Video Games blamed for US Massacre in Iraq

[SamuelT]

It's the disturbing reality of war. They are the enemy, and they have weapons. So they must be killed. This combined with the ruthlessness of pilots, who only push a button and see little dots fall down way below them gives a disturbing picture to anyone who doesn't know what's happening in a warzone.

You can't judge this by 'civilised' standards.

 

[Bull3t]

ok when i watched the video honestly i thought they had ak-47s'and much worse things happen over there everyday. i understand loss of life, but what about the kids insurgents send in to get run over by humvees just so they can take rpg potshots at u.s. convoys I think blame should not be pointed at Games, the military, or dessensitization but instead to the insurgents causing this conflict.

 

[Snarky Username]

The article didn't mention that video games were to blame at all. They just used them as a metaphor for the fact that the soldiers didn't care about life. Making knee-jerk reactions hat people are blaming video games for all the world's troubles is no better than making knee-jerk reaction that a game hat involves kicking a black guy is the most racist thing since the segregation...

 

[Wolfiesden]

Sorry people but this was no massacre. It was unfortunate, yes, it was NOT a massacre. Learn the REAL meaning of massacre.
-noun
1. the unnecessary, indiscriminate killing of a large number of human beings or animals, as in barbarous warfare or persecution or for revenge or plunder.

It was not indiscriminate by any means nor was it killing of large numbers of people. The troops had logical and reasonable reason to believe that firing was necessary. They had been called to the area to support troops that were being fired on. This is discriminant in the fact they didn't widely fire on the whole area, only on specific targets and only then after getting fire clearance.

Now, lets examine the game link shall we? This incident resulted in relatively few deaths and injuries. Hell, not too many years ago, the troops that called in the chopper would have called in coordinates to a 105mm artillery battery that would have dropped 1,000's of pounds of high explosive shells on the area killing insurgents and civilians as well as decimating area buildings. So I say, GOOD FOR GAMES. They have REDUCED the death toll of war not INCREASED it.

Sorry but you reporters need to learn that being in a WAR ZONE means YOU ARE A TARGET just like anyone else there. Reporters seem to think they are completely invulnerable and are never targets and can simply walk through a zone and nothing will hurt them. Wake the hell up. You are at risk if you are in a war zone, it doesn't make a shit WHO you are or think you are, you are at risk. Bullets don't give a damn that you have a press id card in your pocket. How about you point your cameras at some insurgents and see how long you live.

God bless our soldiers. They put their lives on the line to keep you free to ***** about games you play, the taxes you pay, and the weather. So I am a lot more likely to cut them some slack for making a mistake(they are human after all) than a gang banger popping a 7-11 clerk in the head with a .38 for $150 in the register.

 

[Kandon Arc]

As many have already posted, the article doesn't blame video games, just uses them as a comparison for the pilots' demanour.

As far as the event goes, I can just about give the pilots the benefit of the doubt for the initial attack given that some of the men were armed (although they clearly weren't in anything remotely resembling a combat footing). However attacking the unarmed civilians who came to help the wounded reporter was indefensible.

Though to be honest the real bastard of the piece is the Pentagon, who have been fighting for almost 3 years to prevent this video (and probably many more) from coming to light. If the Reuters reporters hadn't been there you can bet we would never seen it.

 

[Sky Captanio]

Really? Just...wow. They just seem to say: "Something bad happened. Let's shift attention by blaming games.

 

[Otterpoet]

The reporter was using a metaphor to describe the pilots' apparent insensitivity, not citing fact or even hinting at it. And that analogy has been used since the /first/ Iraq War... long before there was an XBox. So, time to knock off the knee-jerk, 'don't attack my hobby' reactions.

After reviewing the full video, it does become pretty evident that these pilots were itching to do some damage. And maybe they were justified in that. After all, American forces were being attacked that day by insurgents coming out of that area. And yes, it can be difficult to distinguish weapons at 800 yards even with high-resolution cameras. Remember, the pilots are only seeing part of what the camera is... because they're also busying flying the helicopter. (Although here's a hint... an RPG is rarely held against your FACE when you're going to fire it! And it was this action they mainly cited to get clearance to fire the first time.)

However, it was their absolute - almost chilling - callousness during the engagement that should be the main source of contention. Coaxing a grievously wounded person (the journalist) to pick up a gun, so they can finish him off? Snickering at the people they're mincing with 30mm ammo? Lying to their command when the van showed up to get permission to fire (the driver was helping the wounded, NOT retrieving weapons as they claimed). Laughing again at nailing the people inside the van - the children, they later coldly dismissed. And again getting a chuckle over the body being mashed under the treads of an APC (I seriously hope that poor guy was dead at the time). It's this kind of attitude that needs to be examined - and yes, I used to be in the military, so I understand the mentality.

But honestly, when one considers some of the crap going on with the military right now ( http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/05/world/asia/05afghan.html?src=twr ), can we really be shocked that this sort of thing occurs?


This was sad and horrible, but let's remember what's important in this discussion... and it isn't video games.

 

[Void(null)]

This was sad and horrible, but let's remember what's important in this discussion... and it isn't video games.

Exactly. So why did the reporter and the guy from wikileaks feel the need to make disparaging comments about "Generation X-Box" in the first place? It completely undermines the real point of importance behind all of this.

 

[blindthrall]

It's Dick Cheney's fault anyway. He's the whole reason we're there. I think the guy was indicting technology in general, not specifically attacking video games, although I would love to hear his alternative. Other than the obvious, which is "Don't be so easily duped by bloodthirsty hate-mongers into sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."

I prefer going to the root of the problem. Vietnam? Thank the French for that clusterfuck.

 

[Tetranitrophenol]

Hell, those guys are in the middle of a warzone, and here are these journalists walking with cameras bigger than their torsos like they were in the middle of central park. Videogames or no videogames involved, if you think anybody will double check if that's a Mortar or a CNN camera before pulling the trigger you have another thing coming.

Still, I do think that videogames are affecting us somehow. I mean when I was playing Fallout 3 a few months ago my mom enters my room the very instant I sneak up behind someones back and blow his head off with a shotgun!

The shock from the scene + my um...lets just say joyful reaction to what I just did costed me a little bit of trouble to explain. No wonder, I just blew up a guys head with a shotgun (even if it was a videogame) and I didnt feel remorse, but glee! >.> (wtf is happening to me)

Anybody else in the same boat? ;;

 

[Otterpoet]

This was sad and horrible, but let's remember what's important in this discussion... and it isn't video games.

Exactly. So why did the reporter and the guy from wikileaks feel the need to make disparaging comments about "Generation X-Box" in the first place? It completely undermines the real point of importance behind all of this.

Because, as I mentioned before, they went to the standard metaphor that's been used over the last 20+ years. "Generation X-Box" just happens to be the latest incarnation. And considering that pilots (air and tank) utilize video games to train (and desensitize themselves to combat), it's not a huge leap.

This off-handed remark is completely different from the media's normal habit of singling out video games as the root cause of even the stupidest killings (such as the Texas guy that shot his son over a missing video game).

That said, if the reporters had stated, 'Video games are solely to blame for this callous behavior,' I'd be right behind you.

 

[keybird]

so...did they get the high score?

Ha. That made me laugh.

OT: People are stupid and if they want to believe that video games are evil...I say let them.

Ignorance is bliss.

 

[That's Funny]

In other news fish swim and dogs bark.

OT: Seriously though this whole 'lets blame video games for bad things' only makes the person who say these sort of things look even more stupid. What will they blame video games for next I wander?

 

[Choppaduel]

op's tone accurately reflects how I feel on this topic.

 

[blindthrall]

ok when i watched the video honestly i thought they had ak-47s'and much worse things happen over there everyday. i understand loss of life, but what about the kids insurgents send in to get run over by humvees just so they can take rpg potshots at u.s. convoys I think blame should not be pointed at Games, the military, or dessensitization but instead to the insurgents causing this conflict.

I'll agree with you that the shitty resolution made me unsure as to whether or not weapons were there, and I couldn't see the kids either, but the real issue is that they fired on an improvised medevac, which was clearly not involved in hostile behavior. But the insurgents didn't cause this conflict. There would be no insurgency if we weren't there in the first place, or if Bremer hadn't decided to fire the entire Iraqi military. We've got nobody but ourselves and al-Quaeda to blame for the insurgency. I'd like to think the American people would respond exactly the same way if a foreign power invaded us, fighting back tooth and nail and allying with whoever offered us aid.

 

[Super Jamz]

I was quite surprised the guy didn't say anything about top scores once in the video.

I mean, how often does he get missions like this?


I can get the angle they're coming from however, identifying targets and firing at them in the video just felt very impersonal and detached and it just flew past me how they managed to see an 'AK-47' and an 'RPG'.

But yes, gaming is quite obviously the main reason for this travesty!

 

[soapyshooter]

if anyone is to blame, blame the guy pulling the tigger and the US Army for lowering standards enough to let retards that think a camera is an RPG.

 

[Lonan]

They aren't blaming video games, they're comparing their actions too getting a high score on a computer game. Little sensitive when the word "game" comes up? I guess if someone compares U.S. Mexican border control efforts to building a Great Wall of China, they're racist against Chinese people?

 

[blindthrall]

Hell, those guys are in the middle of a warzone, and here are these journalists walking with cameras bigger than their torsos like they were in the middle of central park. Videogames or no videogames involved, if you think anybody will double check if that's a Mortar or a CNN camera before pulling the trigger you have another thing coming.

Still, I do think that videogames are affecting us somehow. I mean when I was playing Fallout 3 a few months ago my mom enters my room the very instant I sneak up behind someones back and blow his head off with a shotgun!

The shock from the scene + my um...lets just say joyful reaction to what I just did costed me a little bit of trouble to explain. No wonder, I just blew up a guys head with a shotgun (even if it was a videogame) and I didnt feel remorse, but glee! >.> (wtf is happening to me)

Anybody else in the same boat? ;;

I'm first mate.

"Up yours and have a buckshot breakfast, asshole!" Not the exact quote, but still one of the best dialogue options ever. Fallout 2.

Male humans feel a periodic need to slaughter something. We're psychotic apes, no point denying it. If we can do it virtually, so much the better. My cousin was never allowed to play games where humans killed each other(but he could play AvP) and as soon as he turned 18 he joined the Army. What I saying is those guys should have played MORE games.

But the warzone argument rings hollow in a guerilla conflict. You can't declare an entire country a warzone, and our military needs to better define what constitutes an 'enemy combatant.'

Also, why is your avatar so familiar? It's got one to many nitrile groups to be TNT.