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Media looks for nonexisting link to gaming in VT massacre
By Jeremy Reimer | Published: April 18, 2007 - 12:17PM CT



The recent shooting at Virginia Tech was a very human tragedy, and it is human nature to immediately try to figure out who is to blame whenever tragedy happens. However, instead of coming to the obvious conclusion—that the blame should rest solely with the shooter himself, who was apparently a very disturbed individual—certain media outlets have taken it upon themselves to suggest that violent video games are actually at fault.

This is nothing new—the tragedy at Columbine was also blamed on the computer game DOOM—but the difference this time is that there doesn't appear to be even a casual relationship between games and the shooting. Nevertheless, Dr. Phil immediately went on CNN's Larry King Show to state that "common sense tells you that if these kids are playing video games, where they're on a mass killing spree in a video game, it's glamorized on the big screen, it's become part of the fiber of our society." The Washington Post published an article that largely ignored the most disturbing aspects of the shooter's character in order to focus on the fact that "he was a fan of violent video games, particularly Counterstrike." (The article has since been replaced with a link to a more well-researched article, but the text from the original article still comes up when searching the site.) And anti-gaming crusader Jack Thompson wasted no time getting on television to proclaim that, once again, evil video games were responsible.

Thompson's report in particular contained numerous falsehoods, including disproven claims that previous school shooters had "rehearsed for the massacre" using video games as trainers—Thompson even said that one killer used the game called Super Columbine Massacre to prepare for the event, despite the fact that said game is a turn-based RPG and as such provides practically zero tactical training.

A closer look at the VT shooter's life shows that he was an antisocial loner who wrote disturbingly violent essays in his English classes and had already made both students and faculty nervous. He had been diagnosed with depression and may have had other mental illnesses as well. To take a sick individual like this and blame video games for his behavior is completely irresponsible.

While knee-jerk reactions are a common response to any tragic event, the fact that video games are once again singled out for immediate criticism reveals a fundamental generational disconnect in our society. The baby-boomer generation that continues to hold so much power in the media and government simply does not understand video games and perceives them as something dangerous and scary, much as legislators in the 1950s felt about comic books. Gamers themselves report that they are much more influenced by movies than by games.

In the end, blaming new forms of media like video games, or even a "violent society" is pointless and wrong—violent deaths have actually gone down since the 1990s, despite the proliferation of video games. The place to point the blame for the Virginia Tech tragedy is squarely on the killer himself. If there is any secondary blame to go around, it might be more useful to look at how someone who was paranoid, depressed, and had violent fantasies did not receive the treatment he so desperately needed.

Source

Warrant Reveals No Games In Cho Seung Hui's possession

Cho Seung Hui, the troubled young man whose nightmarish assault on his fellow students will most likely be studied for years to come, doesn't seem to have been someone who had any involvement with video games in his recent history. Despite certain idiotic claims by both the man who needs to stop using my surname and Dr. Phil, it seems that he actually didn't own any video games... violent or otherwise. According to the search warrant, Cho's dorm room revealed the following items to authorities:

• Chain from top left closet shelf
• Folding knife & combination padlock
• Compaq computer from desktop
• Assorted documents, notepads, writings from desktop
• Combination lock
• Dremel tool and case
• Nine books, two notebooks, envelopes, from top shelf
• Assorted books & pads from lower shelf
• Compact discs from desktops
• Items from desktop & drawers: winchester multi tool, 3 notebooks, mail, checks, credit card
• Items from 2nd door: Kodak digital camera, Citibank statement
• Two cases of compact discs from dresser top
• Drive: Seagate: 80 Gb
• Six sheets of green computer paper
• Mirror with blue plastic housing
• Dremel tool box with receipt
• Dell Latitude service tag

So there you have it: at the moment, there is no evidence whatsoever supporting the theory that violent video games played a part in this horrific tragedy.

Source
(Found on Digg)

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Trisomy

Yeh that will show you Dr. Phil. now i wonder what movies he has in his possestion.

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nzrock

blaming video games has been retarded since 1999.

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Deimos

He didnt have any porn in his room. Maybe that was the problem.

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Trisomy

OMg no porn is defeinately the problem.

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Jakuza

HAH, newbs.

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Raiyne

Jack Thompson got owned.

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ReGainMadness

So did Dr. Phil

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Onii-San

Dear Mr.Thompson,

We told you so.

Dear Dr.Phil

LOL YOUR WRONG LOL LOLLOLLOLLOLLOLLOLLOLLOLLOLLOLLOLLOLLOLLOL

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