TV News & "Expert" Blame Violent Games For Teen Killer

Recommended Videos

tharglet

New member
Jul 21, 2010
998
0
0
It doesn't surprise me that violent people are drawn to violent games, and that it can cause their behaviour to get worse. The danger in these programs is that some people will think that because a minority don't react well to games they should be banned to everyone.

The trick is more to watch out for the signs that something is "up" with these kids, not blanket-restricting a valid form of entertainment. Pretty much anything can pose a risk to someone somewhere, but it doesn't make sense just to outright ban things.

I also don't think this "blame the parents" thing helps entirely either. Yes, disturbed kids tend to come from bad homes, but not always. I'm pretty sure there's exceptions.
 

BrownGaijin

New member
Jan 31, 2009
895
0
0
Blame violent behavior on Video Games? What's next is a doctor from a mental institution going to blame comic books for his patients being abnormal?

Oh wait, Dangit! [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comics_Code_Authority]
 

Svenparty

New member
Jan 13, 2009
1,346
0
0
Clearly mentally unbalanced teenagers do not represent the gaming community: It's like if we took Catcher in the Rye off the shelves because of Mark David Chapman.

If it hadn't been Halo it would have been the next time the family ran out of milk or he couldn't go out with his friends.
 

Roserari

New member
Jul 11, 2011
227
0
0
This is what we should do: Make a standardized comment that pretty much wraps up our feeling about this kind of subject, leaving the key words open to fill out when posting it on an article. Because you might as well do that for the article itself as well.
 

airrazor7

New member
Nov 8, 2010
364
0
0
t3h br0th3r said:
it dose mean exposing a kid to that sort of thing will make her or him more likely to act violently, swear, and teabag the neighbor's cat.
Yeah I like the general assumption you made at the end there. You just pretty much said that every kid is an idiot that will mimic whatever they have been looking at or listening to for past couple of hours.

Yes, most gamers (myself included) are quick to defend against anti-game research but there is reason for that. Look at the crap that is constantly bombarding the medium. Journalist and reporters from the likes of fox news are constantly bashing games with nonsensical trash. There is always an "expert" on violence or psychology looking for their 15 minutes of fame by labeling games as a source of harmful influence because they know that is what the ignorant masses want to hear. Besides, have you actually checked out the guy's research that the article is about? If his research was a story, it would have enough plot holes to open a golf course. He, like many others, simply say, "Oh, he had violent tendencies and look, we found a game disc in his room. This game titled 'Guitar Hero' must be the cause. Rock music is all about satan worship. Case closed!"

I may need to look into it some (maybe you should too,) more but the real behavioral research being conducted in correlation to video games may have some weight to it. However there is hardly anything factual or evidential about the info that Chalmers is peddling.

The day that research with hard facts and evidence proves not just a weak link between acts of physical violence and video games but that games cause extreme violent tendencies with more than just the approval of idiots with an anti-game agenda, I will publicly burn my games and consoles (no I won't, Sony will probably find a way to sue me for damaging the PS3 I'm simply "renting" from them) and fully acknowledge and possibly advocate for the claims.
 

Superior Mind

New member
Feb 9, 2009
1,537
0
0
Chalmers is probably right, the kid was obsessed by Halo and this probably drove him to kill. But let's make this clear, it wasn't the game that drove him to kill it was the obsession. It's not uncommon for a killer to be obsessed with something, be it a game, a book, music, a film - anything, it doesn't even have to be entertainment media.

Fact is there is no research that has adequately concluded one way or the other on how violent video games effect people. The reason? Because everyone reacts to things differently. Violent video games could make one person violent while calming another. One of my friends uses violent games as a stress reliever, another uses them to pump himself up for Army exercises.

In these sorts of things game are a convinient scapegoat, we all know that. But in this case it would be correct to suggest Halo had a role in this situation - just not in the way Chalmers and anti-game advocates are insinuating.
 

John the Gamer

New member
May 2, 2010
1,021
0
0
Noooo! Not this again!



Don't trust those silly "experts" people!
Most of what they say is based on nothing anyways.
 

ShadowsofHope

Outsider
Nov 1, 2009
2,623
0
0
Or, you know.. your son has a medical condition that had him predisposed to violent thought and action against other people, and violent media is a potential factor in which may help speed the process up, but not the root cause. But.. no. Clearly Halo 3 alone corrupted him. The bullshit facts don't lie, now!

Also, time to go my copy of Halo 3 on my PS3- oh wait, doesn't that say "XBOX 360" on the case? False labeling, clearly..
 

Belgariontheking1

New member
Sep 11, 2008
36
0
0
I know I really have no room to talk about it but knowing the petric family personally, went to school with danny and his sister as well as went to the church where his father was the pastor. Back before the incident he was perfectly okay with video games. In fact he enjoyed playing madden. I know i really shouldn't say this but he is probably a little bitter by what happened.
 

Woodsey

New member
Aug 9, 2009
14,553
0
0
*shakes fist*

And that Elvis is making my daughter gyrate her hips like a slut!
 

Kingsnake661

New member
Dec 29, 2010
378
0
0
If you obessess over anything it'll have an effect on you. I and belive that even to be true with videogames. But the problem isn't persay the videogames but the obessession. And it happens in all different mediams as well.

A person with an obession to viloence will be drawn to violent entertainment. Them same people are more likely to be violent, but i'd wager the violent tendencys were there from the get go.

I do somewhat belive that exposing young children to overly violent meterial before they can process it can be harmful and help cause these violent tendencys, but that's a parenting issue. I also belive that even a normal person can be somewhat effected if they emmerse themselves compeletely in violent entertainment... turn them into psyco killers? No. Harden them alittle, desentitise? Possiblily. What we see and hear DOES effect us, even if we don't want to admit it, it's basises for all consurmer advertisment, and why songs can move us and books can change our lives. Which is good. But there's always a flip side if we let it happen.

Not that i think this was the case here. IMO, it was a matter of a psycho from the start how happened to, obviously enjoy violent videogames. The games didn't cause this, the problems where there before the game i'd wager.
 

BoogieManFL

New member
Apr 14, 2008
1,284
0
0
That must explain why murders started when we invented video games and no one had ever murdered another previously in the history of humanity.

OH WAIT.
 

jurnag12

New member
Nov 9, 2009
460
0
0
Seeing as it says 'Teenage Killer', I'm gonna assume he was 15, 16-ish when the crime took place.
Hence, Father, it's your fault for buying your kid a game which had an age rating that was above his age.
Now bugger off.
Not to mention that despite playing GTA since I was 10, I have yet to feel the slightest urge or need to kill another human being.
 

Alssadar

Senior Member
Sep 19, 2010
812
0
21
JacobShaftoe said:
Y'know, I remember a statistician pointing out that every serial killer in American history drank milk as a child. EVERY. LAST. ONE!
Dear god, I just drank milk this morning! I don't want to be a murderer!
 

Metalrocks

New member
Jan 15, 2009
2,406
0
0
sounds like germany. they always blame games if a young teenager or even a kid takes a gun and shoots people.
they dont ask them self how the kids got the gun, they just say its the games which made him do this.
germany likes to blame especially "counter strike" for making people become violent killers. thats what they seriously believe.

these so called experts know nothing. damn, i have bin playing violent games since i was 8 and i never felt like taking the gun and shoot some one. and i was even trained to use a gun for security work. dint had to shoot some one in that time.

reading this just makes me shake my head. what a bunch of stupid people. good to hear his book dint sell well.
 

Craazhy

Tic-Tock and Crash
Aug 22, 2009
105
0
0
What happens if some kid goes on a killing spree after his parents don't allow him to play fucking puzzle game?

I grew up between a foster home and a cell, made numerous substantial experiments and played extremely violent videogames all my life. I have no desire to harm anyone, half the time even when they harm me. Fuck this nonsense.

Forbid any parent be blamed for their responsibilities.

Kingsnake661 said:
If you obessess over anything it'll have an effect on you. I and belive that even to be true with videogames. But the problem isn't persay the videogames but the obessession. And it happens in all different mediams as well.

A person with an obession to viloence will be drawn to violent entertainment. Them same people are more likely to be violent, but i'd wager the violent tendencys were there from the get go.
 

hotsauceman

New member
Jun 23, 2011
288
0
0
I have said it before. Catcher in the rye has been blamed for murders yet we let our high schoolers read it(the most likely to go crazy from anything) Anything if misinterpreted by the wrong person can end in disaster.