Video Games blamed for US Massacre in Iraq

[fix-the-spade]

You do understand...

Of course I know and understand that, I see the strategic reason for it but I'm not really sure how that changes the content of the article or that the way they talk about is creepily like two people playing a videogame.

The article never states that it's because of videogames, it says that the events and behaviour are a lot like a computer game. Which they are, what the implications of taht are you have to decide for yourself, all I did was correct the OP, who didn't seem to have read the article very thouroughly.

 

[ElephantGuts]

I think we should just take it to the next step and blame the Holocaust on videogames. I'm sure Mahmoud Ahmedinejad (not bothering to check spelling so don't blame me if that's not right) would have already done so if he was willing to admit the Holocaust's existence.

 

[Void(null)]

You do understand...

Of course I know and understand that, I see the strategic reason for it but I'm not really sure how that changes the content of the article or that the way they talk about is creepily like two people playing a videogame.

The article never states that it's because of videogames, it says that the events and behaviour are a lot like a computer game. Which they are, what the implications of taht are you have to decide for yourself, all I did was correct the OP, who didn't seem to have read the article very thouroughly.

Once again, if your 80 year old Grandmother was watching that News Report, what message would she take from it and would she have been influenced towards a positive, neutral or negative opinion on Video Games by that Report?

 

[TheEvilJester]

So, real quickly, I see a LOT of people saying that the U.S. military is justified due to distance and potential threats. But what about the civilians, I mean they have lives too. When America does collateral damage to other countries its OK. If by some chance Iraq did it they are terrorists. That "collateral damage" has to be explained to the wife and children of the innocents. What I'm really sayin is Shit does seem to happen, but in Americas favor.

 

[MegaManOfNumbers]

*looks around*

where's good ol Jack Thompson?


oh yeah, that's right, he ain't here cause this is the FUCKING military we're talking about!

 

[Elburzito]

*Sigh*. Another excuse to cover up the incompetence of the U.S army in Iraq and Afganistan. The report didn't even mention WHAT video-game it was this time. Hmm.. by the phrases the soldiers used they are probably going to blame Battlefield: Bad company 2.

 

[maddawg IAJI]

So they draw the conclusion that video games are to be blamed because they let immature people fly the military aircraft? That's just jumping to conlusions.

I watched the video and all I can say is that the pilots were not that smart. The Cameras didn't even look like Ak-47s and I have no idea why they jumped to the conclusion that all the men in the street were insurgents. Who are on earth gave them the permission to fire?

Also, about 2 minutes into the video, they opened fire on a van trying to take the wounded to safety. I may be mistaken on the circumstances, but isn't it a war crime to open fire on wounded soliders?

 

[fix-the-spade]

Once again, if your 80 year old Grandmother was watching that News Report, what message would she take from it and would she have been influenced towards a positive, neutral or negative opinion on Video Games by that Report?

She would be neutral, she reads things properly.

 

[Captain Picard]

I watched the video and all I can say is that the pilots were not that smart. The Cameras didn't even look like Ak-47s and I have no idea why they jumped to the conclusion that all the men in the street were insurgents. Who are on earth gave them the permission to fire?

Dude, the pilots were not referring to the cameras carried by the reporters when they said "AK-47's". There were guys on the street OTHER THAN THE REPORTERS who DEFINITELY appeared to have weapons.

Seriously, it's not that hard to see and understand. Watch the video again and keep an eye on the two gentlemen above the horizontal crosshair at 3:38 - 3:50.

And who do you think gave the pilots permisison to fire? Their commanding officer to whom they were relaying what they had spotted on the street, perhaps?

 

[elilupe]

I literally just pulled some of my hair out because of this. I cant believe they are acting like these men wanted to fire on these people because of videogames is completely wrong. They are acting like the fact that videogames are like this is why these men shot at these people, when, they shot at these people because they are in a WAR. They shot at them because they thought they were insurgents carrying guns. It is terrible, and this shooting should never have happened, but they really should not have likened it to playing a videogame.

 

[elilupe]

by the phrases the soldiers used they are probably going to blame Battlefield: Bad company 2.

Nah, they arn't that tuned into videogaming, theyll probably call it something like "Call of Battlefield 3"

 

[JWW]

I don't think it was meant as blame, it was just an analogy. And I agree, urban warfare shouldn't be treated like a video game, because it isn't one.

 

[Snowden's Secret]

So where are you, Jack Thompson...?

He may be gone, but I heard that if you're a gamer and you say his name three times while looking in a mirror, he will appear and search your house for copies of GTA.

But seriously, videogames are an old scapegoat, but as shown here can still be used by crusading politicians and whatnot. It's almost passing the buck.

 

[Kiriona]

It figures they would find a way to stick what's happening in Iraq onto video games... It just proves how little they really know about the gaming community.

I blame global warming.

 

[Eremiel]

Why bother challenging the way the military conducts itself in urban warfare, when we can just blame it all on Video Games?

That's not quite what they were saying.

They said the pilots were treating war like a videogame, not that videogames were at fault. I'd be inclined to agree with them actually, it all seems very remote and detached from the cockpit of an Apache however many hundred metres away they were.

Completely agreed. The laughing over a tank running over a body and the way he just wanted to shoot.

I was almost expecting "LOL OWNED!" after the initial salvo into the crowd.

 

[Lullabye]

Well, all I can say is nice shootin'.
seriously, if you do a job you may as well enjoy it.

It was a mistake, one they may or may not beat themselves up over. You know what they should be blaming instead of gamer ideals? Bad graphics. If they really were anything like gamers, they would never settle for such terrible quality on their screen. Plus maybe then the could see what the fuck they're shooting at.
Seriously though, nice shot through window.


*a moment of silence for the innocents lost*

 

[Elburzito]

by the phrases the soldiers used they are probably going to blame Battlefield: Bad company 2.

Nah, they arn't that tuned into videogaming, theyll probably call it something like "Call of Battlefield 3"

Good One! HaHa, I knew someone would say something like that!

 

[CloggedDonkey]

well, they never blamed games, just said that the pilots treated it like a game. still, the people who should be blamed are the psychos in the helicopter, not anyone else. blaming it on anyone or anything but them is completely crazy.

 

[slipknot4]

I'm calling bullshit on this story, yahoo are beginning to sound like Fox news to me, and high scores? I mean, they saw armed men with ak47 after all. Who gives a shit if I take out an entire troop of terrorist and then go, "Sigh, where should i drop the emergency airdrop?"

I can only blame the guy who designed the apache cameras.
[/over unsensitized rant post]