Games and Violence, the correlation

[flaran]

There was a discussion in my discrete math class about the correlation between games and violence. I'm assuming most of the people on these forums are open-minded enough to agree that games don't make people mass-murderers, but even if you agree with that, you see most school shootings, etc, are done by gamers. So, do you all agree that people who are violent are drawn to video games? Or do you think it is just coincidental because so many students play video games?

Personally, I think violent people are likely drawn to violent games.

[the.doctor]

Most kids play video games, all teen-shootings are committed by teens... The odds of that kid playing video games is good. But look at VTech, he didn't play video games.

Theres really no argument that can show a correlation between the two.

[flaran]

But look at VTech, he didn't play video games.

I've heard it said that he played counterstrike quite often. Have I been misinformed?

[Panty Man]

It's true that most teen shootings are done by gamers but I don't think that video games turn people into murderers. I think that it's violent people that get attracted to violent games. It is true that games can desensitize us to violence, drugs, alcohol, and so on but the average gamer doesn't go about killing people because of this. Also, we only hear on the news about gamers who do kill people because it's the only thing news worthy. For every gamer you see killing people on the news there has to be about a million who do not.

[ftw_59]

I've heard it said that he played counterstrike quite often. Have I been misinformed?
He was korean so he must have played starcraft. Which makes sense because his strategy must have been pretty good to rack up an epic score of 33.

[Jack90]

I had a really good post earlier, but that was somehow destroyed by the interwebs and got lost in the toobz.

So, I'll just shorten it - Violent people are attracted to violent media. Violent media will encourage these violent people to be more violent, however, the same violent media won't make new violent people. Violent people must exist in the first place. Now, if the violent media were to be removed, these violent people will still be violent, but at a reduced risk of actually killing somebody. However, if you scuff his shoe or look at him wrong, or make fun of his hair, you will be shot. Dead.


He was korean so he must have played starcraft. Which makes sense because his strategy must have been pretty good to rack up an epic score of 33.

I should know. Well, other than I have stopped playing Starcraft... 6 months ago. So my strategy is down - however, I guess I still have that Korean-born ability. You better watch out. I might be behind you with a gun. *rolls eyes* Right...

[System_Zero]

I've heard it said that he played counterstrike quite often. Have I been misinformed?

Very. The last time he played any video games was in High School, and a select few would be so bold as to state he had planed the whole attack for 5 years while still in high school. Of course there is not a single shred of evidence to support that claim but any anti-video game people only hear what they want to hear. :rolleyes:

There's no tangible link between media violence and rampage shootings. The vast majority of them are already fucked up in the head to start, and doing something as simple as playing Counter Strike or GTA will not inspire someone to pick up a gun and "reenact" their favorite parts of a game. If they pick up a gun to kill someone, they were set on doing it long before they picked up a controller.

[TheSwedishSnipa]

Video games has made me violent, but only to the point of where I make the odd wise-crack about stabbing hookers or children. Video games do cause people to be violent, over a long period of time, but most people can contain it.

This Asian guy must have gotten epic served hardcore style. Like jeez, 33? As a kill streak non-the-less:worship:. Why that's un-freakin-believable.
I award him with the rampage medal!!:thumup:

[System_Zero]

Video games has made me violent, but only to the point of where I make the odd wise-crack about stabbing hookers or children. Video games do cause people to be violent, over a long period of time, but most people can contain it.

This Asian guy must have gotten epic served hardcore style. Like jeez, 33? As a kill streak non-the-less:worship:. Why that's un-freakin-believable.
I award him with the rampage medal!!:thumup:

I've played just about every major "violent" game imaginable. From Doom to Gears of War and by no means am I a violent person. Aggressive at times yes but I'm not going to go out and stab hookers and kick puppies.

[TheSwedishSnipa]

Aggressive at times yes but I'm not going to go out and stab hookers and kick puppies.

I don't stab hookers or kick puppies either. I've just acquired a mild taste for violence throughout my time of playing games. I can't see myself going out with a gun, or even purchasing a gun, and cutting some people down. But if the situation arises, I'll throw a few punches if I get into a fight, and nothing more.

I kicked my friends cat once.... does that count?

[Tangent]

Video games stray far enough from reality so they can't really be blamed for violence, unless you're Jack Thompson and you suck.

Macro my area spells, enchant my bow and grab some arrows, oh yeah, and my armour which I had enchanted to feather me a few hundred points so I can loot all the bodies and the school/hit up the weapons cheat and spawn a tank. Bounty? No problem, I'll just pay my fine or spend a few seconds in jail, cover my losses with a money cheat and be back like nothing happened in no time. Feasable, eh?

And John, kicking my cat makes you a terrible person. I blame Rick Aster.

[System_Zero]

I don't stab hookers or kick puppies either. I've just acquired a mild taste for violence throughout my time of playing games. I can't see myself going out with a gun, or even purchasing a gun, and cutting some people down. But if the situation arises, I'll throw a few punches if I get into a fight, and nothing more.

I kicked my friends cat once.... does that count?

You just have issues that you need worked out. And fingering video games as the cause of it isn't going to get you very far.

[TheSwedishSnipa]

You just have issues that you need worked out. And fingering video games as the cause of it isn't going to get you very far.

Actually yeah you're probably right, although I was beat up by my brother as a child.
Probably the source of it all.



And John, kicking my cat makes you a terrible person. I blame Rick Aster.

Hey, it bit my toe, and I wasn't about to bite it back.
Although it looked so scrumptious. With a little oregano and pepper the way I like it.

[flaran]

Video games has made me violent, but only to the point of where I make the odd wise-crack about stabbing hookers or children.

I read this as "stabbing hookers with children. Was a bit strange.

And, yeah, I think I'm secretly part Asian, or something. Being good at first person shooters and Starcraft.

[TheSwedishSnipa]

And, yeah, I think I'm secretly part Asian, or something. Being good at first person shooters and Starcraft.

You should see me snipe on Halo2. The only time I lost was when I quit so I could go to the bathroom. PenitentTangent won. 15-10(me about 7-8 mins before end of game)-7-3(lol chizz)

[Tangent]

You should see me snipe on Halo2.

Yeah, he was good. I was good. Together we were mindblowing. Then my Halo 2 derped out and I haven't bothered to do anything about it, and I probably stink at it, and John's just plain amazing, blah blah, blah, I can still kick his ass in a game of Test Drive Unlimited, and that one time in Gears where I fluked out and borked him and his teambuddy in half a second. That was good.

[flaran]

Oh, Halo 2? That's considered a game? Well, I suck at it if so. And, yeah, Jack's half Korean. Of course he's amazing. (thoughIstillownhimoncounterstrike)

[TheSwedishSnipa]

Counter-strike is for the Halo wannabe.

[Hazaro]

I can scream "Fuck yea, BITCH i FUCKING RAPED YOU!" as I beat the fucking slut in God of War 2 by stabbing her in the mouth with a stone pillar, but I'm a sympathetic, empathetic motherfucker at heart.

Isn't fuck censored?

[TheSwedishSnipa]

I think violence has gotten the best of you.

[Panty Man]

You should see me snipe on Halo2. The only time I lost was when I quit so I could go to the bathroom. PenitentTangent won. 15-10(me about 7-8 mins before end of game)-7-3(lol chizz)

LMFAO. Remember that one time Chizz went on his own team and got completely raped by us. I think he had like 1 kill just because we all stopped to discuss something and he got a cheap bitch kill on... me I believe. Ah, good old, trustworthy, video game violence improving our reflexes one headshot at a time.

[Destagow]

Personally, I think violent people are likely drawn to violent games.

Glad you added "Personally, I think..." and "likely"

[Tangent]

LMFAO. Remember that one time Chizz went on his own team and got completely raped by us. I think he had like 1 kill just because we all stopped to discuss something and he got a cheap bitch kill on... me I believe. Ah, good old, trustworthy, video game violence improving our reflexes one headshot at a time.

Yeah, I'm going around the corner all stealthy, 'cause I know there's a horde of baddies nearby. 'John, get at my 1 o' clock and get me some cover fire when I move into postition.' He does. We're going really pro and taking it way too seriously when...a green-armoured Spartan runs by (Chizz yelling from the other side of the couch), rifle blazing, and throws the battlefield into chaos. Damn him.

[Slevin57]

You only need to go on one tour of duty in the Army to know that video games are nothing compared to the reality.

Games do not compel you to go murder people.

You may "kill" people in game, but that is nothing to killing someone in real life. Not to mention the aftermath. "Cleanup is a bitch"-- The smell alone usually gets people the most. Once you have smelled that smell, you will never forget it for as long as you live. I had the unfortunate reality of seeing such a scene. It's an insult to anyone who has ever been in a situation like that to say that video games make people kill.

People kill out of rage and hate. There is no love there. There is no fun.

[MasterGlitch]

Here's how I see it. Video games will never make you go out and shoot up a crowd of people. It's also not possible to plan such a thing in a video game. Even if it were, it would be the same as drawing it out or using figurines to plan it out.
BUT, one thing that people seem to miss is that entertainment DOES influence the way you think. That's what it was made for. Sad movies make you cry, movies where people do horrible things to others make you upset at the characters, political movies try to sway your thinking on certain subjects, etc. So I think it's not really a stretch to say that surrounding yourself constantly with violent entertainment can cause you to become more aggressive over time, or even pervert your thought processes. Violent video games can also desensitize you to violence in the real world -- just like violent movies or television.

I think that each side is partially right(the anti-video game activists have a lot more wrong, though). Entertainment can influence the way you think, speak, and act over time. No matter what, or in which ways. Though they will never push you to commit such extreme acts(such as public shootings or any other extreme act brought by extreme emotion) unless you already had that in your head to begin with, or if you previously had mental issues, or anything along those lines.

[Darkice]

murders one of my subjects I have put time and effort in to under standing just a little better.

I Know that almost every Kid/teen in this day and age have played some sort of game at lest once in there lives and seeing as how shooters are more like by the masses it would be easy to assume they have played a game with violence,
Hell most games with out violence are just boring...

Kids that kill are more then likely stressed out and think they hate some one or something a school and every one in it for example there burning hatred and no one to help them with there true life problem can lead to there destruction and the death of people who never wronged them.
most the people who kill soon after relize they didn't get the satisfaction they had hoped for and fail in to a worse state of depression..

In the end I believe Game really have no effect on your actions, people just want to believe that it was a game and that there little kid would never do something like that a scap goat one could say.

but as chance has it I do believe violent people are attracted by violent games But Im attracted to violent game and I'm Not really a violent person

[Denali]

You want to know what sort of connection there is between violence and games? None. NONE, I tell you! I don't play violent games, and this evening, I viciously attacked Jack and Flaran! Violently. Caused lots of pain. It was fun.

[Darkice]

Really well wow thats mean but funny
I see your living proof that games have no connection.

[Denali]

Really well wow thats mean but funny.

It's okay. We're friends. We frequently attack each other. Well, I frequently attack them. They put up with it, since I'm quite small and weak and can't cause that much damage.

[Darkice]

oh I know words can hurt more then any punch.
but I get what your trying to say.
Cool Cool

[Denali]

Though, kicking under the table can hurt quite a lot if I don't aim quite right.

[Darkice]

Haha!

Wow Kid your Really funny.
man you rock.

[dc]

Violent video games hasn't made me violent, but I do have more violent thoughts then I believe I would if I never played those games. I would never go out and commit mass murder because of a video game. Violent video games give you more violent thoughts, but they don't push you into commiting murder or any big crimes. I think it is coincidental that most of the school shootings have occured by gamers.

[Tangent]

Even if it were, it would be the same as drawing it out or using figurines to plan it out.

Yeah, so why isn't Jack Thompson going after Army Men then? Video games dont make people kill other fucking people. Killing a person is a big deal, it isn't just, Oh, GrandTheft Auto makes me want to run rampant in a city full of idiots, killing everyone with no repercussion. It's in a computer, they won't be missed, they don't have little computer families or anything, whatever.

REAL LIFE = NOT A VIDEO GAME

WHERE'S MY GD EXP??

[Zerth]

I've played so many violent video games, watch so many violent movies.. and I have never been in a fight. or thought of killing/hurting anyone in real life.
:banned:

[Kale]

I can understand violent games (and all media in general) influencing people to be more aggressive, but they don't create violence in people, or push people to do drastic things such as kill. Such things are either already in a person, or are snap reactions to situations. I can well imagine that people who are prone to violence would be attracted to violent media, since people tend to be interested things that reflect themselves. There is a connection to violence and video games, but I'm of the thought that it's the violent people attracting the games, not the games creating the violent people.
Look at the general profile for a lot the kids who are involved in school shootings. They're mostly loners, picked on, cast out in some way by their peers, usually family problems, abused in most cases in some way, and are mentally unstable. Oh and they play violent video games. Of all of these things they pick the one that in reality probably contributed the least to their actions and pick it to be the cause.

[Zerth]

I can understand violent games (and all media in general) influencing people to be more aggressive, but they don't create violence in people, or push people to do drastic things such as kill. Such things are either already in a person, or are snap reactions to situations. I can well imagine that people who are prone to violence would be attracted to violent media, since people tend to be interested things that reflect themselves. There is a connection to violence and video games, but I'm of the thought that it's the violent people attracting the games, not the games creating the violent people.
Look at the general profile for a lot the kids who are involved in school shootings. They're mostly loners, picked on, cast out in some way by their peers, usually family problems, abused in most cases in some way, and are mentally unstable. Oh and they play violent video games. Of all of these things they pick the one that in reality probably contributed the least to their actions and pick it to be the cause.

Because, GOD FORBID it be the parents fault.

[Pattax]

LMFAO. Remember that one time Chizz went on his own team and got completely raped by us. I think he had like 1 kill just because we all stopped to discuss something and he got a cheap bitch kill on... me I believe. Ah, good old, trustworthy, video game violence improving our reflexes one headshot at a time.

PM me for my GT. I was ranked 9th FFA in Australia after the WCG, and used to play tonnes of ocmps online and LAN. Ask IC about our ventures.

[Steve Ignorant]

Well, since my other post was deleted...

I believe games take part in desensitizing the public, but they don't encourage people to go out and hurt someone (even I find that farfetched, I'm very empathetic and caring for other organisms). Games can't effect peoples judgement of what's right or wrong. The number of people who don't play video games and kill dwarves the amount of people that do play games and kill. I think that everyone should play video games for a healthier life. :P

[Maddox]

I've played so many violent video games, watch so many violent movies.. and I have never been in a fight. or thought of killing/hurting anyone in real life.
:banned:


Translation: I like shitty video games and am a pussy. Honest.

Sorry, I couldn't resist translating.

[Flying Circus]

As "PenitentTangent" has said before at school, referring to columbine being blamed on doom, "Boom - imp. Boom - specter. Boom - Columbine."

[Zarathustra]

Violent video games don't cause any violent thoughts... But they don't help with them either....

[Tingebing]

My statement is, if you play ultra-games (Resident evil etc) where you get plunged in a bath of murder etc, only in that situation you can possibly, very very very small chance, turn into a murderer... As long as you can keep difference between reality and game everything is ok. But now with the new hd games, things are getting harder. But still, you must turn somekind of switch inside your head before shooting someone, you must put your mind to zero and think of nothing to kill one of your own, it is just... Weird.

[Zarathustra]

And everyone must remember all those people who shoot lots of people for no reason... THEY ARE CRAZY. The Virgina Tech guy didn't play violent video games... and compared Columbine it seems that videogames actually curb violent behavior.

[Holic]

Sometimes I use video-games to put away the anger in my head. You know, just go on a rampage in GTA. But sometimes they make me even more pissed, like the lag I get in Guitar Hero 2.

[Bmoney1337]

video games don't make people violent, people that are violent are attracted to video games to simulate their fantasy's...

I belive adam carrolla said it best, although he was talking about marijuana at the time the saying still applies...

"... SAYING MARIJUANA IS A GATEWAY DRUG IS LIKE SAYING BEING BORN IS A GATEWAY TO SERIAL KILLING..."

now apply that to violent video games

[Gravekeeper]

Back in my day, we had School Turtle-Shellings rather than School Shootings.
Must have something to do with all those super-violent platformers.

[M3troid]

the only correlation I can see between video games and actually killing someone is that gamers are more used to violence.

My best friend would rather move a cockroach outside than squish it, but he loves to scream when he games. If an uninitiated n00b to gaming were to walk into the room during one of his outbursts of "I F***ing knifed you; look, i see your blood splattered all over the ground!" they would probably be appalled, but someone who knows gaming would just laugh.

Those reactions are on opposite ends of the spectrum, but have nothing to do with a persons demand for killing. I don't think its to bold to believe that all killing is an effect to a cause. These causes could be revenge (as in a cheated on wife or bullied student), racist hate (as in gang violence and old school lynching), a thirst for power (usually your cereal killers), religious belief (Aztecs, Mayas, Muslims, Voodoo, cults, ect.) or, "necessity" (this can be killing someone to eat because you don't think you can get food elsewhere or the belief that you have to kill someone to steal something from them).

I don't believe that exposure to violence is a cause for further violence. I think that most murder actually correlates to mental instability and the "cause" is usually a person snapping or creating an excuse. Most sane people don't go out killing people after all...except maybe when it comes to religion.

"Religion is a dangerous thing"

[semiavrage]

I'm the LEAST violent person you'll ever meet. I always try to resolve things with words (only been in 2 fights in my life-- years ago (...I won.))

I'm also a player of the GTA series, and yes. I stab hookers.

[BeanFire]

I believe that violent people are attracted to violent games. If you pick up a gun to shoot someone, the chances that playing Counter-Strike made you believe it was OK. It would sound more believe-able if someone shot another because they made them loose a clan match but even then thats taking it to the extreme. There are millions of people who are constantly getting a couple of friends together in their basement or online and go shoot somethings. That's not going to make them want to go pick up a AK-47 and go find "Bomb Site A" and blow shit up. It's just not logical. Also, I don't understand how people(Jack Thompson) say you can "train" for a school shooting on Halo? Or any other console game? Just the fact that there's auto-aim puts it out of the picture. Maybe tactic's and teamwork/communication but you can do that in real life a lot better then virtual reality. It's funny how the arcade shooters such as House of the Dead and Time Crisis don't get any blame. They at least teach you aim. Another thing, why is paintball never blamed? With paintball you're physically aiming and shooting the gun at other people. People these days make me laugh.

[Nolemek]

if anything violent games are nothing more than an outlet for violent people and is probably delaying the discovery of someones violent tendancies. However I do not think there is any direct link between violence and games.

[Darkguru]

Games and Violence, the correlation ----There is none! The people who commit violent acts are "a special breed" Shit the only violence acts i commit after playing UT is maybe the "KEYBOARD SMASH" or the "MOUSE STOMP" after getting pwned:flak: ......:D

[IC3MANZ]

I think that video games have nothing to do with these people that commit these crimes. I think that the only thing to blame is BAD PARENTING. I am a long time video gamer, I haven't gone an shot anyone or blown something up. I think that it is asinine to think that video games would have anything to do with it.

[MasterGlitch]

I think that video games have nothing to do with these people that commit these crimes. I think that the only thing to blame is BAD PARENTING. I am a long time video gamer, I haven't gone an shot anyone or blown something up. I think that it is asinine to think that video games would have anything to do with it.

What really gets me is that these kids just have to admit to playing video games and then they get an immediate scapegoat for them and their parents. That's just wrong. You can't take blame away from people just because they play video games. It seriously makes me sick that the lives of people who died and the guilt that should be put squarely on the killer(s) are being trivialized and otherwise minimized by blaming things like video games.

[irish]

people who murder and are tied back to video games are all ready f***ed up. Besides, playing a game is only going to help your hand-eye coordination. it won't help you fire a gun, reload a gun, fix a jam, etc.

[Psycoticlese]

I play FPS games every now and then Hell I'm even saving up for an AlienWare computer so I can specifically play Crisis, CS, HL2 deathmatch, DoD Source, etc

Does this mean I'm planning an all out killing spree at my highschool?
I have the equipmnet: A gun, ammunition, a history of playing violent videogames
according to Jack Thompson I have all the materials I need to unload a few rounds into my school chums. I dont even have a Motive but apperantly that wont stop me.

This whole concept is completely stupid!

Yes I believe that playing Violent videogames can result in a school shooting or something of that nature but you'd have to be pretty F***ed up in the first place

[IC3MANZ]

I play FPS games every now and then Hell I'm even saving up for an AlienWare computer so I can specifically play Crisis, CS, HL2 deathmatch, DoD Source, etc

Does this mean I'm planning an all out killing spree at my highschool?
I have the equipmnet: A gun, ammunition, a history of playing violent videogames
according to Jack Thompson I have all the materials I need to unload a few rounds into my school chums. I dont even have a Motive but apperantly that wont stop me.

This whole concept is completely stupid!

Yes I believe that playing Violent videogames can result in a school shooting or something of that nature but you'd have to be pretty F***ed up in the first place Agreed :clap:

[Psycoticlese]

Difference between REAL LIFE (RL) and VIRTUAL REALITY (VR)
What happens when you kill someone:
RL: THEY ARE GONE!!!!
VR: they eventually respawn orwait until the next match

The Effects of killing someone:
RL: they have a family they can no longer support, you go to jail, etc
VR: you go up in rank, you gain EXP

HOW to act (Normally):
RL: you walk around having conversations with people interacting etc.
VR FPS GAMES : AN ALL OUT KILL-FEST OF BLOODY MURDER AND "TEA-BAGGING"!!
VR MMORPG: talk to friends, form parties, (and repeat the FPS action except more magically)

IF you cant tell the difference between RL and a videogame there is something SERIOUSLY wrong with you!

My hypothesis: When I play games like BF2 I dont think of it in a way that I'm "killing" someone I think of it as though I have outsmarted them and out strategized them not that I am "training" to get into an all out Rampage though the local mall it's just STUPID!
Yes the army does use videogames similar to CS and BF2 to train thier soldiers to kill BUT they do this with the INTENTION to kill because that's thier job to get into another country and if fired at they are TRAINED to fire back Cideogames will NEVER teach you how to outmaneuver a SWAT team these guys are trained to out maneuver every and all hostile people!

[BeanFire]

Yes the army does use videogames similar to CS and BF2 to train thier soldiers to kill BUT they do this with the INTENTION to kill because that's thier job to get into another country and if fired at they are TRAINED to fire back Cideogames will NEVER teach you how to outmaneuver a SWAT team these guys are trained to out maneuver every and all hostile people!
The army uses Video games for strategy and teamwork, and teach them what to do in certain situations.

[MasterGlitch]

The army uses Video games for strategy and teamwork, and teach them what to do in certain situations.

It's true. Video games aren't used to train them to use weapons, just to deal with combat situations.

[Darkguru]

Muscle Memory ---to train the brain or body just to react --so you don't think about squad tactics you just do them. “Just like breathing”

Muscle memory starts with a visual cue, hence videogame training for the Troops.:minigun: :flak:

[BeanFire]

It's true. Video games aren't used to train them to use weapons, just to deal with combat situations.
Exactly! If your a dead shot with the sniper in Halo, that doesn't mean your going to pwn in rl. Just doesn't work, theres no auto aim. The world's fastest gun shot doesn't go home and load "Counter-Strike: Halflife" (lol @ Jack) to practice. There's just so much proof that video games can't physically train you for real life gun/weapon use.

[System_Zero]

Hold a gun in real life and and clicking a mouse/ moving a joystick are two completely diffrent.

With a gun you have things like recoil, wind resistance, etc. Even with the arcade games, they make you better shot but anyone's ever fired a gun will tell you that just being a good shot won't do you any good.

The funny thing about the concept of training for a real life shooting in a video game is that in a video game your targets shoot back at you where as in real life they'll more than likely run away, let alone not have a weapon to fight back with.

Now if say, everyone in your school had at leasts 2 guns then that would be understandable. But the tactic of taking cover while taking someone down just who isn't armed doesn't make any sense when it's just easier to point a gun at someone.

[BeanFire]

Now if say, everyone in your school had at leasts 2 guns then that would be understandable. But the tactic of taking cover while taking someone down just who isn't armed doesn't make any sense when it's just easier to point a gun at someone.
It would only be "understandable" if they were trying to hide, which is what a doubt they would do. Reason being is that they are trying to strike fear into the other students. That was a good point you brought up.

[System_Zero]

Very seldom is a gunman trying to strike fear into their targets. Otherwise their goals wouldn't be to kill them. Why strike fear into someone you're just going to kill anyway? And since the only thing video games will do is make you're responses time quicker, it's not going to make you a better anything, other than a better CS:S player.

[MasterGlitch]

Very seldom is a gunman trying to strike fear into their targets. Otherwise their goals wouldn't be to kill them. Why strike fear into someone you're just going to kill anyway?

Because it's not always simply about the killing.
I mean, sure, what you're saying is correct if you're talking about someone who is trying to kill a bunch of people. But with things like school shootings, it's often about revenge, so they terrorize the victims and make them scared rather than simply shooting everyone right away.

[System_Zero]

Well taking the majority of school shootings here in the US, it was more about killing than terrorizing. In fact, the V-Tech shootings where pretty random. In Columbine, the shooters targeted the groups that they hated, but they shot them on sight.

While striking fear into your victims is probable, if you're taking a loaded weapon to a school, you're goal is more than likely to kill as many people as possible or kill particular people. The same applies to work place shootings in that the crazy employee will either target other people at random or just go after their boss and anybody they hate.

[Wolfin]

In my opinion, (and this applies to that D&D case years ago as well), if the person went crazy after playing a certain game, they must have been crazy before they started playing. The game couldn't have made them do it, because thousands of other players are perfectly sane after the same exposure.

Then again, who's to say what sanity is, really..

[System_Zero]

According to most anti-gaming groups, we're all mass murders waiting to happen. That's why some groups have even tried (http://gamepolitics.com/2007/07/11/video-game-link-to-philadelphias-murder-rate-politicians-probing/)to blame a rise in murders on video games.

[BeanFire]

I don't get what the anti-game groups are trying to show us. Thousands of people across the world play GTA, CSS, Halo and many more games everyday. But you don't see those millions of people who love there games go out and try to kill someone. Has anyone heard of an Oblivion fan go crazy put on a suit of armor, pick up a sword, and go try and chop peoples heads off? Has anyone dressed up in a spiderman costume and tried to climb a building? No? It's like Blaming movies for "warping our minds". Oh? They do that aw well? Too bad.

[System_Zero]

Most anti-gaming groups are completely oblivious to just how many people actually play games. They still video games are meant for little kids.

[Jeff]

On the first post, I don't think video games make people violent, if anything it allows them to get rid of their anger by shooting this fake person over and over again. The actual game wouldn't even help them with shooting in real life. Lets take halo as an example. Lets say you can kill this one person every time and they flat out suck. Then you discover a hatred for this person, and go to kill them at school. You walk up to them with a gun, and they pull one out from under their pant leg and kill you before you even expect it. Video games are definitely not a judge of weapon skills.

Recently, at my school there were 2 bombs put in lockers that had the ability to completely destroy the whole upper half of a school that holds an average of 2 thousand people. An article is available here (http://wcbstv.com/topstories/local_story_164125747.html). It made national news, and was epically spoken about in the New York/New Jersey area. The people who were arrested for doing this were 4 seniors, who had it set up as a senior prank so that they could light them by walking down the hall with a lighter, and quickly exit the building. Luckily the bombs were discovered and we all went through a lot of fun evacuating the building. I would go on about all the fun we had (sarcasm) but the point of the story is that the 4 students who did this were not active in video games, or even interviewed about being video game players. Video games have no substantial affect on peoples violent behavior (or desire to blow me up).

[System_Zero]

Most politicians will try and pin any teen angst (and social ills) on media. Teen won't do homework? Failing in school? Always getting in trouble? It's them dag nabbit video games! It's not because you're lousy parents who never pay any attention to their kids lives. It's them evil video games and their MTVs!!

[BeanFire]

On the first post, I don't think video games make people violent, if anything it allows them to get rid of their anger by shooting this fake person over and over again. The actual game wouldn't even help them with shooting in real life. Lets take halo as an example. Lets say you can kill this one person every time and they flat out suck. Then you discover a hatred for this person, and go to kill them at school. You walk up to them with a gun, and they pull one out from under their pant leg and kill you before you even expect it. Video games are definitely not a judge of weapon skills.

Recently, at my school there were 2 bombs put in lockers that had the ability to completely destroy the whole upper half of a school that holds an average of 2 thousand people. An article is available here (http://wcbstv.com/topstories/local_story_164125747.html). It made national news, and was epically spoken about in the New York/New Jersey area. The people who were arrested for doing this were 4 seniors, who had it set up as a senior prank so that they could light them by walking down the hall with a lighter, and quickly exit the building. Luckily the bombs were discovered and we all went through a lot of fun evacuating the building. I would go on about all the fun we had (sarcasm) but the point of the story is that the 4 students who did this were not active in video games, or even interviewed about being video game players. Video games have no substantial affect on peoples violent behavior (or desire to blow me up).

Wow, nice "prank". What the hell were they thinking?

[Jeff]

Most politicians will try and pin any teen angst (and social ills) on media. Teen won't do homework? Failing in school? Always getting in trouble? It's them dag nabbit video games! It's not because you're lousy parents who never pay any attention to their kids lives. It's them evil video games and their MTVs!!
You got a point there, parents are always the first ones to assume its video games, not their parenting skills.


Wow, nice "prank". What the hell were they thinking?

I have no idea, but they had a good future headed for them. One kid was headed for an Ivy leauge school. Now they all got 20 years.