middle ground between what the NRA wants and what your society needs. So aim to control the hands that hold the guns.

And I agree with Noel24. Our governments often follow the lead of the US so we care about the decisions being made there. We won't dictate to America how to do things but we hope that our comments allow a more enlightened debate.

 

[Prosercunus]

The majority of these people shooting up schools come from broken and/or abusive homes. Don't strip my rights away because our society has collapsed from decency.

 

[justbs]

Im so tired of all you politics blaming video games all the time when something like this happens, the video games have nothing to do with it. The problem is you weak Gun Laws & NRA and always putting excuses for your issues and your policies. Always trying to blame someone else for your mistakes you guys need to fix your laws and get the facts straight and stop blaming others.