The ESA’s Stance On A Controversial Tax Bill Hasn’t Gone Over Well With Fans

We don't usually cover political territory here at WWG, but the House of Representatives just proposed a new tax reform bill which would cut taxes for corporations – and it appears that the Entertainment Software Association, or the ESA for short, is all for it.

The company, which hosts the yearly Electronic Entertainment Expo event, recently noted its support of the bill with a press release, noting, "Igniting greater economic opportunity and innovation, today's tax reform proposal promised to boost the U.S. tech sector."

The company continued, "For the 2,600 US-based video game companies competing in the $100 billion worldwide video game market, a competitive, pro-growth tax system that encourages IP development and investment in U.S. jobs is imperative. We commend Majority Leader McConnell, Speaker Ryan, Chairman Hatch, Chairman Brady, Secretary Mnuchin and Director Cohn for their diligence in crafting this proposal and look forward to working with all policy makers as the effort to enact tax reform moves forward."

That said, the ESA's statement hasn't exactly gone over well with everyone. Some industry members have already noted that this will help the upper tier of the ESA ranks, and not so much the developers and designers that are working on the games.

For instance, Jim Sterling, a controversial yet highly popular video game pundit, simply noted, "Piss." Another video game veteran, Sam Houston, noted, "I get that you guys like tax cuts but this bill is filled with bullshit. There's a better way to go about getting tax cuts for game devs." To which another Twitter user, Tactless Ogre, replied, "There absolutely is; but not one they're going to look for."

The ESA has already been in hot water this year for making the Electronic Entertainment Expo a public show for the first time in its history, leading to overcrowding and difficulties for members of the press and other show attendees. This move may earn the ESA some more money, but it'll leave their actions questionable with a lot of fans. Some have even gone as far as to possibly protest the next E3 event.