Annnnnnnnnnnnd they're trying to scapegoat "violent videogames" (CT shooting)

[Surtur]

My take on this has always been if a person is so easily influenced by media that they become a killer then that person was already batshit insane and thus something would of set said person off. Videogames, tv shows, movies, etc. They'd need to avoid most forms of entertainment. Crazy people like videogames as much as non-crazy people, it's not the games fault..it can't pick and choose what kind of person plays it. Hell I once shot a damned baby in the face in a videogame, but it didn't make me want to go out and kill babies.

I have no doubt the media can influence people, but if it's having *that* much influence on you then you have issues at hand that have nothing to do with videogames.

[StreetFighterRyu]

They can blame video games and movies all they want. They just don't want to admit is because those kids that started the shootings were probably lunatics to begin with. It could also be they were raised pure PG their whole life. Not understanding how the real world works. And possibly never received any decipline.

Hey kids, pieces of advice:

-Good guys don't ALWAYS win.

-Nice guys don't ALWAYS get the girl.

-Sometimes the hero LOSES the girl.

-Assholes pretty much run the show.

-Being naive won't help you in the real world.

I could go on, but then again I'm probably just a gamer who doesn't know what he's talking and simply just wanted to defend video games.

[Kage Kisaragi]

While what happened in CT was indeed tragic, the notion that mainstream media isn't at fault for contributing to the violence that goes on around us is simple ignorance. We as a society are influenced by the very things we condone as appropriate. If we show celebrities sexually parading around in near nudity and glorify it, how can we wag our fingers at our children for following such examples, or exploring sex before they are mentally mature enough to understand the responsibilities behind it?

If you train your kids to shoot guns how can you expect them not to use that skill when they deem it necessary? For a child that might mean when the school bully has pushed them around for the last time. A soldier is trained and told the purpose of his rifle long before he is told to actually shot it. He is told why he is being trained to use it, and what is expected of him each time he picks it up. Can we honestly say we do the same things with out children when we take them hunting, or to a shooting range? Unfortunately the answer is no, and many do so because they believe it is fun, or forms a closer bond with a child who for the most part has already been overly exposed to gun violence by way of the media.

I'm not sure if blaming video games will help correct the issue, but when you consider how many LEGAL guns are sold in this country, some of which are military grade and really have no reason to be in the hands of civilians, you have to at some point wonder. WHY? Why are there so many guns out there LEGALLY? Does the average civilian need AK-47 Assault Rifle? Any assault rifle for that matter? the answer is NO. There really isn't any excuse for that. The government should have already had a tighter reign on the sale of guns in the first place. There is no reason why civilians should be able to purchase firearms of military grade or have access to weapons that even your average law enforcement officer doesn't have access to.

Violence begets more violence no matter what the source, TV, Video games, Comics, Movies, Radio, Internet, whatever the source. Will striping people of their guns work? No, because that will never happen, not unless everyone who owns a gun illegally or legally decides to discard them. However this is a gun loving country, this country America has its roots deeply rooted in gun ownership and use. It's as much a part of our history as anything else that America has come to be known for. However that doesn't mean we should just ignore the possibility of tragic mistakes such as the one that happened in Newtown Connecticut. There will always be those amongst us who cant help but use violence as a means to express themselves, but so long as it is easy for them to do it on such a massive and tragic scale, we have no one but ourselves to blame, and that blame will go all the way up to the highest branch of government so long as it refuses to act.

Reducing the sales of guns and munitions, as well as controlling access to violent material of any kind are just a few of the things our government can do to try and reduce gun violence in our country. The over all reaction and concerns since the Newtown incident has been that we want to be safer, we wont to curb the growing cultural acceptance of gun violence. We wont those who are obviously in need of mental help to get it while the signs are there and before the next catastrophe strikes. Is there any reason why a 8 year old should be playing the latest Call of Duty game? This isn't the animated violence of yesteryear where all that happens is that the guy gets a black face after being shot in the head and simply wipes it away with a tissue. Are we sitting down and telling our children that gun use and its aftermath is a serious thing that comes with heavy repercussions? Death is very real and I think a lot of people aren't having that discussion with their kids soon enough, they aren't being made to understand that the ownership of a firearm isn't just some cool gadget that adults like to get when they need to make a point of how tough they are, or cool they are. Guns in general shouldn't be looked at as things of awe, and status. They are weapons of death, and the only reason to ever have one is to kill someone/thing else that is threatening your life.

[dupersuper]

While what happened in CT was indeed tragic, the notion that mainstream media isn't at fault for contributing to the violence that goes on around us is simple ignorance. We as a society are influenced by the very things we condone as appropriate. If we show celebrities sexually parading around in near nudity and glorify it, how can we wag our fingers at our children for following such examples, or exploring sex before they are mentally mature enough to understand the responsibilities behind it?

If you train your kids to shoot guns how can you expect them not to use that skill when they deem it necessary? For a child that might mean when the school bully has pushed them around for the last time. A soldier is trained and told the purpose of his rifle long before he is told to actually shot it. He is told why he is being trained to use it, and what is expected of him each time he picks it up. Can we honestly say we do the same things with out children when we take them hunting, or to a shooting range? Unfortunately the answer is no, and many do so because they believe it is fun, or forms a closer bond with a child who for the most part has already been overly exposed to gun violence by way of the media.

I'm not sure if blaming video games will help correct the issue, but when you consider how many LEGAL guns are sold in this country, some of which are military grade and really have no reason to be in the hands of civilians, you have to at some point wonder. WHY? Why are there so many guns out there LEGALLY? Does the average civilian need AK-47 Assault Rifle? Any assault rifle for that matter? the answer is NO. There really isn't any excuse for that. The government should have already had a tighter reign on the sale of guns in the first place. There is no reason why civilians should be able to purchase firearms of military grade or have access to weapons that even your average law enforcement officer doesn't have access to.

Violence begets more violence no matter what the source, TV, Video games, Comics, Movies, Radio, Internet, whatever the source. Will striping people of their guns work? No, because that will never happen, not unless everyone who owns a gun illegally or legally decides to discard them. However this is a gun loving country, this country America has its roots deeply rooted in gun ownership and use. It's as much a part of our history as anything else that America has come to be known for. However that doesn't mean we should just ignore the possibility of tragic mistakes such as the one that happened in Newtown Connecticut. There will always be those amongst us who cant help but use violence as a means to express themselves, but so long as it is easy for them to do it on such a massive and tragic scale, we have no one but ourselves to blame, and that blame will go all the way up to the highest branch of government so long as it refuses to act.

Reducing the sales of guns and munitions, as well as controlling access to violent material of any kind are just a few of the things our government can do to try and reduce gun violence in our country. The over all reaction and concerns since the Newtown incident has been that we want to be safer, we wont to curb the growing cultural acceptance of gun violence. We wont those who are obviously in need of mental help to get it while the signs are there and before the next catastrophe strikes. Is there any reason why a 8 year old should be playing the latest Call of Duty game? This isn't the animated violence of yesteryear where all that happens is that the guy gets a black face after being shot in the head and simply wipes it away with a tissue. Are we sitting down and telling our children that gun use and its aftermath is a serious thing that comes with heavy repercussions? Death is very real and I think a lot of people aren't having that discussion with their kids soon enough, they aren't being made to understand that the ownership of a firearm isn't just some cool gadget that adults like to get when they need to make a point of how tough they are, or cool they are. Guns in general shouldn't be looked at as things of awe, and status. They are weapons of death, and the only reason to ever have one is to kill someone/thing else that is threatening your life.

We Canadians love violent movies, TV shows and video games as much as you, as do other countries. We manage to avoid this epidemic...

[Sonofspam]

We Canadians love violent movies, TV shows and video games as much as you, as do other countries. We manage to avoid this epidemic...

That's cause you Canadian's are too nice and laidback.

[Kage Kisaragi]

We Canadians love violent movies, TV shows and video games as much as you, as do other countries. We manage to avoid this epidemic...

my point was that you can't simply dismiss media and say that it doesn't contribute towards peoples out look. We are what our society promotes and allows.

[darkmetal]

We Canadians love violent movies, TV shows and video games as much as you, as do other countries. We manage to avoid this epidemic...

Even the Japanese do as well ,Honestly can we let the topic die.We so much forget that even in 1988 kids died near a school in scanton(sp?) California and people kids are all around the world die form guns.

We can analyze it alll the time but we are positing the blame to objects.Humans being are always going to be violent .We have had school shooting since the late 20s.Way before video games were made.

[andthegunslinger]

It seems inherently that this appears to be American problem so I don't buy the violent video games argument. Other countries play the same games, have the same violent history, but don't kill at the rate Americans do. Whether it's gangland shootings or high school massacres, America is king.

The US is has by far more guns than any other country (roughly the equivilent of 88 per person, although I've heard this number is said to be far too low).

They also have 10.2 firearm related deaths per 100,000 people (including manslaughter, suicide, unintentional or unsolved crimes), now I believe these should effecitvely count but we'll just pick up on homicide which is 3.7 per 100,000.

When we compare this to somewhere like Switzerland which has roughly 45.7 guns per 100,000 (roughly half), their homicide rate is only 0.52 meaning Americans murder at about 7 times a higher rate. They still consume the same media, they have a violent past, but they don't kill at the same rate. When ranked with other countries that have similar gun death rates, the US is surrounded by Zimbabwe, Costa Rica and Nicaragua...

Back on point, I'm not an American citizen so I can't say for sure what is to blame for the countries medieval savage mentality but when compared as data to other countries with fairly similar landscapes and culture (the UK, Germany, France, Canada, Netherlands), the US is far ahead for gun related deaths.

[Sonofspam]

Considering how many copies so many violent video games sell you would have to be a complete idiot to think they cause everyone to go on a shooting rampage, cause if this were even remotely true there would be like 50,000 shooting rampages a week.

[Kage Kisaragi]

I don't think that anyone who has ever advocated for less violence in the media has ever said, that everyone who buys video games is a ticking time bomb waiting to go shoot up places. Obviously it takes more than just playing a game to get a gun and decide to go out and kill people. How readily available are guns in other countries compared to the US? How inexpensive are they compared to the US? What kind of requirements do you have to meet before you can buy guns in other countries compared to the US. Who's more likely to go on a shooting spree the kids in the house with wealthy parents but who have no guns in their home, or the kid who's parents have wealth but also keep a assortment of guns accessible by all within the household?

Don't be so quick to dismiss, a kid who plays gun oriented video games and enjoys it is far more likely to show a interest in guns in general if presented the opportunity to wield one than one who isn't and has been told not play with one.

[jesse_custer]

In order to blame entertainment media for violence, there needs to be a clear link. The best example is Griffith's "Birth of a Nation." After some racist white people saw that film, they attacked blacks. I have read that a white man killed a black teenager after seeing that film.

So yes, artists have to be responsible to an extent. At the same time, can we link what the Connecticut shooting to any specific game? Not really.

You know, we can discuss gun control, mental health, and violent media all we want, but we need to talk about something else: us. This is the most disturbing issue of the bunch. Holmes, the man who shot and killed people in the Aurora theater, claimed to be inspired by the Joker from The Dark Knight. So why did everyone react so negatively to what he did? After all, was Ledger's character not glorified at all?

The problem, in reality, is that our culture is immoral and soft. Shitty behavior is looked up to; we have a morbid fascination with it. Our culture as a whole clearly lacks moral clarity. Thus, people think they can get away with things. They even think they can become stars for doing bad things. And they're right.

[jesse_custer]

Don't be so quick to dismiss, a kid who plays gun oriented video games and enjoys it is far more likely to show a interest in guns in general if presented the opportunity to wield one than one who isn't and has been told not play with one.

I'm not sure about this logic. A lot of times when you tell a kid not to do something, this arouses curiosity.

The first thing my dad taught me when he handed me a gun is gun safety. It's better to know something than to be ignorant when it comes to life and death.

[Kage Kisaragi]

I'm not sure about this logic. A lot of times when you tell a kid not to do something, this arouses curiosity.

The first thing my dad taught me when he handed me a gun is gun safety. It's better to know something than to be ignorant when it comes to life and death.

I made a case for explaining the responsibilities of gun ownership, and what it means beyond what video games and other media might not express, that is the value of Life, and that taking someone elses is generally highly unacceptable, that was in my first post. I just didn't feel like repeating that point again.

[darkmetal]

In order to blame entertainment media for violence, there needs to be a clear link. The best example is Griffith's "Birth of a Nation." After some racist white people saw that film, they attacked blacks. I have read that a white man killed a black teenager after seeing that film.

So yes, artists have to be responsible to an extent. At the same time, can we link what the Connecticut shooting to any specific game? Not really.

You know, we can discuss gun control, mental health, and violent media all we want, but we need to talk about something else: us. This is the most disturbing issue of the bunch. Holmes, the man who shot and killed people in the Aurora theater, claimed to be inspired by the Joker from The Dark Knight. So why did everyone react so negatively to what he did? After all, was Ledger's character not glorified at all?

The problem, in reality, is that our culture is immoral and soft. Shitty behavior is looked up to; we have a morbid fascination with it. Our culture as a whole clearly lacks moral clarity. Thus, people think they can get away with things. They even think they can become stars for doing bad things. And they're right.

Funny coming form a guy who names himself after peacher.a comic book which has alot of violence. Then Shakespeare is responsible for all the teen suicides. Silly logic.

[darkmetal]

I made a case for explaining the responsibilities of gun ownership, and what it means beyond what video games and other media might not express, that is the value of Life, and that taking someone elses is generally highly unacceptable, that was in my first post. I just didn't feel like repeating that point again.

Yes because thoughts things are not real.