But Obama has now asked the CDC to study the link between video games and violence. Personally, I played a lot of Pac-Man and Donkey Kong as a kid so I walk around swallowing pills and swinging a hammer at any gorilla I see.
January 17th, 2012
[I laughed when I read both of those sentences. First yet another example of a point made by the NRA and fearless leader has turned around to follow it. Again, when I read it I heard exactly this in my head:
I know they will never come out like that and say it, but I can keep wishing right?
Except I don’t really think the NRA is right on this one though. Our Narcissist and Chief hates the First Amendment until it is politically convenient and beneficial for him, otherwise he hates it like he does the second. I am pissed at the NRA because I honestly feel like they threw video games and the First Amendment under the bus.
I grew up on Mario, last I checked I’m not running down the street eating mushrooms and jumping on Goombas.
I played Duck Hunt and have yet to actually go duck hunting or even bird hunting in general.
I played Excitebike and I didn’t go into the extreme sports.
I played Super Off-Road, again I don’t find myself taking my truck into crazy off road courses*.
I played Doom, last I checked I haven’t had an urge to go to Mars and start killing hell spawned aliens because they killed my pet bunny.
I played Command and Conquer, the whole series, and I have yet to end up as a general in some war over Tiberium.
I played Duke Nukem 3D and I still haven’t found myself running around saying “It’s time to kick ass and chew bubble gum and I’m all out of gum” while killing alien invaders.
I played Quake III Arena and have yet to find myself wanting to create a real arena death match and kill everyone else inside.
I played Unreal Tournament in many modes with Capture the Flag and Football being my favorites. I have yet to feel the urge to actually shoot someone during a game of capture the flag or football.
I played Rainbow Six and have yet to find myself wanting to run around shooting people thinking they’re terrorists who’re intent on bio-warfare.
I played Ghost Recon and have yet to run around killing people thinking they’re ultra nationalists planning on rebuilding the Soviet Union.
I played Soldier of Fortune and have yet to run around shooting the limbs off of people.
I played Call of Duty and have yet to feel the urge to run around killing people while dressed as a soldier.
So can someone please explain to me given all the different games I played, note that’s not even all of them, and my countless time spent playing them I somehow didn’t end up screwed up but it’s responsible for screwing up a bunch of other people? Many of those games listed above were controversial at the time and used as a crutch to explain evil deeds done by evil people.
I’m sorry, but video games aren’t the problem. I still play new games, hell I spent my Thanksgiving killing virtual people in new and creative ways, still don’t have the urge to do it for real. I guess I’m defective. –B]
*That isn’t to say I haven’t gotten it stuck.
TMM is the owner, editor, and principal author at The Minuteman, a competitive shooter, and staff member for Boomershoot. Even in his free time he’s merging his love and knowledge of computers and technology with his love of firearms.
Many know his private name and information however due to the current political climate, many are distancing themselves due to the abandonment of Due Process.
As a baby boomer, I grew up on TV westerns, but it doesn’t mean I’m out on the street picking gunfights with a sixgun.
Trying to blame any one cause is pointless; different people become violent for different reasons, usually in combination. If it was just one cause we would have isolated it and fixed it. Unfortunately, the hoplophobes believe that guns are the single cause, no matter how much evidence to the contrary.
Just my opinion.
Nope, you’re exactly right. It takes a smattering of things and everyone wants to hold up one sole object as the source of evil.
Sorry folks, it’s a smattering of things. Some genetic, some sociological, some psychological. Personally I feel that like most things in life, there is a triangle of some kind involved. In this case I think there are particular elements in the genes, society, and within their psychology which when all are present produce the dangers we see today.
What pisses me off more than anything is the finger pointing and saying it’s “X”. Even more annoying is when “x” is an inanimate object.
As a kid I loved the Legend of Zelda series, but you don’t see me running around slashing things with a sword, blowing stuff up with bombs, or burning stuff with candles.
Later, was a big fan of Splinter Cell, but I’m very well aware that I’m not a SIGINT Ninja, and I don’t feel the need or desire to attempt any of those actions.
Also Prince of Persia, starting with the Sands of Time, but I don’t climb precarious walls over endless pits or jump spike traps, and I still don’t arbitrarily swing swords.
God of War is fun, too.
I’ll even admit that 5 Minutes to Kill (Yourself) kicked over my giggle box when it came out, but no, I have not used – nor had any inclination to use – a can of hair spray as a blowtorch on myself.
All this apart from being allowed to watch (some) rated ‘R’ movies starting about age 8-10. Heck, my 8-year-old son knows the difference between fantasy and reality (and perhaps not ironically, can call the President on his B.S. during live press conferences better than most Republican pols and any “Authorized Journalists”).
It’s almost like there’s some other factor(s) than modes of entertainment and inanimate objects, but that’s just crazy-talk!
See more games that I forgot about.
I must say with regards to Splinter Cell, I’m surprised I didn’t become a light bulb assassin…
Light bulbs aren’t people!
You’ll find that sort of thing in a one-issue organization when principles take second place to jockeying for an advantage whenever they see an advantage to be had. It’s senseless, it’s stupid, it’s short-sighted, it’s unhelpful and it’s all too predictable.
LaPierre lacks a faith in the basic principles, and so he looks elsewhere, only to trip himself up. We all do it from time to time, but in a large organization you’d think there’d be some better fisking of a major public statement such as that one. For some reason it just doesn’t happen. Maybe the idea of formulating a statement by committee is a very flawed one, or maybe the flaw is in LaPierre alone. Either way it’s embarrassing.
I jokingly refer to myself as a one-issue voter. I’m pro liberty. Unfortunately, liberty is never on the ballot.
Often I find liberty is on the ballot, just not in the ways we would like.
I’m with you on most of your points. Gun owner, recreational shooter…just built my first AR this past year…cold dead hands kind of guy.
One of the best books I’ve read in my training library is ‘On Combat’ by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman. Great read for getting the mindset of CCW and preparing yourself for the moment that you may have to fire on someone. He’s the real deal – army, ranger, war college, etc.
I’ve heard all the liberal bs about video games and movies for years. Never bought into any of it. Dave Grossman changed my mind about this. I don’t think that video games are the “cause” of any of these incidents. I do however think that they are the perfect training device for any of these kids / wackos / whatever to use in preparation for a mass killing. The exposure to the (simulated) shooting could even be the thing that sends the person down that path – who knows. Not sure what to do – don’t see them being banned and I wouldn’t want that. The Grossman view was however an interesting perspective on the issue from a trustworthy source.
Anyway – highly recommend the Grossman books. Love the blog. Thanks
I’ve read “On Killing”, along with a couple of my coworkers. None of us bought into him trying to blame video games. Doubly so since honestly rates would need to be increasing at a rate beyond what they currently are if they were at fault.
His research into video games didn’t sell me on the desensitization front. Video games, especially in the past 10 years have increased in popularity as well as their graphic detail. Where is the upswing from that?
While it may provide conditioning for a response, it is by no means able to stand on it’s own. I submit it’s possibly a factor in conditioning those who are “broken” but it is by no means the magic talisman that many make it out to be.
I played Tetris. My walls do not disappear.
Now, I played Tetris and I do find myself going out of my way to pack things as perfectly as possible. Seriously, when I pack there’s no room left. Maybe there’s something to this after all… Games can teach spatial manipulation!
It’s a good skill on potluck days in the office. I often refer to it as refrigerator tetris
Yeah, but in the end the food does disappear… 😀
So life does imitate art! Or at least, video games. I have seen the light!