Sealiah

People kill people. People who are fucked up in the head, and think that the answer to everything is a gun or knife stabbing into someone and ruining their lives, and the lives of people around them. Games are just that. Games. They have ratings. They have warnings.

They don't encourage people to go out there and start shooting people. They are there as an escape, a way to relieve the pressure of everyday life. For those of us frustrated with work, there is nothing more satisfying than coming home and killing a few pixels on a screen. Where we can IMAGINE that we're taking out our grudges.

Are we hurting people? Hell no. I've got anger issues, I go to my console or my pc, and I kill pixels. I have never, nor will I ever, take a gun and shoot someone.

So why the hell are people saying the VA Tech shooter was inspired by video games? Hell, look at the commentary from his former creative writing teacher. She said he was downright mean, nasty, and scared her. She refused to teach him. The kid was fucked in the head people! THAT is why he went loco and killed people.

Not Warcraft, NOT Halo, NOT GtA. Get it into your thick skulls!

erikestabrook

his soul inspiration, dementia and social rejection
good point

~Serenity~

Heh, we talked about this in my Anthro/Psych/Soc class the day after it happened. We talked about how they {the media, I think my teacher meant} looked at all the ways the VA shooter is different, making him seem as alien as possible so that people didn't have to relate. And we were talking about factors and groups that influence our behaviour, talking about all the things that could possibly have led up to this. Took a whole class of speculating =)
Personally, I don't watch the news or listen to it on the radio - so I didn't know about this new spin. Videogames inspired him? That really does seem a bit of a stretch. {To put it lightly...} I always felt video games kept people {or at least, me and my brother} out of trouble... If you're busy attacking pixels, you haven't got free hands or free attention to get a real gun and find real people.
Well said, Sealiah =)

Smiles!,
~Serenity~

Sealiah

It is all the rage now with some politicians to point hte finger at movies and video games. But I ask you this... are books any different? If there were no violent movies or games, there are violent books. There is always SOMETHING violent that may give a person already inclined to do things an idea of HOW to do it, but it will not make them do something they weren't already willing to do.

Hell, the NEWS probably does more damage than a video game or movie.

MsJacquiiC

yep - wasn't video games that killed those people.
But I do wonder - what if the gentleman had been embraced to actually be part of that VT society, rather than being pushed to the outskirts, which apparently means genocide?

Jacquii.

nomadicrhymer

Sealiah, I fully agree. I think that a whole lot of the blame lay with parents…because it’s not “in style” and frowned upon nowadays to be strict…I have always been…I censor what they watch, read, or listen to…”bad parent not allowing them their freedom, I guess”. But nothing with cuss words, no R-rated movies, or even some PG ones, no rap music, NO BET for sure! As they get older, and already have good morals and values in place, they get exposed to more and know much better how to deal with it outside…I haven’t done anything special that I know of with my kids, except be mean sometimes…but talking to them, now that they have developed their own personalities to the point where they can deal with life (one more to go) I can see that they are totally their own person, individually, don’t agree with me on a lot of stuff, BUT they are good citizens, helpful and caring and empathetic to others, as well as assuming growing responsibility. A little beating never hurt (emphasis on “little”)

Now my son plays some of the crappy and gangster-style video games, as well as Mario Bros., but he can handle them now as just a piece of entertainment.

Everything is out there for whoever wants to listen and see…and the choice can’t be made by the child, that is why they are given guides (parents) in life…when they are adult, or young adult, they can make their own decisions regarding iffy subjects like this. Teaching accountability is No. 1…if you have something/someone to be accountable to. Otherwise why should they care who does what or why?

mangodroplet

those who really take it as seriously as those politicians say just play those games all day anyway.
so they don't hurt people.
duh.

so don't blame it on games.
i need games to let off steam.
else i'd go crazzy.

Amzy

Of course video games drive people to kill other people. That's why there were never any murders in the days before video games. Oops, wait a minute, before that it was television that killed people. T