The Oklahoma House Revenue and Tax Subcommittee has rejected proposed legislation that would have placed a 1 percent surtax on all games rated T (Teen) or higher by the Entertainment Software Rating Board.

The bill, first proposed by state rep Will Fourkiller (D) earlier this month, was designed to discourage purchase of violent games and fund new programs focused on childhood outdoor education and bullying prevention. But by broadly grouping all T-rated games in the "violent" category, the bill would have roped in relatively innocuous titles like Ultimate Card Games and Zumba Fitness 2, as well as serious fare.

Before a 5-6 vote against moving forward with the bill, members of the subcommittee expressed skepticism at the idea of singling out video games in particular for causing bullying and obesity. "Why just video games? Why not French fries or rap music or movies?" Representative Pat Owenby (R) asked, according to minutes recorded by the Oklahoma Watchdog. "We could have a task force on a multitude of reasons children are obese," Oklahoma City rep Mike Reynolds (R) added.

Grassroots lobbying group Video Game Voters Network claimed the subcommittee was influenced by "hundreds" of messages from Oklahoma supporters, who pointed to last year's Supreme Court ruling offering full First Amendment protections for video games. "It was obvious that this bill singled out video games with unfair and unfounded claims, and something needed to be done," the group said in a statement.

Perhaps the Oklahoma legislature dodged a bullet here: California will end up paying nearly $1.8 million in court costs related to its failed attempt to bar children from buying violent games, which led to the landmark Supreme Court case.