Pennsylvania lawmakers have introduced a bill that seeks to institute a tax on mature-rated video games sold in the state. House Bill 109 would levy a 10% tax on mature-rated games — in addition to any other local taxes — that would be used to contribute toward the new Digital Protection for School Safety Account, the funds from which would be spent to “enhance safety measures in Pennsylvania school districts.”
Representative Christopher B. Quinn, who introduced a version of the bill in 2018, suggests exposure to violent video games as a potential cause for recent trends of increased violence in schools, including such atrocities as the Parkland school shooting.
Of course, as a recent article on Philly.com points out, scientific research has found no reliable link between exposure to violent video games and violent crime. And beyond that, the Entertainment Software Association is taking up arms against the bill, calling it “a violation of the US constitution.” The bill has apparently been “referred to the House Finance Committee and is still pending discussion and a vote.”
