Tax Avoiders
Encyclopedia
Tax Avoiders is a single-player video game for the Atari 2600
released in 1982. It was conceived by Darrell Wagner at Dunhill Electronics; he was billed on the packaging as a "Licensed Tax Consultant and former IRS Revenue Agent". The game was developed by Todd Clark Holm, "an independant (sic) investment advisor, registered with the S.E.C.". Game designed by John Simonds and published by American Videogame.
within one game year by collecting income
and avoiding taxes
. There are two alternating game phases. In one, the player moves around the screen, collecting dollar bills and avoiding red tape; this represents maximizing income for the quarter. At the end of the quarter, the other phase has the player move around to manage his investments while another sprite oscillates between an Internal Revenue Service
(IRS) agent, a certified public accountant
(CPA), and an investment advisor. If the player is caught by the IRS agent, he is audited, and always loses the audit, which takes 50% of his income. If he encounters the CPA, he is charged a fee but gains new tax-sheltered investment options. If he encounters the investment advisor, he can maximize his tax-sheltered investment returns.
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
released in 1982. It was conceived by Darrell Wagner at Dunhill Electronics; he was billed on the packaging as a "Licensed Tax Consultant and former IRS Revenue Agent". The game was developed by Todd Clark Holm, "an independant (sic) investment advisor, registered with the S.E.C.". Game designed by John Simonds and published by American Videogame.
Gameplay
The object of Tax Avoiders is to help "John Q" become a millionaireMillionaire
A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. It can also be a person who owns one million units of currency in a bank account or savings account...
within one game year by collecting income
Income
Income is the consumption and savings opportunity gained by an entity within a specified time frame, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. However, for households and individuals, "income is the sum of all the wages, salaries, profits, interests payments, rents and other forms of earnings...
and avoiding taxes
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
. There are two alternating game phases. In one, the player moves around the screen, collecting dollar bills and avoiding red tape; this represents maximizing income for the quarter. At the end of the quarter, the other phase has the player move around to manage his investments while another sprite oscillates between an Internal Revenue Service
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
(IRS) agent, a certified public accountant
Certified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant is the statutory title of qualified accountants in the United States who have passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination and have met additional state education and experience requirements for certification as a CPA...
(CPA), and an investment advisor. If the player is caught by the IRS agent, he is audited, and always loses the audit, which takes 50% of his income. If he encounters the CPA, he is charged a fee but gains new tax-sheltered investment options. If he encounters the investment advisor, he can maximize his tax-sheltered investment returns.