Forums » General Gaming

"video games encourage violence!"...Really?..

    • 297 posts
    July 31, 2012 11:10 AM EDT

    The tragedy in Colorado is truly heartbreaking. Many innocent people were either injured or lost their lives.  As the nation,more specifically the News, tries to make heads or tails of the situation, the media is always quick to find a scapegoat for the problems we  are facing… namely video games.

    James Holmes [24] brutally opened fire on movie goers in a theater in Aurora, Colorado. Many were injured and many lives were taken. No one really knows, yet, why this young man acted out so violently, but criminal profiler Pat Brown seems to.

    During a interview with CNN, Pat Brown spoke out on what James Holmes’ motive was.

     “This has been something he has really been into. And now we’re going to find, probably on facebook or anybody who knows him will say, ‘Yeah, he did have a lot of interest in that. He was always playing the video games. And I’m not saying video games make you a killer. But if you’re a psychopath, video games help you get in the mode to do the killing. So it is a problem in our society with teenaged psychopaths, that they do get inspired by this and want to make it real. So it is a danger but it doesn’t make you a psycho.”

    “Teenaged psychopaths”? That is a pretty broad statement, in my opinion. In her defense, she was only making a guess… but when a community is emotionally distraught by a recent tragedy…your first guess, Pat Brown, is to blame video games? On a live television program no less. Almost forgot about when the now scared and offended Americans call for bans.

    And banning video games will solve the problem how? That’s almost in line with burning books. I know, let’s ban Fifty Shades of Grey to stop our youth from having sex. A worse offender - Twilight.

    The media has always looked for a way to make connections to topical subject matter. If you look back only thirteen years ago, another Colorado tragedy occurred at Columbine High School.  Among the confusion and despair, the media pointed to the popular video games DOOM and Quake.

    So what are your guys view on all this? feel free too rant,rave,agree or disagree with me i look forward too a lively debate below in the comments *DISCLAIMER* please ensure too stay on topic as any straying may result in the deletion of your post, repeat offenders may receive warnings or worse...

    -Titan-

    • 409 posts
    July 31, 2012 11:17 AM EDT

     I heard about this.People are so stupid espcially the media some physco kills some people at a batman premeire (saw it the same day this happened I wasn't impressed.) and they blame it on video games. Now when he goes off to court he can get away with it by saying GTA made me do it and get away with the insanity plee. Because some idiots decided video games make you a killer. >:(

    • 285 posts
    July 31, 2012 11:25 AM EDT
    I hate it, my parents read about this stuff all of the time, ant then believe it. What she just said were the millions of teenagers who play VGs out there are ticking time bombs, many also like to discount other factors leading to these shootings. It makes me mad because I was able to write a three page essay discrediting this stuff and saying why video games were good. Of course on the news they brought in someone who was spreading this stuff, my mom refused to read it AND I got a D because it was "unrealistic", yeah right. Not that I hold a grudge or anything.
    • 297 posts
    July 31, 2012 11:26 AM EDT

    I know right?!

    What really got my goat is she sighted RPG'S as the most problematic genre of games it pissed me off its like okay i can behead a frost-troll or stalk a hunter and stab him in the back but for god sake that never translates into real-life, I have played all types of games rpg's are my fort-ay violent as some may be that's not why i play them i play them for a sense of adventure and sometimes yes i can get lost in a character but that is not the same as losing myslef or my mind too a game,

    • 297 posts
    July 31, 2012 11:31 AM EDT

    Thats the problem spectre they are looking too sensationalize the killing by blaming videogames but as usual they offer no real debate on the subject just an easy scape-goat of a horrific and complicated mass murder

    • 285 posts
    July 31, 2012 11:56 AM EDT
    I felt the sarcasm at the end the moment I entered the page.
    • 952 posts
    July 31, 2012 12:51 PM EDT
    I dont get it, I play games since I was a little kid, and I'm a bit crazy, but I'm the most un-violent guy I know, really, I've barely fought and I surely don't feel like killing anything but that mosquito in my bedroom that keeps biting me but that I can't seem to find anywhere.
    • 966 posts
    July 31, 2012 12:54 PM EDT

    I think video games actually makes people less violent, since they can focus all their agression on games and not on people.

    • 409 posts
    July 31, 2012 1:01 PM EDT

    That is true on most video games except on MW 3 when there are annoying 3 year olds on then you want to kill even more (just because they are annoying not because I have the urge to kill children.) but I can't get many kills in because of campers