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20Dec 12

NOTE: The title and 50% of this blog involve sarcasm and mockery. But I am NOT making light of the Connecticut shooting. I am mocking the ridiculous people who are blaming everything in existence but the shooter for the shooting, as well as their idiotic "evidence".

Clearly we have a problem people. I mean, there's been a bill submitted to Congress people CONGRESS, to evaluate what these crazy video games do to people. These video games are going to be the end of us all, don't you know? They provoke people to commit violent and heinous crimes. These horrible people who play games such as Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto are going to be the death of us all!

In fact, the monster behind the Connecticut shooting, Adam Lanza, was very passionate about two violent video games in particular, Dynasty Warriors and CALL OF FREAKING DUTY! Huh? What did you say? I shouldn't be using a tragic school shooting to push my crazy, fear mongering agenda on the masses? Hush you uniformed fool! This is scary stuff backed up by years of my absolute and accurate studies in my imagination!

These violent video games are marketed at our children, people, small children! We've got to protect the children of the world from these evil gaming companies who want to control our children and turn them in to violent, desensitized, murderers! What did you say? Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty are rated M for mature and not allowed to be sold to anyone under the age of 17? What do you mean the ads aren't broadcast on children's networks or websites? Shut up! You know nothing! You are uniformed and this is scary stuff! We need to think of the children people! Parents don't you want to protect your children? Then get these accursed video games out of their hands and the hands of responsible adults who are perfectly capable of making decisions for themselves as well! Responsible adults don't know what's good for them ya nut! We need to decide for them!

Two of the suspected games that spark bloody rampages, Starcraft and Dynasty Warriors are games from South Korea and Japan respectively. Scary scary SCARY stuff people! Japan and Korea makes these violent video games for our children here in America too! And we know how many shootings happen in South Korea and Japan right (spoiler alert)!?

These video games influence our society to do awful things! They need to be banned on the double! Global warming? The war in Iraq? Pollution? Our crappy economy? Our school system? Budget cuts? NO PEOPLE! This is where its at! The horrors of video games should be brought to light so every American citizen can be informed! Huh? What did you say? There's no proof that games are linked to violent crimes? Yes there is! According to the nonexistent study in my overactive imagination there is so to a link! Educate yourself fool!

...what....? My imagination isn't a reliable source? There's no link? Humph...well gosh. It must be rap and heavy metal music then! The tasteless, misogynistic, and violent lyrics to those songs must be corrupting the youth! We need to ban them right away! What? Its not that either? Well then it must be reality TV shows! Jersey Shore is causing our teenagers to want to be uneducated fools who drink, fight, and party all day! You kidding me!? It's not that either? It must be violent TV shows like Breaking Bad then! Encouraging kids to sell drugs and giving them ideas on how to kill people! It must be ba-

Huh? You said I should get my head out of my ass? Well sir, its so far up there its kind of stuck.

Ok now that I'm done mocking silly people on TV and their crazy ASSumptions that make little sense, I've only got a few things to say. I could have typed out a whole serious blog that counters these people's terrible points but I know that this is a gaming website and I'd just be preaching to the choir.

It really is a shame that people would use such a tragic shooting as an opportunity to bring up the tired old "Find something to use as a scapegoat and then ban it instead of taking personal responsibility and evaluating what went wrong and what could have been done to prevent it" debate.

But this isn't the first time this has happened. And its probably not the last. People's minds are very vulnerable after a tragedy like this. People are shocked and left wondering what the hell and why. So it's easy to stir up mass fear and hysteria by making outrageous claims such as "Video games are the cause!" Maybe once things calm down a little, people will stop and realize that this whole "Ignore the real reason, then find a scapegoat and ban it" thing is idiotic and unnecessary.

I'm so tired of hearing this "Video games/Rap and Metal music/Television/etc causes people to be violent." It'd be naive to say that they have absolutley no effect on us. Pop culture has large effect on society as a whole whether you want it to or not. But it's infuriating when people say "Oh video games/music/tv MADE me/that person do it."

No sir. Grand Theft Auto did not MAKE you commit the crime you did. That's a sorry cop out to avoid taking responsibility for what you did and ignores whatever mental instability issues you had way before you ever picked up a controller. By blaming the media, we also completely lift the blame off ourselves and don't think about what we did wrong or what we could have done to prevent what happened. Or how we could prevent what's going to happen in the future. Its easy to just blame media, even though its never going to go away, and be done with it. I would say it needs to stop but its probably not going to stop anytime soon.

My heart goes out to the victim's families. And I hope there are at least some people who's heads aren't so far up their asses that they're too busy attacking video games and television to realize that the survivors of the shooting are going to need a lot of help to get past the horrible tragedy they went through. Or that we really need to think about how to prevent future school shootings because this crap's been going on for far too long. Or maybe that we've been clinging to some old outdated ideals for far too long and that things need to change.

-Sigh-

But I guess I should try to be more realistic...


58 comments
bmart970
bmart970 like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

How many people cannot differentiate between the video game and reality? If you can't, you have a problem and shouldn't play video games. Guns aren't the problem. Video games aren't the problem. Insane people are the problem. We don't need to make guns illegal, we don't need to outlaw video games. We need to beef up security. Gun laws won't help because criminals don't follow the law.

nate1222
nate1222

 @bmart970

 I still wonder that guy's mom was teaching a known mental patient how to shoot. If she'd survived the ordeal, her ass would have some serious explaining to do.

Shmoe82
Shmoe82

Great blog; the scarcasm and backtalk was funny as hell.  

I just hear Barbara Walters talking about COD as the reason that this violence is happening which I think distracts from the true reason of these events.  If videogames are the cause of school shooting then what video games were being played between 1853 (first school shooting) and 1992 (Wolfenstein 3d released)? 

Allicrombie
Allicrombie moderator moderator like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

Rockstar Games killed JFK.  true story.

deathstream
deathstream

The NRA just held a press conference and said that real guns weren't a problem but that we should consider regulating digital firearms (aka movies, TV, video games, etc...)

Shmoe82
Shmoe82

 @deathstream I can't even wrap my head around the idiocracy of that.  All violence in the world will stop because its not show on tvs anymore.  I'm an NRA life member and its embarrassing to hear some of the stuff coming out of their mouths.  The next issue of Rifleman is going to be all about how guns don't kill people, video games do.

Fowsed
Fowsed

" There's no proof that games are linked to violent crimes? Yes there is! " True.     I think the issue isn't in if there is or there is not violence in games. It's about how it is delivered. I mean cmon there is violence at daily news. Violence should not be encuraged

packtop
packtop like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

Past

Church: This person is a Witch

Peoples: BURN the witch!

 

Present

Media: Video games are evil

Peoples: BAN all video games!

 

And we are supposed to be more advanced then back then...

pokecharm
pokecharm like.author.displayName 1 Like

it is easier to point fingers at gaming than admit the parents really messed up last week.  They knew the kid was sick, unpredictable, and just let him go unchecked...

Oldgun
Oldgun like.author.displayName 1 Like

 @pokecharm Exactly ! The guy was nuts, his mother took him to the shooting range to learn how to use guns. What else could go wrong?!

pokecharm
pokecharm

 @Oldgun and people blame games...I don't think games can train me to shot a real gun...or be that deranged to think shooting 5 yr olds is okay...

Rayrota
Rayrota like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

You know what makes me violent? Stupid people.

 

WE SHOULD BAN ALL STUPID PEOPLE!!!

CaesarIIII
CaesarIIII

" NOTE: The title and 50% of this blog involve sarcasm and mockery. "

 

ROFL..... they should use a warning like that in the Feedbackula show.... sorry but that was my favorite bit in this Blog. :D

Jaxith
Jaxith like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

I know this much...  1.  Most of the video games I play are really pretty violent, and I really enjoy them too.  And 2.  I am a pacifist.  I think there can be times when killing is unavoidable, such as in self defense or times of war, but I'm not really sure I could actually bring myself to kill someone.  I think any loss of life is senseless, and can't understand how anyone can have such a disregard for the lives and happiness of others.

 

Granted, I don't really play games where you play as a criminal or a bad guy.  I tried out Payday during a free weekend and the game just made me sick.  I don't mean that as a testament to the games quality; I mean the concept of shooting hordes of disposable police officers made me feel physically ill.  That's just the type of person I am, and no matter how much I could sit around playing Payday or Grand Theft Auto or whatever else, I'd still be the same person I was before.  Some people can handle concepts like that and just have fun with the game, while still having no desire to hurt anyone, and probably be pretty decent human beings all the same.  Others are sadly the type who actually like the idea of shooting police officers.  But I don't think those people are made from the video games they choose to play.  People choose to play video games for the people that they are, not the other way around.  It's something they like and enjoy.  Naturally it can influence them, but in small ways.  But they won't turn anyone into a murderer, and the very fact is that holding a gun in your hand and pointing it at another human being is very simply nothing like shooting a respawning opponent in an online shooter.

Drilbit777
Drilbit777

Great blog, it was very well written and gives a strong point. I've been playing video games for more than 10 years and i'm perfectly normal. P.S I like your Shiro profile pic.

neodarma
neodarma

i think the problem in US is ur country gun regulation, to easy to get firearm. So dont blame violent video games, thats not the problem. I play COD n dynasty warrior a lot, i never shoot or wanna shoot anybody.  in my country a lot young men play COD or GTA , Battlefield, bla ..bla.. but  never happend some crazy guy shoot anybody in school or theater,( i fell sorry for them) why because not easy to get gun, its rare, its expensive, its againts the law for civilian to have a gun. the problem is ur society.

wavelength121
wavelength121

Violence has inundated itself into our culture, as a whole. Video-games are just part of the problem. Not inherently, but the existence of violence in video games says a lot about what we choose to allow into our lives. Everyone believes they are normal people and that their actions are justified, for the most part. Then something happens to them that makes them act out. It's called crime of passion, because it can happen to anyone. The abundance of violent content in our society is part of the reason people even have the capacity to imagine shooting up a school or taking a life; part of that is reflected in violent video games. It makes it seem "normal". At least take some damn responsibility for your precious hobby, nerds.

Lucky_Krystal
Lucky_Krystal

 @wavelength121 Well yeah, I did mention that video games are part of pop culture and pop culture influences all of us. But video games and violent media can't MAKE you do anything. Perhaps a violent person who was already mentally unstable would be drawn to playing Grand Theft Auto, but that's not going to be the reason he  snaps and goes on a rampage.

 

Violent video games, movies, etc do not force sensible, mentally stable people to kill each other. There is just no proof of that. A game can't alter your state of mind and make you insane. Of course I'm not excusing the fact that some games are just unnecessarily violent for no reason (personally I can't stand Manhunt or Postal 2).

 

And honestly, violence has always been a part of human nature. Long before the media became so advanced and projected violence unto us, making the average joe more aware of the horrors, people have been committing unspeakable acts of violence. The Holocaust, Slavery, The Rape of Nanking, countless wars, the list goes on.

 

The problem lies with us humans. Hell, with the logic these people are using now, what could we blame violence against slaves on? Literature? Violent stories in the newspaper? And it doesn't help these people's causes when their accusations against video games are so baseless, ridiculous, and inaccurate.

rad8045
rad8045

 @wavelength121

 So even though I live on the other side of the world, because I play video games I must take some responsibility for some nut job in America shooting up a school ?

SoreThumbsBill
SoreThumbsBill like.author.displayName 1 Like

The shooter was mentally retarded and his idiotic mother took him to the shooting range to learn how to use guns!

 

Clearly its the fault of video games.

Wolfandstein
Wolfandstein like.author.displayName like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 3 Like

WE MUST BAN THE HUMANS ALTOGETHER! EVERY EVIL IN OUR SOCIETY IS CAUSED BY HUMANS! WE MUST STAND UP AGAINST HUMANITY AND GIVE ME MONEY PEOPLE, MONEY! xD

 

 

tazdevil33
tazdevil33

When you think about it , a persons basic instinct is to hunt and kill to survive as it is with all animals . It is just bred out of us in modern society. Obviously some of us have a hard time having it bred out of them though.

 

 

rad8045
rad8045 like.author.displayName 1 Like

nature is violence, technology may have brought us out of the jungle but we are still animals that like other animals fight over territorys, stand over the weaker members of our kind, want to hump anything we find attractive, But over years of living under kings and world leaders and religion we have been slightly domesticated but occasionally the jungle comes back out of us.

rad8045
rad8045 like.author.displayName like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 3 Like

What do you expect when society has been telling us for years that violence is ok and sex is evil.

Saketume
Saketume

We'll we've heard this story the last 30 years now.

Whenever I see an old (and they always seem to be) politician blame video games for violence in society I just tilt my head a bit and smile.

 

I also heard there's this trend that killers like to watch the news on TV and brush their teeth in the morning. There might be some connection to their violent tendencies. They're usually meat eaters too.

 

It's a good thing no book lover ever killed anybody. OR DID THEY???? *GASP*

 

I think Karl Pilkington said it best

http://www.gigatonne.com/pic/karl-pilkington-violence.png

 

tazdevil33
tazdevil33

I also did not space this reply like this so i don't know how that happened :(

tazdevil33
tazdevil33 like.author.displayName 1 Like

Brilliantly written.

 

 I feel much the same though. So sick and tired of being told what i can and can't do . Living in Australia is even worse as the debate on whether as adults we can play R rated games has taken the idiots in power over 10 years to nut out. If they had two brain cells between the lot of them they  would be a dangerous army.

 

They waste money on everything from boat people that have no right to be here in the first place to squandering out tax dollars on rubbish enquiries that they mess up themselves internally in the first place.

 

I agree America is out of control with gun ownership but it is the culture that needs to change . Maybe if people actually felt safer over there they may not see the need for one.

 

Out here it is steadily getting worse, we just had two murders occur in the space of a week and both were gun related crimes so the statistics would have to be out of date.

 

We have drive by shootings daily and nightly in Australia now but the government does nothing about it to protect the average person.

 

I can see a time where Australia too will be adopting a practice of owning a gun for safety reasons which will cause all sorts of problems down the line.

 

I agree America should ban all military style semi and automatic rifles though as there is just no need for anyone to have equipment that was designed to kill so easily.

 

That is more the inept wording of your law there that allows these sorts of weapons though as it was written back at a time before such weapons existed.

 

Don't listen to idiots saying just because we don't have massacres on our mainland in Australia like you do in America that it is any safer to walk the streets around here as it clearly is not. Especially after dark.

 

I totally agree games like Grand Theft auto have had a rough deal over the years where as most violent movies make it through censorship unscathed which makes no sense at all.

 

You are much more likely to see more swearing and violence in most action movies and much more gore than you will see in most games.

 

I long for the day we will have decent people in politics especially out here that have enough brain matter between the lot of them to rub two sticks together to make fire let alone run a country.

 

 

pspitus
pspitus like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

But... but... Krystal, isn't the high percentage of drunk driving incidents linked to Mario Kart somehow? The banana peel caused me to look like I'm swerving... I swear, I swear! 

 

XD. Great blog Krystal, and you pretty much nailed the whole issue with videogames right on the head. :P. People need to get their head out of their arses and realize that they can't blame every single issue, every single crisis, on videogames. That's just stoopid my dear Sir :)

matastig
matastig like.author.displayName 1 Like

And this comes from a government who allows selling arms to civilians? wow well smack my ass and call me Julie.

randomfakename
randomfakename

 @matastig 

The government doesn't allow anything, it only takes away.

 

Remember this is the same government that kills the same number of kids through economic policy and warfare every week.

 

matastig
matastig

Lalala lalal laaaaaa annnnnd scene!!! XD

Jimbowesker
Jimbowesker like.author.displayName 1 Like

Very well said! I really hate that this very tragic thing has occured but be real people, video games is not the source behind such evil!! If that was the case I would be a Ted Bundy type serial killer cuz I been playing video games since I was 5 and I never have the desire to go shoot up public places. And violent video games at that!

simo_tmm
simo_tmm like.author.displayName 1 Like

Dont be silly. Of course it is not Video games/Rap and Metal music/Television/etc. It is Canada. Blame Canada!

OmegaSabre
OmegaSabre like.author.displayName 1 Like

Starcraft and Dynasty Warriors. Two most sickening games I've seen in my life. The amount of violence and gore in those games should not be witnessed by anyone.

josephl64
josephl64 like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 2 Like

Because everyone remembers the part in Dynasty Warriors where Lu Bu charges through Hu Lao gate with 2 pistols and a rifle right....right?

weekendrockstar
weekendrockstar like.author.displayName 1 Like

There's nothing in video games that will not be found in tv shows, movies and books. Look at that...we could just ban everything that constitutes as our culture in one shot!  It only stands to reason that even IF someone played a video game that portrayed a particular type of violence and the player decided that it would be "fun" to do it in real life is a mental problem. Someone whose mind isn't "firing on all cylinders", perhaps.  I've played tons of video games and have watched plenty of movies where someone kills other people....   hell..I watch a megaton of the ID Channel (Nothing but murders) but I am mentally, or is it psychologically, capable of realizing that these things should not be done 'fireals'.

 

If anything certain games may be enjoyed by psyco/sociopaths because they are already predisposed to enjoying such things.  The 'chicken or the egg' argument applies here.  Most people will say "This person committed a horrible crime because they played a certain game and it glorified such actions!" while, in all honesty, it is far more likely that they were drawn to the game because they already had a sick mind.

 

If a video game such as C.O.D. or Battlefield should have any effect on a player it should be, "Hey, I want to join the military where I can experience something similar in real life and perhaps provide a benefit such as securing the liberties and freedom of my country.".

 

Hmm Sorry to add so much seriousness to your off-the-cuff post...but you got me thinking. So it's totally your fault!

tazdevil33
tazdevil33

 @weekendrockstar 

I think the difference is whether a person understands the difference between right and wrong.  This has alot to do with upbringing but also to do with mental state.It sounds like as it is here in Australia . Not enough money is spent on mental health and the problems are getting worse.

I would say it is more sheer luck we have not had it happen in Australia and not to do with our culture. We have a huge underground network of illegal guns and drugs here . It is just not as open as the USA but the subculture is all still there.

 

I believe Australia is far too complacent and too accepting of people. The government tries to make out they are here for us when they are only here for themselves and what they can get out of all the perks of being in parliament.

 

 

randomfakename
randomfakename like.author.displayName 1 Like

 @tazdevil33  @weekendrockstar 

Everyone of these shootings of this class, the shooter was on psychotropic drugs. So, maybe, its more than just a correlation, and the approach taken to dealing with mental health should be reexamined.

 

I would feel a lot safer if walking around surrounded by people with guns, than I would walking around surrounded by people on mind bending drugs.

randomfakename
randomfakename

 @gunshot247  @tazdevil33  @weekendrockstar

 

Weed is probably the best drug for  mentally unstable people (among a long list of other uses). I doubt their will ever be a news story about someone committing a massacre after using weed.

 

I should have been more clear all these mass shootings in recent history have been associated with SSRI type drugs. It could be a correlation, but near %100 correlation should justify investigating if it is causation.

 

But the shortcut would be to just switch name all name brand drugs over to weed.

tazdevil33
tazdevil33

 @weekendrockstar 

We haven't had a decent Government here for nearly 20 years that actually cared about the people. 

tazdevil33
tazdevil33

 @weekendrockstar 

I agree but the argument i have heard from people is because video games are interactive and tv and movies are not at least not yet . 

Gen_Warbuff
Gen_Warbuff like.author.displayName 1 Like

Fantastic read! Can I get you to sign a petition to ban all video games, and puppies?

Lucky_Krystal
Lucky_Krystal like.author.displayName like.author.displayName like.author.displayName 3 Like

 @Gen_Warbuff Oh hell yeah.

 

Puppies will sometimes bite and pee all over your house! We need to ban these puppies before they corrupt our youth into biting and peeing all over each other! Puppies are terrible role models for our kids! They are barbaric, unethical, and need to be banned right away!

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