Penn and Teller Take on Violent Video Game Hype

[soren7550]

That would make sense, as that's what their shows about.
At least I hope that makes sense to them....

and what about the halo kid?

Which Halo kid are you talking about?

I heard about this kid, something like 12, who skipped school and went back home, took one of his parent's guns and shot himself in the head to see if respawn really worked. (safe to say it didn't) Parents blame Halo 3 for killing their kid.

 

[Jumplion]

I actually busted into laughter when they showed the fire triangle guy sitting with his rifle.

But yeah, I agree that they could've gotten much more out of Jack. From the basis of that thing, he might come off as a relatively sane, calm but misguided guy. There was no mention of him getting disbarred either, which should be the big tipoff on how sane he actually is.

I think he sealed the deal when he made the comment "Video Games are as bad for kids as Polio.", don'tchyathink?

 

[brabz]

Finally got around to watching this episode over the weekend. Well done, clearly thought out, and funny as always. Definitely felt bad for the poor kid crying at the end after using a real gun.

 

[eels05]

If the anti violent gaming community can hold up games as a common and direct link to violence in the community then the opposite is true also,even more so.
The sheer amount of gamers playing violent games that dont turn into violent offenders therefore has to be seen as evidence that they dont really have a case.
I would have thought parental neglect,emotional rejection and isolation and or pysical abuse would be a more likley candidate for violence in the community.

 

[squid5580]

I finally caught the episode and I gotta say it was very well done. This is what the Overthinker was talking about when he said we need to fight smart. I did kinda miss all the fluff that usually goes along with thier show.

If I was Harrison I would be crying too. Did anyone else see how he was holding that gun? That had to hurt. Did he hit that twisted target?

 

[CyberAkuma]

All I have to say about this - is the final scene showed right before the credits rolled.
The 9 year old kid that is alegedly a "trained assasin" - crying in his mothers arms from the fear of him shooting that rifle. (and probably causing that little boy a trauma that will most likely result in him never ever touching a live real weapon ever again)

The symbolism is astonishing, perfect and as hard hitting as it gets. The rifle didn't unlock some super-secret mass-killing ability within the child. It didn't trigger a blood-thirsty monster that Jack Thompson portraits in his rambles. The kid got scared shitless of the rifle and he did not want to fire another shot - ever again.

EDIT: They should also have mentioned that Jack Thompson has been disbarred as an attourney for malpractice and inappropriate conduct resulting in him never ever being able to practice law again ever in the United States.

 

[sgtshock]

I loved this episode, I wish I saw this thread when I watched it. The football argument was very compelling, when you compare the number of injuries or deaths that are a direct result from football, to the same indirectly caused by video games (if you believe they actually are caused by games), you realize there's much people should be worried about than video games. If parents actually raised their children responsibly instead of relying on the TV to do that, maybe they wouldn't scream bloody murder when they see blood in a mature game they obliviously bought for their kids.

Also, did anyone else notice the jokes in the chat window in the opening "FPS" segment?
"PEEEEEEEEEEEENN..."
"JENKINS!"

A little behind maybe, but funny nonetheless.

 

[Credge]

Just watched episode, and compared to a lot of P&T: Bullshit episodes, it was quite direct, honest, and without too much slant. The thing that touched me the most was when the kid started crying after he shot the gun. Yeah, it's kinda embarassing to be that kid right now, but I cant think of any better way to prove that video games don't train kids in firearms use, and certainly don't turn them into murderous psychopaths.

There's not really slant in their show. There's honesty. There's a big difference.

Slant would be bending a fact slightly to support your cause. They don't really do that, and when they do, it's mainly just for the laugh and not the argument.

Anyway, this episode was just O.K. It wasn't anything spectacular, but it wasn't bad.

 

[Foolishman1776]

I watched the episode, it's rather compelling. As usual their arguments tended to be a bit more rhetorical (maybe even semantic) than factual, but on this they actually did have some facts, and the kid on the range summed up the whole thing nicely.

I have to say, the kid's reaction to firing the rifle was amusing. Didn't like the smell of the powder, apparently. Personally, I love that smell.

 

[Biek]

That would make sense, as that's what their shows about.
At least I hope that makes sense to them....

and what about the halo kid?

Which Halo kid are you talking about?

I heard about this kid, something like 12, who skipped school and went back home, took one of his parent's guns and shot himself in the head to see if respawn really worked. (safe to say it didn't) Parents blame Halo 3 for killing their kid.

That kid deserves a Darwin Award for having the decency to remove himself from the gene pool before he multiplied.

 

[Foolishman1776]

That would make sense, as that's what their shows about.
At least I hope that makes sense to them....

and what about the halo kid?

Which Halo kid are you talking about?

I heard about this kid, something like 12, who skipped school and went back home, took one of his parent's guns and shot himself in the head to see if respawn really worked. (safe to say it didn't) Parents blame Halo 3 for killing their kid.

That's not Halo's fault, if the kid can't figure out that respawn doesn't happen in real life, then he probably would have believed Luke Perry was stealing his water. If the kid was so confused that he wanted to test a concept that involved dying then there were probably warning signs that the parents ignored, you know, like asking why Luke Perry keeps stealing his water.

 

[Saarai-fan]

Penn and Teller did a great job in this episode about violence and video games. If fact, I enjoy their show a lot, even though there have been a few episodes in which I disagree with their opinions on whatever the subject is. And to be truthful, their episode on the Death Penalty is actually what convinced me to be against putting people to death. I just hate the fact I can't get Showtime on my tv anymore and that I have to go onto Youtube to try to watch some of their episodes. I also wish they'd do an episode about their thoughts on abortion, since I'd like to know their opinion of it, and see them finally speak out about Scientology.