Games blamed for rape... in JERSEY?!?

[bluepilot]

If all gamers were rapists there would be a rape pademic.

The place where rape is most rife in the world, is South Africa where gang rape is used for means of male bonding. Gaming culture seems to play an insignificant part in this

For me, the elements of the story seem illogical, from playing games-argument-fetch knife-brutal rape- there seem to be a few logical steps missing. Most people would not go reaching for a knife after playing a violent game. Some people might reach for a knife after an argument (this seems more likely).

The main factor here seems to be the relationship between the boy and his mother. Though, I am forced to conclude that I do not have enought infomation to make a good conclusion

 

[VGStrife]

Four years? That's it? Seems a little short.

QFT

 

[DMShade]

Last year We had the fun story here in Canada blaming games for a kid dying falling out of a tree. His parents insisted he go outside and play because he spent too much time on Call of Duty, so he did, had an unfortunate accident, and it's all gaming's fault. Presumably because if he hadn't spent all that time playing he'd be more monkey like and not have fell? Or found some way not to land on his head? I know! He was waiting for the quick time event to tell him how to respond and it never came. Chresus Frickin' Jist...

My parents were very smart and knew what we could and couldn't take. I got MK3 for Christmas when I was 12, me and my 6 year old sis played it, and we were just fine (Though she could run circles around me as Sindel).

It was Comics in the 50's, Rock and roll for the 50's and 60's, D&D, TV, Rap Music...It's just Gaming's turn. Older generations constantly need something to blame for their children not being perfect little obedient angels...just like they were. *CoughGarbageCough* Mind you it's been our turn for an inordinately long time, but that's 'cause they haven't had anything new to villify come along.

Examples of Past Paranoia:
The Director of Gone With The Wind was fined 5000 dollars (A lot for 1939) for leaving the famous final line in. Specifically for saying 'Damn' in a movie.
During the whole season of I Love Lucy that centered around her expecting a child, no one was allowed to say Pregnant for fear Moral Guardians would leap down the producers' throats.
The Ed Sullivan show refused to show Elvis from the waist down during his first appearance because they feared his gyrating hips would corrupt youth. No I am NOT joking...

 

[royohz]

After first ignoring a heavily-built man

Now I'm sorry but that bit craked me up. Especially after this bit.

with the intention of mugging the first person he saw

[sub] I know its poor taste but still [/sub]

I concur, it was kinda hilarious, and I sure lold.

OT: Video games DO get blamed for everything. What's next, "Super Mario made nine year old Brian try heroin!!"?

 

[Blackjack 222]

Last year We had the fun story here in Canada blaming games for a kid dying falling out of a tree. His parents insisted he go outside and play because he spent too much time on Call of Duty, so he did, had an unfortunate accident, and it's all gaming's fault. Presumably because if he hadn't spent all that time playing he'd be more monkey like and not have fell? Or found some way not to land on his head? I know! He was waiting for the quick time event to tell him how to respond and it never came. Chresus Frickin' Jist...

My parents were very smart and knew what we could and couldn't take. I got MK3 for Christmas when I was 12, me and my 6 year old sis played it, and we were just fine (Though she could run circles around me as Sindel).

It was Comics in the 50's, Rock and roll for the 50's and 60's, D&D, TV, Rap Music...It's just Gaming's turn. Older generations constantly need something to blame for their children not being perfect little obedient angels...just like they were. *CoughGarbageCough* Mind you it's been our turn for an inordinately long time, but that's 'cause they haven't had anything new to villify come along.

Examples of Past Paranoia:
The Director of Gone With The Wind was fined 5000 dollars (A lot for 1939) for leaving the famous final line in. Specifically for saying 'Damn' in a movie.
During the whole season of I Love Lucy that centered around her expecting a child, no one was allowed to say Pregnant for fear Moral Guardians would leap down the producers' throats.
The Ed Sullivan show refused to show Elvis from the waist down during his first appearance because they feared his gyrating hips would corrupt youth. No I am NOT joking...

Hes got it right

 

[DigitalSushi]

Maybe he just didn't want to rape a fat guy.

What sort of fucked up world do we live in when a 14 year old boy can't feel safe enough to go out at night and rape a fat guy.

This needs to be changed right now.

 

[thepj]

To actually make this a discussion thread and not a "my dad's pissed me off because he's always banging on about games making people violent and now this has given him what he thinks is solid proof" thread, any of you lot had something similar happen near where you live?

You may have heard of Stefan Pakeerah [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/3934277.stm] and Manhunt.

You may also have heard of Keith Vaz.

But lets not dwell on unpleasantries. Let's tear apart that little piece of journalism.

A SCHOOLBOY(relevancy?) jailed for four (four what?) yesterday for raping a teenage girl had stormed out of his house (supposition [unsupported]) after spending hours (nonspecific) playing war games (supposition [unsupported]) on his computer(supposition [unsupported]).

After a row with his mother over the amount of time he was spending playing the game (Game now, not games? This row obviously didn't amount to anything other than that?), the 14-year-old left (That's a schoolboy now?) home with the intention (supposition [unsupported]) of mugging the first person he saw. He took a kitchen knife (supposition [unsupported] unless you're telling me you can be sure it was his knife)and home-made(Because that makes all the difference) balaclava with him.(supposition [unsupported])

After first ignoring a heavily-built man,(supposition [unsupported]) he turned his attention (supposition [unsupported])to a 19-year-old who was making her way home from town late on 13 October.(Details are irrelevant here, as well as "late"?) After following her to the Westmount area, he forced her into a field at knifepoint before subjecting her to brutal rape.(Because there's such a thing as non-brutal rape)

(We're casually ignoring the idea that a pre-meditated rape removes the idea of anger, but hey...)

Yesterday, the boy, who cannot be named because of his age, was jailed for four years by the Royal Court.

Wonderful piece of journalism. Bergerac would be proud.

Most telling point? There's no name attached to it.

you mean the name of the rapist? or fo the paper?

cause if you mean his name then let me tell you about the UK's attitude to youth crime, we belive in short sentences for every crime, cutting them even shorter later on and never telling you their names all because of their human rights.

as far as i'm concerned the minute you rob, rape or murder someone you forfit you're right to be human

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

you mean the name of the rapist? or fo the paper?

The reporter who wrote that sleazy article.

cause if you mean his name then let me tell you about the UK's ...

Uh..Look above. Leicester man

 

[squid5580]

And so the paranoia has begun. Ok everyone take a deep breath. Now read the article again. It doesn't blame video games. It is stating simple facts.
Fact: He was playing "war" games
Fact: He had a fight with his mom over his gaming
Fact: he stormed out of the house after the fight.

Nowhere does trhe article say "because of gaming he did this" or games had this type of influence. Would you guys only have been happy if the article had read boy rapes girl in Jersey. Is that really so much better than boy has arguement with mom over games. Later rapes girl. Draw your own conclusion.

Funny how when we are here we are gamers. We stand up and we scream to the heavens "I am gamer". But out there in the real world we don't want people to know. If they did find out they might make an article about a gamer who did something bad. If we want to associate it with our identity then we gotta face the good with the bad. And try to tell the difference. not every article about games puts gamers in a bad light.

It doesn't say outright that games are to blame, but its implied, what is every one that reads it going to jump too

Some people will jump to that conclusion. There is some people who will jump to that conclusion even if the article mentioned he was a puppy breeder and never mentioned games once. There is a world of difference between playing the 7 degrees of video game violence and simple reporting. This falls smack dab on the reporting side. There is nothing wrong with them explaining the events leading up to the event. If you replaces every "war game" in the article with baseball would that make baseball players look bad? Would it draw some line between baseball and rape? Or would the article still read a baseball player did a very bad thing. Just like it reads now that a gamer did a very bad thing. Not that games had anything to do with anything. He happens to be a gamer and he raped a girl. That is all.

Just because we are gamers doesn't mean we can't also be criminals. It is as if the article said he was black. Now would the mention of him being black reflect on the entire black community? Or would it read as a black man did something bad.

But its the simple fact, that the journalist KNOWS the response of people reading it, he knows that by mentioning war games, that people will assume video games are to blame, and that will cause more shit to enter the shit storm of anti-gaming.
Most of us here are talking about how games are not to blame, and arguing with the message he has hidden(hidden like a tank in a tree). The writer is using the words to put the thought that because he played games they are to blame, and idiots reading it will assume all gamers will have this result

Oh I get it they just aren't allowed to use the word games in association with any crime otherwise they are trying to incite all the Jack Thompsons of the world. Kinda silly really. We identify ourselves as gamers when we want to reflect gaming in a positive light but when a gamer does something negative any mention of the fact he or she plays games is "blaming games". Even when the article in question takes no sides and remains unbiased and factual.

 

[ryai458]

when I started reading I thought you were talking about New Jersey in the USofA and when you where like its really quite I was like whaaat?
OT kid rapes, gaming blamed=typical

 

[thepj]

you mean the name of the rapist? or fo the paper?

The reporter who wrote that sleazy article.

cause if you mean his name then let me tell you about the UK's ...

Uh..Look above. Leicester man

of all the things to betray me it's my inability to read the post above, damn...

 

[Drejer43]

no nothing ever happened like that where i live.
Besides games never gets the blame here(yet).
Games is still kinda "the nerds club" over here, and is mostly in the shadows, I like it best that way, instead of being "the cause of all worlds deceases".

 

[Macgyvercas]

My dad lets me play whatever I want as long as I know the difference between fantasy and reality. Mom doesn't care for me playing violent video games, but she works in social services and is, IMO, a bit biased. And video games have not made me violent. I want to be able to purchase my own guns for cowboy action shooting (it's a sport, not something where you shot actual cowboys) and I don't want anything on my record that would prevent that from happening.

 

[snow]

After first ignoring a heavily-built man

Now I'm sorry but that bit craked me up. Especially after this bit.

with the intention of mugging the first person he saw

[sub] I know its poor taste but still [/sub]

OT: Yes it's horrible, and no it isn't because he plays games that he did what he did...Unforchantly(sp) ever since a mass murderer was found to be a war gamer, games have been the devils advoate...which is utter ballshit.

Indeed. Many murderers have been highly religious, but you don't hear much about that. The problem is that the gaming community as a whole, is not respected. We need to take a stand against public opinion. (don't ask me how though, someone else can work that out)

LOL the end of your post made me crack up "We must take a stand!! By we... Well.. I mean some one else... Not me.. >.> <.<"

Not making fun of you.. It just painted a funny picture in my head...

You are right however.. We need to take a stand against this bull shit, but we need to be smart about it... We can't just go and attack anti-gamers like we've been doing in the forums... That will only help their cause more...

What we need to do is play the game by their rules... They're using bullshit to control the minds of the Sheeple... (Which is what news reporters are trained to do mind you.)

Instead of trying to prevent them from spreading BS... We need to sway the minds of the sheeple over to the truth...

I'm sure if we worked hard enough, we could research the violent actions done over the past decade that were immediately blamed on video games, and give light to the real cause of the actions...

For example.. No one really asks the people who have done these crimes if video games have provoked their actions in anyway.. They just assume that they do, and then pawn that assumption off as solid fact in the minds of their viewers...

There are logical reasons behind the actions of these people... They are just overlooked because of false assumption...

Let's put anti-gamers in their place by doing the work they refuse to do!

 

[Void(null)]

What's a war game have to do with rape? Maybe if he was playing Rapelay they'd have a point.

If he had been playing Rapelay, perhaps he would of had an outlet for those violent urges and could have taken them out on digital characters that no harm can really be done to, instead of destroying a real persons life.

Two sides to every coin.

 

[Blackjack 222]

And so the paranoia has begun. Ok everyone take a deep breath. Now read the article again. It doesn't blame video games. It is stating simple facts.
Fact: He was playing "war" games
Fact: He had a fight with his mom over his gaming
Fact: he stormed out of the house after the fight.

Nowhere does trhe article say "because of gaming he did this" or games had this type of influence. Would you guys only have been happy if the article had read boy rapes girl in Jersey. Is that really so much better than boy has arguement with mom over games. Later rapes girl. Draw your own conclusion.

Funny how when we are here we are gamers. We stand up and we scream to the heavens "I am gamer". But out there in the real world we don't want people to know. If they did find out they might make an article about a gamer who did something bad. If we want to associate it with our identity then we gotta face the good with the bad. And try to tell the difference. not every article about games puts gamers in a bad light.

It doesn't say outright that games are to blame, but its implied, what is every one that reads it going to jump too

Some people will jump to that conclusion. There is some people who will jump to that conclusion even if the article mentioned he was a puppy breeder and never mentioned games once. There is a world of difference between playing the 7 degrees of video game violence and simple reporting. This falls smack dab on the reporting side. There is nothing wrong with them explaining the events leading up to the event. If you replaces every "war game" in the article with baseball would that make baseball players look bad? Would it draw some line between baseball and rape? Or would the article still read a baseball player did a very bad thing. Just like it reads now that a gamer did a very bad thing. Not that games had anything to do with anything. He happens to be a gamer and he raped a girl. That is all.

Just because we are gamers doesn't mean we can't also be criminals. It is as if the article said he was black. Now would the mention of him being black reflect on the entire black community? Or would it read as a black man did something bad.

But its the simple fact, that the journalist KNOWS the response of people reading it, he knows that by mentioning war games, that people will assume video games are to blame, and that will cause more shit to enter the shit storm of anti-gaming.
Most of us here are talking about how games are not to blame, and arguing with the message he has hidden(hidden like a tank in a tree). The writer is using the words to put the thought that because he played games they are to blame, and idiots reading it will assume all gamers will have this result

Oh I get it they just aren't allowed to use the word games in association with any crime otherwise they are trying to incite all the Jack Thompsons of the world. Kinda silly really. We identify ourselves as gamers when we want to reflect gaming in a positive light but when a gamer does something negative any mention of the fact he or she plays games is "blaming games". Even when the article in question takes no sides and remains unbiased and factual.

AGAIN: THEY DID NOT SAY GAMING WAS TO BLAME! The word games he used would lead to all the retards reading it to assume gaming was to blame, and throw more shit onto the shot storm that is anti gaming, the article is not taking sides directly, but by mentioning games, it throws that out for the jackals who hate gaming to rush in on it, it is factual up until it starts leading droves of idiots who are worried it could turn there kids into serial rapists see it and decide to cause more shit.
Now if you are being sarcastic notice IT DOESN'T WORK ON FORUMS!
yes we want gaming reviewed positively, but that's not how the world sees it, but what they see and stereotype us from is the babysitter parent, the one that uses Video games to babysit the child, this being the only way the little bastard learns means that the child having NO knowledge of the outside world, how people act, and how the rest of the world actually lives will grow up to be some fucktard who works at a burger joint his entire life(as in the deep firer or clerk not manager) or a criminal.
That is what they view us as, this being a small portion mainly seen in California, upper east coast, and the mid south of the US, and scattered across the world. they are not the majority of us, not anywhere close, but that's ho we are viewed.

Again its a stereotype.
Like how most people link...
Jews with greed- Are all Jews greedy? No(/b/ users keep quiet)
Blacks(Yes get over it its a color) gangs-Are all black people in gangs? no
British with tea-Do all British drink tea? N0
French with cowardice- Are all French cowards/ No
Germany with Nazis-Are all Germans Nazis? FUCK NO!
PETA with Douche bags-Are all PETA members douche bags? ummm... Bad example
Pink shirt with douche bags-Another bad example
Black with goth- Are all people who wear black Goth? NO
Whites with oppression- Are all white people oppressive racist? No
Country music with boredom- Is all country music boring? No
/b/ with retardation(Are all /b/ users retarded? Eh, 49% maybe but i wouldn't say retarded
All Canadians say Eh-No
Gaming with crime- Are all gamers criminals? No

It is not our fault, its the fault of a small chunk of us, that chunk is what everyone else blows out of proportion and makes look bigger than it is.

 

[KP Shadow]

Once again, people see a causal relationship and just assumes it goes the way that's convenient for them. Why this hasn't been made into something like Godwin's Law is beyond me. It's like saying that because Hitler was a vegetarian, then vegetarianism causes genocide.

Carrots might have feelings, so who knows...

It's true though, what with all the social and media influence of "if theres something bad happening there must be an outside trigger blah blah pseudo-science" people are ready to blame anything.

I.e. A child is abused by a parent, runs away, lives on the street, at some point gets hooked on smack and stabs a guy 10 years later for money, for smack.
Do you blame: the person?
the drugs?
the parent?
or society?

All of the above. That, and the parent's reproductive organs.

 

[squid5580]

And so the paranoia has begun. Ok everyone take a deep breath. Now read the article again. It doesn't blame video games. It is stating simple facts.
Fact: He was playing "war" games
Fact: He had a fight with his mom over his gaming
Fact: he stormed out of the house after the fight.

Nowhere does trhe article say "because of gaming he did this" or games had this type of influence. Would you guys only have been happy if the article had read boy rapes girl in Jersey. Is that really so much better than boy has arguement with mom over games. Later rapes girl. Draw your own conclusion.

Funny how when we are here we are gamers. We stand up and we scream to the heavens "I am gamer". But out there in the real world we don't want people to know. If they did find out they might make an article about a gamer who did something bad. If we want to associate it with our identity then we gotta face the good with the bad. And try to tell the difference. not every article about games puts gamers in a bad light.

It doesn't say outright that games are to blame, but its implied, what is every one that reads it going to jump too

Some people will jump to that conclusion. There is some people who will jump to that conclusion even if the article mentioned he was a puppy breeder and never mentioned games once. There is a world of difference between playing the 7 degrees of video game violence and simple reporting. This falls smack dab on the reporting side. There is nothing wrong with them explaining the events leading up to the event. If you replaces every "war game" in the article with baseball would that make baseball players look bad? Would it draw some line between baseball and rape? Or would the article still read a baseball player did a very bad thing. Just like it reads now that a gamer did a very bad thing. Not that games had anything to do with anything. He happens to be a gamer and he raped a girl. That is all.

Just because we are gamers doesn't mean we can't also be criminals. It is as if the article said he was black. Now would the mention of him being black reflect on the entire black community? Or would it read as a black man did something bad.

But its the simple fact, that the journalist KNOWS the response of people reading it, he knows that by mentioning war games, that people will assume video games are to blame, and that will cause more shit to enter the shit storm of anti-gaming.
Most of us here are talking about how games are not to blame, and arguing with the message he has hidden(hidden like a tank in a tree). The writer is using the words to put the thought that because he played games they are to blame, and idiots reading it will assume all gamers will have this result

Oh I get it they just aren't allowed to use the word games in association with any crime otherwise they are trying to incite all the Jack Thompsons of the world. Kinda silly really. We identify ourselves as gamers when we want to reflect gaming in a positive light but when a gamer does something negative any mention of the fact he or she plays games is "blaming games". Even when the article in question takes no sides and remains unbiased and factual.

AGAIN: THEY DID NOT SAY GAMING WAS TO BLAME! The word games he used would lead to all the retards reading it to assume gaming was to blame, and throw more shit onto the shot storm that is anti gaming, the article is not taking sides directly, but by mentioning games, it throws that out for the jackals who hate gaming to rush in on it, it is factual up until it starts leading droves of idiots who are worried it could turn there kids into serial rapists see it and decide to cause more shit.
Now if you are being sarcastic notice IT DOESN'T WORK ON FORUMS!
yes we want gaming reviewed positively, but that's not how the world sees it, but what they see and stereotype us from is the babysitter parent, the one that uses Video games to babysit the child, this being the only way the little bastard learns means that the child having NO knowledge of the outside world, how people act, and how the rest of the world actually lives will grow up to be some fucktard who works at a burger joint his entire life(as in the deep firer or clerk not manager) or a criminal.
That is what they view us as, this being a small portion mainly seen in California, upper east coast, and the mid south of the US, and scattered across the world. they are not the majority of us, not anywhere close, but that's ho we are viewed.

Again its a stereotype.
Like how most people link...
Jews with greed- Are all Jews greedy? No(/b/ users keep quiet)
Blacks(Yes get over it its a color) gangs-Are all black people in gangs? no
British with tea-Do all British drink tea? N0
French with cowardice- Are all French cowards/ No
Germany with Nazis-Are all Germans Nazis? FUCK NO!
PETA with Douche bags-Are all PETA members douche bags? ummm... Bad example
Pink shirt with douche bags-Another bad example
Black with goth- Are all people who wear black Goth? NO
Whites with oppression- Are all white people oppressive racist? No
Country music with boredom- Is all country music boring? No
/b/ with retardation(Are all /b/ users retarded? Eh, 49% maybe but i wouldn't say retarded
All Canadians say Eh-No
Gaming with crime- Are all gamers criminals? No

It is not our fault, its the fault of a small chunk of us, that chunk is what everyone else blows out of proportion and makes look bigger than it is.

Yes I am well aware that he did not blame games. If you had been paying attention you would have seen that is what I have been saying all along. So funny story the title to this thread is "Games blamed for rape... in JERSEY?!?" and yet no game was blamed. Everyone jumped in here going on about how games are being blamed when NO FUCKING GAME WAS BLAMED!!!! It is just paranoia. OMG they mentioned games and a crime it must be bashing against us. ANd no I don't want the media to treat gamers in a positive only light. I want us to be treated just as fairly as everyone else. And I want gamers to be mature enough not to jump on this paranoia bandwagon everytime reports something about games in an unbiased manner which this article was. Just because he doesn't know jack about games (evident by his use of the phrase "war game") doesn't mean he is trying to incite a holy war. He probably figured there was enough gamers who will get all worked up over merely mentioning the word game that he wouldn't have to. And then he can watch as gamers self destruct and Jack Thompsons win.

If this is a fight any of you want to win. Fight smart.

 

[Da_Schwartz]

You know it could of been the couches fault too. I mean he was sitting on it before he left his house to do some rape.

 

[Grand_Pamplemousse]

The fact that it states that he was playing games does suggest it was involved however.

"After taking taking a cocktail of class A drugs John Sampson began to set off down the road carrying a knife. After approaching someone on the street John produced his knife and stabbed his victim brutally in the head."

This does not say, in black and white, drugs are to blame. But it does suggest that drugs are actually the cause of the attack.

Do you see how by merely mentioning games alongside rape people make the link that games are somehow causing rape and violent crime?

EDIT: @Squid and everyone saying that games were not actually blamed in the article.