If The School Shooting Today Is Blamed or Linked To FPS Games.....

[InsaneDavid]

How do you propose "we" even do that?

Just like it's wrong for anyone else to latch onto something like this to blame whatever their agenda feels like blaming, it's equally wrong for you to do the same in some lame attempt to justify your hobby. I like video games, you like video games, and we're not killers. I get it. 20 kids were shot to death today, leave it the fuck alone.

It's posts like these that make me wish our forum system had a "rep" feature, so I could add to yours.

[Aussie2B]

How about we, you know, focus on the REAL victims here instead of gamers instantly painting themselves out as victims of these tragedies because video games get blamed? Who gives a flying flip if somebody blames video games? I guarantee it will not affect your ability to play games in the slightest.

[IHatedSega]

Im sick of the association of violent loners and video game players. The media has been trying to make that a stereotype of ours for a while, and games like most FPS, GTA and all those kids screaming slurs at one another on XBOX Live is making it hard for us to be taken seriously. How many powerful people in Washington likes video games? President Obama has flat out said were all under achievers. This apathy Im seeing from people here is making me sad. We shouldnt be bullied by the media and just take it, theyre our problem in this.

I put the dude up there on ignore who said I should go up to a parent about my soap box, **** you, like Im really suffering more than them.

Im getting off of here for awhile. Im sorry if Im not the best of communicators, but I dont want to be lumped together with a mass murderer. Do you?

[Embalming Your Nipples]

Im sick of the association of violent loners and video game players. The media has been trying to make that a stereotype of ours for a while, and games like most FPS, GTA and all those kids screaming slurs at one another on XBOX Live is making it hard for us to be taken seriously. How many powerful people in Washington likes video games? President Obama has flat out said were all under achievers. This apathy Im seeing from people here is making me sad. We shouldnt be bullied by the media and just take it, theyre our problem in this.

I put the dude up there on ignore who said I should go up to a parent about my soap box, **** you, like Im really suffering more than them.

Im getting off of here for awhile. Im sorry if Im not the best of communicators, but I dont want to be lumped together with a mass murderer. Do you?

I feel you aren't getting the message that some people were trying to impart to you. What was being said was "Not now, it's not the time to give a shit about it, so shut to fuck up."

[danawhitaker]

How about we, you know, focus on the REAL victims here instead of gamers instantly painting themselves out as victims of these tragedies because video games get blamed? Who gives a flying flip if somebody blames video games? I guarantee it will not affect your ability to play games in the slightest.

Here's the problem. I don't disagree with you that we should be focusing on the real victims. I'm doing my best to do that. My daughter's 7 years old, around the same age as many of the students who died yesterday. It's very easy for me to put myself in the place of those families, and to empathize.

But here's the other side of the equation. I was watching television with my grandmother this morning, when some guy on CNN starts spouting off about how Adam Lanza was a known gamer, and spent a lot of time playing violent games. My grandmother turns and looks at me, and says, "You know, *you* spend a lot of time playing video games. And you let your daughter play games. How can you let her do that? What's wrong with you?" You're fortunate to not have people in your life who will willingly throw that in your face anytime something like this happens and they hear someone on TV blame this stuff. And good luck trying to rationalize with someone who's never played a video game in their life and who believes everything that comes out of the mouth of an "expert" on CNN.

I'm sure I'm not the only gamer in this position today. And while of course that's massively overshadowed by the actual shooting (as it should be), it's still frustrating because it's directly in my face all the time. Turning off the person on TV spouting the garbage doesn't solve the issue. The person criticizing me is sitting in the room with me and won't drop it. And she's not the only family member who will do that. I'm sure my daughter's great aunt, despite the fact that her kids all played video games, will have a field day with the fact I bought a Wii U for my daughter for Christmas. Christmas will turn into a lecture about how I need to limit her access to games because they're dangerous and a bad influence, and look what happens to people who play them. And so suddenly, what is my main hobby and great form of stress relief for me and something that my daughter and I bond over becomes constantly under attack for at least the next few weeks. I got yelled at a bit ago because my daughter was playing Cut the Rope on her iPod Touch. Seriously. I can't make this stuff up. So yes, it affects my ability to play and enjoy games. It affects my daughter, who doesn't understand suddenly why someone's yelling at her and telling her that she's doing something bad (when she's not).

[InsaneDavid]

I put the dude up there on ignore who said I should go up to a parent about my soap box, **** you, like Im really suffering more than them.

You continue to impress me with your immaturity.

[kedawa]

Here's the problem. I don't disagree with you that we should be focusing on the real victims. I'm doing my best to do that. My daughter's 7 years old, around the same age as many of the students who died yesterday. It's very easy for me to put myself in the place of those families, and to empathize.

But here's the other side of the equation. I was watching television with my grandmother this morning, when some guy on CNN starts spouting off about how Adam Lanza was a known gamer, and spent a lot of time playing violent games. My grandmother turns and looks at me, and says, "You know, *you* spend a lot of time playing video games. And you let your daughter play games. How can you let her do that? What's wrong with you?" You're fortunate to not have people in your life who will willingly throw that in your face anytime something like this happens and they hear someone on TV blame this stuff. And good luck trying to rationalize with someone who's never played a video game in their life and who believes everything that comes out of the mouth of an "expert" on CNN.

I'm sure I'm not the only gamer in this position today. And while of course that's massively overshadowed by the actual shooting (as it should be), it's still frustrating because it's directly in my face all the time. Turning off the person on TV spouting the garbage doesn't solve the issue. The person criticizing me is sitting in the room with me and won't drop it. And she's not the only family member who will do that. I'm sure my daughter's great aunt, despite the fact that her kids all played video games, will have a field day with the fact I bought a Wii U for my daughter for Christmas. Christmas will turn into a lecture about how I need to limit her access to games because they're dangerous and a bad influence, and look what happens to people who play them. And so suddenly, what is my main hobby and great form of stress relief for me and something that my daughter and I bond over becomes constantly under attack for at least the next few weeks. I got yelled at a bit ago because my daughter was playing Cut the Rope on her iPod Touch. Seriously. I can't make this stuff up. So yes, it affects my ability to play and enjoy games. It affects my daughter, who doesn't understand suddenly why someone's yelling at her and telling her that she's doing something bad (when she's not).

The real problem is that you tolerate it. Tell them to fuck off. Associate with smarter people.

[danawhitaker]

The real problem is that you tolerate it. Tell them to fuck off. Associate with smarter people.

Telling my family to "f off" is your solution? My grandmother is 97 years old. I help take care of her. I think a better solution is for the media as a whole to stop jumping to conclusions about the cause(s) of these events. I do mean that across the board - they'll take anything they can and throw it under the microscope - games, gun laws, the media itself, access to mental health resources, etc. Autism is getting thrown under the bus in this case because a family member of the shooter claimed he was autistic. No one seems to want to point the finger at the person who committed the crime and be willing to say, "This guy was a jerk" - like they're almost afraid of offending his family or friends by saying he was a bad person who did a bad thing.

One of the things we deal with, when it comes to the issue of game violence, is a generation gap. People like my grandmother, or my daughter's great aunt, are from a generation to whom gaming is almost foreign. They aren't stupid, but it's simply something that they don't "get" and as such, when the media throws it under the bus, it's easy for people to latch on and scapegoat it. Of course, one of the problems is that the people throwing it under the bus in the media seem to come from the same generation. My only hope (after the hope that we can find a way to stop this senseless garbage from happening) is that the whole concept of blaming the game culture dies off as the older generation that perpetrates those beliefs shifts out of power.

Just a little while ago I saw a guy claiming on CNN that the shooter must have learned how to reload one of the weapons from playing video games. Wut? Yeah, and I can go drive a race car because I'm awesome at Gran Turismo. I can also go start a band because I'm good at Guitar Hero. I had no idea. Clicking the reload button in a game has to be a lot different from actually reloading a weapon.

[kedawa]

Passing judgement on something you know little to nothing about seems pretty stupid to me.
Why let people lecture you about stuff they are completely ignorant of?
Why let them lecture you about anything at all?
You're clearly an adult and deserve to be shown respect by your family, especially by family members who are dependent upon you.

You may not want to hold them accountable for their unfounded prejudice, but the fact is that if it weren't for attitudes like theirs, the sensationalist scapegoating media would find no audience.

[Embalming Your Nipples]

The only thing I understand is that 28 families are watching the Christmas tree with gifts for their sons and daughters under them and I don't ever want to be these poor folks. This is awfull. The fact that anyone gives a shit about their "video game rights" right now is trully awfull. The fact that anyone gives a shit about their "Gun rights" right now, is trully awefull. The fact is that most peolple know the old stand up comic line of "It's too soon"

Holy fuck, why is this a discussion?

[RCM]

Concerned gamers realize the game industry won the SCOTUS thing last year, right? Games are considered a protected form of speech just like books, film, and music. The likelihood any type of new, threatening legislation will be introduced as a result of this tragedy is low. I'd be more concerned if I were a law abiding gun owner at this point.

Regarding the OP kind of being "awfull," why can't we be concerned with our rights while at the same time being sorry about the senseless loss of life? The murders absolutely suck, but the world goes on and the people remaining have to continue living and looking after their interests. Nothing "awfull" about that.

[danawhitaker]

Regarding the OP kind of being "awfull," why can't we be concerned with our rights while at the same time being sorry about the senseless loss of life?

I think many people, and I'd include myself in this, eventually have to shut something off emotionally exactly because of the thought of all those families facing Christmas without their children, spouses, etc. Like I said in one of my other posts, I have a seven year old first grader. Tonight I watched Emilie Parker's father speak to the media about his daughter on CNN. It was positively gut-wrenching. I was a senior in high school when Columbine happened, but I watched that with a much different perspective. It's too easy for me now to think of how awful it would be to face Christmas morning with no excited child bolting down to the tree to see what Santa brought. So yes, my brain shuts off that part and I start thinking about other things because it simply hits too close to home.

To quote Hermione, "Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon doesn't mean we all have." I can feel deeply about one thing and also feel and think about other things simultaneously. And just because I happen to be discussing the one doesn't mean that emotion is stronger than the other. Believe me when I say gut-wrenching horror is much, MUCH higher on my emotional totem pole right now, especially when my daughter asks questions like, "Why would someone shoot a teacher?" or "What if someone like that man comes to my school and shoots my teacher?"

It's not that I'm worried or concerned from a legal perspective about losing any rights as a gamer. It's simply my desire not to be labeled in a certain way because of my hobby. And every brainless statement from some "expert" on CNN about it just perpetuates those stereotypes.

[Zthun]

Telling my family to "f off" is your solution? My grandmother is 97 years old. I help take care of her. I think a better solution is for the media as a whole to stop jumping to conclusions about the cause(s) of these events. I do mean that across the board - they'll take anything they can and throw it under the microscope - games, gun laws, the media itself, access to mental health resources, etc. Autism is getting thrown under the bus in this case because a family member of the shooter claimed he was autistic. No one seems to want to point the finger at the person who committed the crime and be willing to say, "This guy was a jerk" - like they're almost afraid of offending his family or friends by saying he was a bad person who did a bad thing.

Yeah, you are supposed to tell your family to 'f' off. Your grandmother is dependent on you to take care of her, something you are not obligated to do. She is not a minor - she is still an adult, and disrespecting you and your children is unacceptable. I understand that you won't be able to do this because of the emotional attachment, but you really need to put her in her place and tell her that your hobby is yours and if you want to expose your children to video games, that's your decision as a parent. 97 or 22, doesn't matter. They're your kids, and you're the one responsible for raising them. Not grandma. The media will never stop doing this. They will post what sells - not what people want to hear, and what sells in controversy. You can't expect the entire world to change because of personal problems.

One of the things we deal with, when it comes to the issue of game violence, is a generation gap. People like my grandmother, or my daughter's great aunt, are from a generation to whom gaming is almost foreign. They aren't stupid, but it's simply something that they don't "get" and as such, when the media throws it under the bus, it's easy for people to latch on and scapegoat it. Of course, one of the problems is that the people throwing it under the bus in the media seem to come from the same generation. My only hope (after the hope that we can find a way to stop this senseless garbage from happening) is that the whole concept of blaming the game culture dies off as the older generation that perpetrates those beliefs shifts out of power.

Just a little while ago I saw a guy claiming on CNN that the shooter must have learned how to reload one of the weapons from playing video games. Wut? Yeah, and I can go drive a race car because I'm awesome at Gran Turismo. I can also go start a band because I'm good at Guitar Hero. I had no idea. Clicking the reload button in a game has to be a lot different from actually reloading a weapon.

This entire thread is nothing but one big bout of insecurity. Honestly, people can blame whatever they want. I'm never going to stop playing games, and if people have a problem with that, including any members of my family, then those people can go 'f' themselves. I am who I am, and nobody is going to stop me from being a gamer. If you have any bout of self-respect, you wouldn't care who the media blames. People that don't accept you for being you aren't worth associating with. If tomorrow, all of my friends told me that they couldn't be my friend anymore because I play games, then I would dump my entire social circle and find another one that accepted me. Again, hardest thing to do - but you're better off and happier in the long run.

And another thing...regardless of what is blamed in the long run, video games or not, the real problem here is that some nut job that didn't belong in society went into a school and blasted up a bunch of kids. This guy was not innocent, not right in the head, and was the ultimate bastard douchebag regardless of what is blamed or scapegoated.

[buzz_n64]

Damn it! I just had this conversation with my parents, AGAIN! Same thing when the Batman shooting happened. As soon as they said "You know all those video..." I knew what they were going to say. I used logic and reasoning, but to no avail. I even wrote a 7 page paper on video game bans and violence which I had them read over a year ago, and they still come at me with this stuff. They're just set in their ways, like religion or politics.

[Greg2600]

It's not video games. It's upbringing, and Nancy Lanza was raised with guns and apparently felt no different about them than I would my lawn mower or electric shaver. Now, for most people that is fine, but how wise is it to think that way with a "troubled son?" Not very. Unfortunately 26 people paid the price for her carelessness.

[Zthun]

It's not video games. It's upbringing, and Nancy Lanza was raised with guns and apparently felt no different about them than I would my lawn mower or electric shaver. Now, for most people that is fine, but how wise is it to think that way with a "troubled son?" Not very. Unfortunately 26 people paid the price for her carelessness.

It's not her fault for exercising her 2nd Amendment right. The true at fault here was the guy who did it.

[Embalming Your Nipples]

It's not video games. It's upbringing, and Nancy Lanza was raised with guns and apparently felt no different about them than I would my lawn mower or electric shaver. Now, for most people that is fine, but how wise is it to think that way with a "troubled son?" Not very. Unfortunately 26 people paid the price for her carelessness.

This is an ignorant statement. It is quite obvious Mrs. Lanza had no idea how "troubled" her son was as she was the first to go. I can't imagine her knowing her boy was a psychopath and not locking them up in a gun cabinet. Point of fact, she didn't. Many people are loaners or quiet and don't shoot 20 little kids 10-15 times each. Or anyone for that matter. Also for the record the killer could have just as easily walked into the school with a sharp butcher knife and killed people before he was apprehended. Should she of also kept her knife block in a safe?

Where does it end?

[The 1 2 P]

The true at fault here was the guy who did it.

15 times out of 10 that statement is always correct. The problem is that the media seems to constantly fail at getting that memo.

[Greg2600]

It's not her fault for exercising her 2nd Amendment right. The true at fault here was the guy who did it.

This is an ignorant statement. It is quite obvious Mrs. Lanza had no idea how "troubled" her son was as she was the first to go. I can't imagine her knowing her boy was a psychopath and not locking them up in a gun cabinet. Point of fact, she didn't. Many people are loaners or quiet and don't shoot 20 little kids 10-15 times each. Or anyone for that matter. Also for the record the killer could have just as easily walked into the school with a sharp butcher knife and killed people before he was apprehended. Should she of also kept her knife block in a safe?

Where does it end?

She admitted to friends he was burning himself with a lighter. 2nd Amendment also requires responsibility. Do responsible gun owners leave their guns unlocked so their children say can get them? Don't give me the knife argument. That guy ain't killing 26 people with a knife. The teachers or police would have stopped him.

The fault is not entirely with the guy, since he was apparently mentally disabled and/or disturbed. This kid was a mess for years. More will come out. Did she ever have him see psychiatrists? I'm not saying the woman had a nasty pit bull, and is responsible for it biting someone on the street. I'm not blaming her for the rampage, but the fact is this guy was out of almost all society, interacting almost solely with her. She took him from school, refused to let his father around the kids because she was bitter at him. Even her other son never saw him. I'm sorry, but if this kid really was in a mental state where he could not determine right from wrong, it was on her for just hiding him in his room and not seeking professional care.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-...er-adam-lanza/

[Embalming Your Nipples]

She admitted to friends he was burning himself with a lighter. 2nd Amendment also requires responsibility. Do responsible gun owners leave their guns unlocked so their children say can get them? Don't give me the knife argument. That guy ain't killing 26 people with a knife. The teachers or police would have stopped him.

The fault is not entirely with the guy, since he was apparently mentally disabled and/or disturbed. This kid was a mess for years. More will come out. Did she ever have him see psychiatrists? I'm not saying the woman had a nasty pit bull, and is responsible for it biting someone on the street. I'm not blaming her for the rampage, but the fact is this guy was out of almost all society, interacting almost solely with her. She took him from school, refused to let his father around the kids because she was bitter at him. Even her other son never saw him. I'm sorry, but if this kid really was in a mental state where he could not determine right from wrong, it was on her for just hiding him in his room and not seeking professional care.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-...er-adam-lanza/

No posibly he would have only killed 6 or 7 with a knife. Are you fucking serious? would you really like me to defend my argument of how the mother wasn't responsible? Would you like me to tell you how to "Make" weapons? Do you REALLY think she was responsible as to why those children are dead?

The guy who shot them was responsible.


Good Lord, what a sad day for America.