NationStates Jolt Archive

According to Kotaku, Hillary Clinton plans to introduce a new tax on video games.

Clinton to Planning Video Game Tax, Looks for Martyr

It looks like Senator Hillary Clinton is gearing up for her war on video games.

Sources tell me that Clinton has been asking around for volunteers for a new anti-violence in video games initiative. Specifically, Clinton is trolling for someone how feels passionate about extreme violence in video games.

One of Clinton's brainbursts is to try and add a special tax to video games, sorta like what a lot of states do for cigarettes. The profits from the tax would then go to a child advocacy program.

The "concerned parent" would need to attend a press conference to make a short statement and should be able to deal with annoying reporters asking questions like: Did Sen. Clinton send out a memo asking for someone like you to talk for her at a press conference?

Just a word of warning gamers, this isn't going away. Clinton has her heart set on making violence in video games a key component of her platform. Taxes on video games are going to be discussed.

http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/top/clinton-to-planning-video-game-tax-looks-for-martyr-189042.php

As if video games weren't expensive enough already!

Think of all the gamers that will be forced into criminal careers to be able to afford their video game fix! :eek:

Why doesn't anybody think of the gamers? :(

Wait...people actually pay for games?? ;)

Good lord, you mean I'll have to budget even MORE of my income to support my habit?!

I'm gonna be the only homeless person with a PC and a PS2.

10 to 1 this passes if proposes.

Haha, envy me Americans, no such thing is happening in the UK.

According to Kotaku, Hillary Clinton plans to introduce a new tax on video games.

As if video games weren't expensive enough already!

Think of all the gamers that will be forced into criminal careers to be able to afford their video game fix! :eek:

Why doesn't anybody think of the gamers? :(

Yeah! Why can't they just leave games alone! Let those rating company's like Elspa and stuff do their job. :mad: :mad:

Haha, envy me Americans, no such thing is happening in the UK.
Hell yeah! :p

What a stupid, stupid woman. She makes Democrats look bad.

Hilary Clinton = n00b.

Specifically, Clinton is trolling for someone how feels passionate about extreme violence in video games.
Hey, I feel passionate about extreme violence in computer games! If only I were in your backwards madhouse of a country I could sign up :)

Haha, envy me Americans, no such thing is happening in the UK.
*starts export business*

Haha, envy me Americans, no such thing is happening in the UK.

Don't laugh too soon.
(http://gamepolitics.livejournal.com/324983.html)

She's probably just mad cause she got WTFPWNED at Counter Strike or something. :p

Just as well I live in Shetland! :)
Nevermind. :( :confused: :(

Another example of parents shifting responsibility for their children onto the government and other taxpayers. What a bunch of lazy f*cks.

How much do games cost in the States?

If I want a New Release it costs me 60euro. :mad:

And thats just for PS2.

How much do games cost in the States?

If I want a New Release it costs me 60euro. :mad:

And thats just for PS2.
Get them of Amazon. (The website)

According to Kotaku, Hillary Clinton plans to introduce a new tax on video games. Why doesn't anybody think of the gamers? :(

Hillary does. Moreover, just last year she was calling for federal game regulation. And this is not the first time she has set her sights on the video game industry. It seems to be one of her pet causes. The following is from.....

http://clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=249368&&


November 29, 2005

Senators Clinton, Lieberman Announce Federal Legislation to Protect Children from Inappropriate Video Games

The Family Entertainment Protection Act will prohibit the sale of inappropriate games to minors

Washington, DC — Today, Senators Clinton and Lieberman announced that they will introduce the Family Entertainment Protection Act when Congress reconvenes in two weeks.

Senator Clinton was motivated to take action on this issue when it was revealed in July that Rockstar Games had embedded illicit sexual content in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. This game had received a Mature rating from the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB), which was unaware of the embedded content. When the content was revealed, Senator Clinton called on the FTC to investigate the source of the content and announced that she would work to develop legislation to address this problem. Rockstar Games subsequently recalled the game.

“I have developed legislation that will empower parents by making sure their kids can’t walk into a store and buy a video game that has graphic, violent and pornographic content,” said Senator Clinton.

Senator Clinton acknowledges that video games are fun and entertaining and does not support any limitations on the production or sale of games to adults. “This is about protecting children,” said Senator Clinton.

“There is a growing body of evidence that points to a link between violent videos and aggressive behavior in children. We are not interested in censoring videos meant for adult entertainment but we do want to ensure that these videos are not purchased by minors. Our bill will help accomplish this by imposing fines on those retailers that sell M-rated games to minors,” Senator Lieberman said.

Illinois, Michigan, and California have all passed state laws to prohibit the sale of violent video games to minors.

Today, on Capitol Hill, the National Institute on Media and the Family released its tenth annual Video and Computer Game scorecard, which revealed that retailers have become even more lenient in their selling policies than they were last year. Boys as young as nine were able to purchase Mature rated video games 42 percent of the time, according to the secret audits.

“Today's report is yet further proof that we need to make sure parents have the tools and support they need to make informed decisions for their children,” said Senator Clinton.

Summary of the Family Entertainment Protection Act

Video game content is getting more and more violent and sexually explicit, yet young people are able to purchase these games with relative ease. In its 2005, 10th Annual MediaWise Video and Computer Game Report Card, The National Institute on Media and the Family found that retailers were more lenient in their selling practices this year compared to last. Boys as young as nine were able to purchase Mature-rated games 42 percent of the time. At the same time, a majority of parents are feeling increasingly victimized by a culture of violence that makes it difficult to protect their children against influences they find to be inappropriate. This bill would help empower parents by putting them back in the driver’s seat. It would ensure that children can’t buy games the video game industry itself has determined to be inappropriate for them.

I. Prohibition on Selling Mature and Adults Only video games to minors

· The centerpiece of this bill is a prohibition against any business for selling or renting a Mature, Adults-Only, or Ratings Pending game to a person who is younger than seventeen. This provision is not aimed at punishing retailers who act in good faith to enforce the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) system. That’s why retailers would have an affirmative defense if they were shown an identification they believed to be valid or have a system in place to display and enforce the ESRB system. Similar prohibitions have become law in the last several months in California, Michigan, and Illinois.

II. Annual Analysis of the Ratings System

· Since the bill relies on the video game industry to continue rating the appropriateness of games for minors, this bill requires an annual, independent analysis of game ratings. This analysis will help ensure that the ESRB ratings system accurately reflects the content in each game and that the ratings system does not change significantly over time.

III. Authority for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to Investigate Misleading Ratings

· Part of the genesis of this bill was the revelation that the makers of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas had included, through embedded code that was discovered and made accessible to the public, sexually explicit content inconsistent with the game’s Mature rating. This bill requires the FTC to conduct an investigation to determine whether what happened with GTA: San Andreas is a pervasive problem. It also includes a Sense of Congress that the Commission shall take appropriate action if it determines that there is a pervasive problem.

IV. Authority to Register Complaints

· This bill requires the Bureau of Consumer Protection (BCP) of the FTC to ensure that consumers can file complaints if they find content to be misleading or deceptive and requires the BCP to report on the number of such complaints to Congress.

V. Annual Retailer Audit

· This bill authorizes the FTC to conduct an annual, random audit of retailers – sometimes referred to as a secret shopper survey – to determine how easy it is for young people to purchase Mature and Adults Only video games and report the findings to Congress.

A sin tax on video games. How misguided can you get?

The thing is, there are whole swathes of people that probably love to see this happen.

Geez, first the stupid 55 MPH speed limit, now a sin tax on video games, can anyone else see the vote that she's courting? (hint: they drive very slowly anyway and are too busy watching their "stories" to play video games :D )

Fortunately, she has very little power within the senate. Though there's always the chance that the "moral" majority will accept this with open arms...

And now she's just lost the gaming youth vote.

According to Kotaku, Hillary Clinton plans to introduce a new tax on video games.



As if video games weren't expensive enough already!

Think of all the gamers that will be forced into criminal careers to be able to afford their video game fix! :eek:

Why doesn't anybody think of the gamers? :(

Hillery is a fool if she thinks this will actually pass.

Hillery is a fool if she thinks this will actually pass.
Maybe we should hire a hitman? ;)

And now she's just lost the gaming youth vote.

Yeah, all those gamer teens are probably not going to vote for her. ;)

Yeah, all those gamer teens are probably not going to vote for her. ;)

What with the average age of gamers rising into the late 20's, she's losing more than just teens with this kind of legislation.

What with the average age of gamers rising into the late 20's, she's losing more than just teens with this kind of legislation.

True. I think politicians are simply ignorant of the gamers demographic.

3. The average game player is 33 years old and has been playing games for 12 years.

4. The average age of the most frequent game buyer is 40 years old. In 2006, 93 percent of computer game buyers and 83 percent of console game buyers were over the age of 18.

http://www.theesa.com/facts/top_10_facts.php

Goddammit, not more of this nanny state crap. The government really does make people less responsible- even though the market already provides its own ratings (MPAA, ESRB, etc. etc etc.), the people are too dependent on the government solving their problems instead of solving it themselves. Video games don't even harm people, like cigarettes and other things with sin taxes- it's just the excuse making of a society that refuses to acknowledge that it has given up responsibility of its children and wants to find a scapegoat to cover their own ass. We're all screwed.

Maybe we should hire a hitman? ;)

Now now. I'm not for assassinating her. that'll just make her martyer and we don't need any more martyers. :D Just defeat her at the polls if possible :D

Yeah, all those gamer teens are probably not going to vote for her. ;)
Actually, the gaming "demographic" is older than you'd think. In the UK at least the average is in the high 20s (from an interview with a guy from the BBFC in PC Gamer UK some time ago... I posted it here then, in some other thread about computer games). (Edit: Damn you all for beating me!)

But at least such a tax would prevent all the teens that are gaming turning into psycopaths, like they are now (http://www.shoutwire.com/viewstory/20361/The_Truth_About_Violent_Youth_and_Video_Games).

she's a marxist, the it's a village thing, got to protect the children [so he hubby bubba can molest them] - ie she's a fucking idiot:gundge: :gundge: :gundge: :gundge: :gundge: :gundge:

Now now. I'm not for assassinating her. that'll just make her martyer and we don't need any more martyers. :D Just defeat her at the polls if possible :D
Aw ok then.

Lets get ready to watch videogame piracy in the US shoot through the roof

What is it with this crazed asshole of a woman and my video games? STEP THE HELL OFF.

And she expects sane people to vote for her when she makes a Presidential bid....silly bitch....

What is it with this crazed asshole of a woman and my video games? STEP THE HELL OFF.

And she expects sane people to vote for her when she makes a Presidential bid....silly bitch....
And with this platform, she will get votes out the ass. She is appealing to the conservative, blame-other-people masses without appearing right-wing extremist.

And now she's just lost the gaming youth vote.
I doubt the "gaming youth" vote in the first place.

And with this platform, she will get votes out the ass. She is appealing to the conservative, blame-other-people masses without appearing right-wing extremist.

Which won't work because of other issues.

Which won't work because of other issues.
According to you, whose qualities I will not elaborate on so as not to get called for flaming.

And with this platform, she will get votes out the ass. She is appealing to the conservative, blame-other-people masses without appearing right-wing extremist.

Exactly! You need to be left to go that far to the right, and she's going to get lots of votes for it.

Makes me wonder: is there a way we can eject people from the Democratic party?

And with this platform, she will get votes out the ass. She is appealing to the conservative, blame-other-people masses without appearing right-wing extremist.

This seems plausible, but I hold out hope that the prudish, anti-rights types will think a bit harder when the social engineering actually impacts them, their children, their pocket book, etc.

Plenty of people are willing to right off the rights of gays, Gitmo prisoners, etc. as "morally wrong" because those people are "other", but I'd like to think they have enough of a kneejerk survival instinct against Big Brother Government left to get a tad queasy when it's them who's being restricted.

Hillary Clinton really isn't even a liberal - I don't know why Democrats want anything to do with her. She's a statist/populist.

I tried to send an email on the issue to the good senator, but the Senate server appears to have timed out. How convenient.

Specifically, Clinton is trolling for someone how feels passionate about extreme violence in video games.

Does anyone else here find this sentence extremely amusing?

Why doesn't anybody think of the gamers? :(

Meh, it seems that every generation of parents rails about something that is extremely popular among their children. In the 50's and 60's it was comic books and rock 'n roll; now it's video games.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

This doesn't mean that Hillary is making a good move... it just means that she's being a typical overreacting politician, reacting to the fears of the parents of teenagers. How typical.

hillary clinton is such a n00b.

I tried to send an email on the issue to the good senator, but the Senate server appears to have timed out. How convenient.

They're obviously clogging their server up with a Battlefield 2 marathon. Hillary, of course, is playing for the MEC.

That'll learn ya' to vote democrat you sonsabitches! *Evil laugh*

I don't really trust any article that uses the word 'sorta'.