This Christian Science Monitor opinion piece puts forth the idea that the government should start taxing violent video games. As one might expect this is the usual crap that blames vioent video games for all sorts of the problems in America and as usuall it is complete bull.
With so much violent media fare, why single out video games? Despite growing evidence of the psychological harm of these games, few would claim that they are the sole cause of family or community violence. But in a nation where 92 percent of children grow up playing them regularly, violent video games aid and abet a popular culture that champions even the most extreme brutality through games like the "Grand Theft Auto" series, self-described studies in "hedonism and violence" that encourage players to kill prostitutes and hijack cars.
First of all, this article tries to make the link that 92% of children are playing games like Grand Theft Auto.....games that come with a mature rating and are not allowed to be sold to minors. Technically, what it says is that 92% of kids play video games. I am sure they'll find that even a higher percentage watch TV, but they shouldn't be watching shows like The Sopranos any more than they should be playing Grand Theft Auto. Second, this article makes one of the statements about the GTA games that bugs the heck out of me. It seems that all any of these people know about the game is that its about killing prostitutes which has almost nothing to do with the game....but that is what the media latched on to. The games do not incourage you to kill prostitutes. They allow you to. You can choose to kill anyone in the games. I'm not saying its better that way. I'm just annoyed at how many people only seem to know this one thing about the games.
Last year in Ohio, a teenager obsessed with "Grand Theft Auto" stole his friend's car and then bludgeoned her to death with a bedpost.
Let's make it clear. Almost anyone who plays a GTA game could be called "obsessed" with GTA. The games are some of the best video games made. This is why I play them even though I do not like the themes of the game. They are well-designed. Yeah, I wish they would make a similiar style of game that has you fighting zombies or aliens rather than being some criminal. However, these games are so large and open-ended that give you a huge virtual world.
As the sales show, there are millions around the world who are playing and getting obsessed with these games, yet one stories gets plastered all over the news as to why video games are bad. However when some homophobic christian beats and kills a gay man, does anyone talk about taxing religion to pay for programs to fight hate crimes? No. For every case they can name linking violent video games to a murder, I'll bet I can find 10 of murders inspired by religious obsession.
This kid in Ohio had issues beyond an interest in a certain violent video game, but society always wants the easy scapegoat. It used to be rock and roll. These days its video games.
Teenaged sniper Lee Malvo and the Columbine High School killers used highly realistic first-person shooter games as virtual training grounds for their murder sprees.
I don't know anything about the Lee Malvo case, but the Columbine killers had Doom installed on their PCs. If you ever played Doom, you know how silly this is to describe the game as a virtual training ground. At the time this game out, almost everyone who had a PC had a copy of Doom and believe me, noone considered it a simulator. I have no idea what game Lee Malvo was playing but I can't think of a single game out today that would even come close to simulate the reality involved. Clicking a mouse is not a good simulation for real life, no matter how realistic the graphics might look. (I've been playing City of Heroes for months now, but I'm pretty certain I'm still not ready to put on tights and prowl the street for criminals to arrest....)
How will we know video-game violence when we see it? Conveniently, most video-game makers already comply with a voluntary ratings system that includes descriptors for violence.
Once again, this rating system is to stop kids who should not be playing the Mature rated video games from buying them. If parents are buying these video games for their kids than bad parenting is to be blamed. Perhaps an additional tax on people with kids is needed but since I have no plans to have kids, I see no reason why I should be singled out to be taxed every time I buy a video game with violent content to pay for the bad parenting in our society.
I'm OK with additional taxes that are charged to everyone if they are needed to fund important government programs. You won't catch me grumbling as often as many Americans about the amount of my paycheck that goes to taxes because I know that it is paying for roads, public healthcare, schools, libraries, police and many other programs that I'm glad our society has. However, when you start singling me out to pay more taxes based on the type of entertainment I enjoy, then I'll get upset.
(For the record, I don't actually play too many violent video games. James Bond games and Grand Theft Auto are the only games I play that are fairly violent. It's the idea that bothers me.)
What's next? An additional tax on cable users that get HBO because of shows like Sopranos? Perhaps they should start taxing violet movies. Think of the amount of taxes The Passion of Christ could have brought in!
Posted by Nuadha at November 23, 2004 2:02 PM