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[fifasnipe2224]

His mom didn't work there.

Wait... really? So no clear motive? Was she even a teacher?

 

[Revolver]

Reporter just asked about banning violent games which apparently this guy was addicted to? Is he just making shit up or what, I never heard that.

I keep hearing videogames brought up too. I don't get it, is it because of his age it's just assumed he played games or because his brother liked a game on facebook or something?

 

[Emily Chu]

idk man he was 20 yr old American Male

the fuck else was he going to do that required next to no money for fun ? (vidja games)

besides chillaxing on the net ?

or watching netflix, youtube, or internetting on forums ?

did he have a drivers license at least ?

 

[NullPointer]

I keep hearing videogames brought up too. I don't get it, is it because of his age it's just assumed he played games or because his brother liked a game on facebook or something?

Would anybody here by surprised? Hell, I'd assume it. I just wouldn't use that assumption as a bludgeon.

 

[ElectricBlue187]

I just hope he wasn't a GAFer

 

[el retorno]

Not sure if this has been posted yet.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/16/the-freedom-of-an-armed-society/

Thanks for posting this. Really interesting.

 

[NullPointer]

How much longer are videogames going to be caught under this cloud of paranoia?

As long as the heavy hitter blockbuster games are all about lining up headshots and getting executions I'd imagine. Thats just a guess though.

 

[Revolver]

Would anybody here by surprised? Hell, I'd assume it. I just wouldn't use that assumption as a bludgeon.

No I wouldn't be surprised, I was just wondering if some kind of evidence had come up. Not that the media needs evidence.

I saw some "expert" on TV saying that apparently the shooter had no presence on "social media" and that should of been a warning sign. Really? Because I guess twitter and facebook are just flooded with well-adjusted people.

 

[timetokill]

How much longer are videogames going to be caught under this cloud of paranoia? I'm not sure we're going to get another medium to take the heat the way comic books did.

Every year that people cheer at a guy getting his face blown off by a shotgun blast at a videogame convention is another year that videogames face this kind of scrutiny.

 

[TheGrue]

How much longer are videogames going to be caught under this cloud of paranoia? I'm not sure we're going to get another medium to take the heat the way comic books did.

Do we have to wait for the baby boomers to die off?

It's interesting because I don't play a ton of violent games and don't get off on them, but I certainly play them. What I tend to do is look for a more peaceful solution in the game, if available, but if you're playing something like a Far Cry 3, you're going to certainly kill a ton of people. That being said, I don't watch violent movies or TV. People target video games as the culprit, but the stuff just isn't very realistic, whereas movies and TV are showing heads caving in and all kinds of gory nastiness and it looks like what I imagine this stuff would look like. I just can't even bear to watch that kind of grossness and yet video games are supposedly making me a emotionless killer.

 

[NullPointer]

Every year that people cheer at a guy getting his face blown off by a shotgun blast at a videogame convention is another year that videogames face this kind of scrutiny.

That too.

 

[Rebel Leader]

God has never been involved in any kind of violent crime.

It is known.

ummm...

You know what... I'll stay away

 

[Darkmakaimura]

Every year that people cheer at a guy getting his face blown off by a shotgun blast at a videogame convention is another year that videogames face this kind of scrutiny.

Video games are the the peak medium because of technology. Books got the rap, then comic books, then movies, then music, then table-top RPGs and now it's video games. Every entertainment medium. When full blown virtual reality comes around (which is pretty much a video game anyhow) that will be the new focus.

 

[D4Danger]

Every year that people cheer at a guy getting his face blown off by a shotgun blast at a videogame convention is another year that videogames face this kind of scrutiny.

I read about that on one of Gamasutra's end of year posts. I missed it at the time but yeah, you're absolutely right.

The 5 events that shook the video game industry in 2012

When professionals screamed for blood

This year's E3 was a weird one for us -- as you may have read previously -- but one particular moment sticks out, and is something we're still talking about.

During Sony's big annual press conference, with cameras rolling and the internet livestreaming and major media documenting what's new in the video game industry, we were all shown several minutes of gameplay of Naughty Dog's upcoming adventure game The Last of Us. It's an impressive game that, frankly, looks like it'll be great.

However, at the end of the demonstration, our protagonist -- who, granted, has been defending himself from enemies who would see him dead -- points a shotgun straight at a guy's face who literally begs for his life before being blown to pieces.

And in the crowded room full of video game professionals, the audience erupted in applause. I saw some people stand up in excitement. One guy threw punches at the air, unable to contain his joy at having seen this.

It remains to be seen if this moment is going to have any impact on the rest of the industry, but I think Gamasutra changed at that moment. All of us were frankly bored and a bit disgusted by the endless extreme violence we were seeing at the show earlier that day, but that moment really turned us off of triple-A video games for a while.

Here we are in an industry creating some of the most beautiful works of art that have ever been seen, literally redefining how humans interact with the very world they live in, and this is how we're represented at the largest trade show of the year?

Was it an overreaction? Maybe. But looking back over everything we wrote in 2012, I can't help but notice subtle changes to the way we covered this industry starting from that moment. We've been returning big publisher PR phone calls just a little bit less often, for better or for worse, and have retrenched a bit to focus more on what makes games great, as opposed to what games are selling the most.

 

[Shake Appeal]

As someone who started playing violent FPS games (well, Wolf3D) at the age of 8 and has loved just about every second of the tens of thousands of hours spent playing them and counts them as far and away my favourite genre... I have to admit that I actually think violent videogames do have a (relatively tiny) role to play in the larger issue of America's attitudes to violence. Yes, they are too often made the principal scapegoat, but I think it's an overreaction to claim they don't have some toxic influence on at least a small subset of the population some of the time, and perpetuate a generally blasé attitude to depictions of graphic death in the majority.

 

[bigboss370]

Every year that people cheer at a guy getting his face blown off by a shotgun blast at a videogame convention is another year that videogames face this kind of scrutiny.

right so why not violent movies that get cheered at nationally televised award ceremonies?

 

[Air Zombie Meat]

right so why not violent movies that get cheered at nationally televised award ceremonies?

Thats different. The cheering was specifically for the scene of someones head getting blown off. No one would take issue with cheering for the game itself.

 

[Angelus Errare]

As someone who started playing violent FPS games (well, Wolf3D) at the age of 8 and has loved just about every second of the tens of thousands of hours spent playing them and counts them as far and away my favourite genre... I have to admit that I actually think violent videogames do have a (relatively tiny) role to play in the larger issue of America's attitudes to violence. Yes, they are too often made the principal scapegoat, but I think it's an overreaction to claim they don't have some toxic influence on at least a small subset of the population some of the time, and perpetuate a generally blasé attitude to depictions of graphic death in the majority.

It's complete bullshit is what it is. Videogames as a scapegoat only work if...violence by gun in the US just started when 3D shooters emerged, our violence rate with guns increased when 3D shooters entered the market.

Only reason people blame videogames is because there would be less resistance from the average American to the censoring/banning of videogames than say...violent movies, TV shows.

 

[ElectricBlue187]

As someone who started playing violent FPS games (well, Wolf3D) at the age of 8 and has loved just about every second of the tens of thousands of hours spent playing them and counts them as far and away my favourite genre... I have to admit that I actually think violent videogames do have a (relatively tiny) role to play in the larger issue of America's attitudes to violence. Yes, they are too often made the principal scapegoat, but I think it's an overreaction to claim they don't have some toxic influence on at least a small subset of the population some of the time, and perpetuate a generally blasé attitude to depictions of graphic death in the majority.

the only (and I mean only) theory that makes sense linking video games to violence is that they cause short term shifts in attitude related to the game (feeling sneaky after playing MGS, wanting to go for a joyride after playing GTA, getting angry after getting killed repeatedly in halo multiplayer) these things don't change you as a person from who you are but they can influence your behavior for a few minutes after playing I think.

 

[NullPointer]

Its not a good scapegoat, no. But its part of a larger issue of desensitizing children towards some pretty hardcore violence. That's an indictment that would also have to include TV and movies, but games are a different beast in that they are interactive, so the action on screen is willful, and the killing is the core mechanic, repeated thousands and thousands of times for score/in-game money/rep, and gamers eat a steady diet of the stuff.

Its not the simple out or boogeyman, but it deserves to be in the conversation when it comes to our cultural love affair with violence.

 

[I H8 Memes]

It was the end of a great gameplay trailer. Were they supposed to sit in silence with their hands folded in their laps?

 

[bigboss370]

Thats different. The cheering was specifically for the scene of someones head getting blown off. No one would take issue with cheering for the game itself.

and how do we know it wasn't for the game itself? that scene is literally where the footage ended and the title showed up.

 

[LegendofJoe]

Please....you guys are acting as if violence is not a pervasive part of most of the AAA blockbusters produced today. It's THE selliing point in a lot of them, and yes it has helped to desensitize us to violence. Games aren't solely to blame, but they sure as hell are a part of it.

 

[bigboss370]

Please....you guys are acting as if violence is not a pervasive part of most of the AAA blockbusters produced today. It's THE selliing point in a lot of them, and yes it has helped to desensitize us to violence. Games aren't solely to blame, but they sure as hell are a part of it.

exactly its not just video games so the news media has no business singling it out.

 

[Risette]

the only (and I mean only) theory that makes sense linking video games to violence is that they cause short term shifts in attitude related to the game (feeling sneaky after playing MGS, wanting to go for a joyride after playing GTA, getting angry after getting killed repeatedly in halo multiplayer) these things don't change you as a person from who you are but they can influence your behavior for a few minutes after playing I think.

Is this like the Tetris effect where you see things as block patterns that can be put together?

 

[Slacker]

I always wonder when they say stuff like, "The killer apparently enjoyed violent video games." Yeah, he was a 20 year old male. A more realistic situation would be, "Authorities are very concerned. Apparently the killer was a 20 year old male and he didn't like violent video games. This evidence leads investigators to assume he's a weirdo."

 

[fluffydelusions]

Maybe I'm a bit late on this but I just saw on the news (NBC) that the Texas governor or some big gun advocate down there said the principal of the school should have carried a gun...fucking serious??? He didn't really say that did he?

 

[commedieu]

Maybe I'm a bit late on this but I just saw on the news (NBC) that the Texas governor said the principal of the school should have carried a gun...fucking serious??? He didn't really say that did he?

www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fi...re-access-to-guns-could-avert-mass-shootings/

“I wish to god she had an M4 in her office locked up, so when she heard gunfire, she pulls it out, she takes him out,” Gohmert said.

-Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas)

 

[fluffydelusions]

www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fi...re-access-to-guns-could-avert-mass-shootings/


-Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas)

I don't even know how to respond to shit like this

 

[BruiserBear]

Guns are like a religion for some people.

A religion every bit as irrational as normal religions IMO.

 

[tralfazz]

Its not a good scapegoat, no. But its part of a larger issue of desensitizing children towards some pretty hardcore violence. That's an indictment that would also have to include TV and movies, but games are a different beast in that they are interactive, so the action on screen is willful, and the killing is the core mechanic, repeated thousands and thousands of times for score/in-game money/rep, and gamers eat a steady diet of the stuff.

Its not the simple out or boogeyman, but it deserves to be in the conversation when it comes to our cultural love affair with violence.

Couldn't have said it better. When I got home Friday, I threw out 15+ shooters where gunplay is the core gameplay mechanic. Lost my taste for it. People saying it has no business being talked about sound no different than people saying guns aren't the problem. Everything needs to be addressed.

 

[CrankyJay]

They said this fucking coward killed himself when he saw he was surrounded by police. I only wish they got there sooner or someone got on the intercom and said they were the police and that he was surrounded...maybe that could have spared a few more lives. =(

 

[Xun]

Guns are like a religion for some people.

A religion every bit as irrational as normal religions IMO.

Fully agreed.

I just can't fathom how anyone can defend them.

Truly upsetting events.

 

[bigboss370]

Guns are like a religion for some people.

A religion every bit as irrational as normal religions IMO.

oh wow just had to take a hit at religion, even in a topic like this. fucking unbelievable.

 

[cpp_is_king]

It's hard to admit sometimes, but as both a gamer and even a game developer, I can't pretend like there's not at least some kind of sociological impact due to violent games.

I agree that violent movies, TV, and other types of media need to be part of the discussion too, but let's not fool ourselves into thinking that video games are completely irrelevant just because we happen to like them.

I think all of us, even the ones who don't go off killing people, are affected at least to some extent by the excessive violence prevalent in modern society. Even if the effect is undetectable over the short term, it may be detectable over a period of say 10-20 years. Some people are just affected more than others due to their underlying biology that makes them more unstable to begin with.

 

[CrankyJay]

oh wow just had to take a hit at religion, even in a topic like this. fucking unbelievable.

Someone in this same thread last night was complaining Obama was quoting scripture...at a prayer vigil.

 

[KHarvey16]

It's hard to admit sometimes, but as both a gamer and a game developer, I can't pretend like there's not at least some kind of sociological impact due to violent games.

I agree that violent movies, TV, and other types of media need to be part of the discussion too, but let's not fool ourselves into thinking that video games are completely irrelevant just because we happen to like them.

I think all of us, even the ones who don't go off killing people, are affected at least to some extent by the excessive violence prevalent in modern society. Even if the effect is undetectable over the short term, it may be detectable over a period of say 10-20 years. Some people are just affected more than others due to their underlying biology that makes them more unstable to begin with.

Are there studies that substantiate this?

 

[Protein]

They brought up Starcraft and Warcraft on CNN, "games which involve shooting." Why????

 

[Cloudy]

Unreal, CNN is talking about how the shooter played "Starcraft and Warcraft". So dumb..

 

[cpp_is_king]

Are there studies that substantiate this?

Perhaps, but I don't know of any. It's just my opinion. And I think i have more of a vested interested in being wrong than most other people in this thread, considering that my job is to make games. (Incidentally, I don't work on a violent game, but still).

 

[KHarvey16]

Not that I know of, it's just my opinion. And I think i have more of a vested interested in being wrong than most other people in this thread, considering that my job is to make games. (Incidentally, I don't work on a violent game, but still).

No offense, but your interests, vested or not, don't somehow bestow truth on a gut feeling.

 

[Cloudy]

It's hard to admit sometimes, but as both a gamer and even a game developer, I can't pretend like there's not at least some kind of sociological impact due to violent games.

I agree that violent movies, TV, and other types of media need to be part of the discussion too, but let's not fool ourselves into thinking that video games are completely irrelevant just because we happen to like them.

I think all of us, even the ones who don't go off killing people, are affected at least to some extent by the excessive violence prevalent in modern society. Even if the effect is undetectable over the short term, it may be detectable over a period of say 10-20 years. Some people are just affected more than others due to their underlying biology that makes them more unstable to begin with.

Games and movies aren't going to influence or desensitize (to real violence) anyone who isn't mentally unwell. The real problems are unfettered access to tool of mass murder and the difficulty of accessing mental healthcare when needed...

 

[cpp_is_king]

No offense, but your interests, vested or not, don't somehow bestow truth on a gut feeling.

I didn't say it bestowed truth on anything. Nobody in this thread has any truth about anything, the entire thread is filled with opinions. So I don't think your disagreement with my opinion makes my opinion any less valid.

 

[CrankyJay]

Games and movies aren't going to influence or desensitize (to real violence) anyone who isn't mentally unwell...

I think the news does this...you can see some sort of atrocity on any given night on any news channel.

 

[BruiserBear]

There have been studies that linked violent videogames to "aggressive" behavior.

 

[cpp_is_king]

Games and movies aren't going to influence or desensitize (to real violence) anyone who isn't mentally unwell. The real problems are easy access to tool of mass murder and the difficulty of accessing mental healthcare when needed...

I'm looking at the bigger picture. Not how it affects a single person who may or may not be mentally unwell, but how it affects society and culture on a larger scale, the effects of which can matriculate over multiple generations even.

 

[Kusagari]

Unreal, CNN is talking about how the shooter played "Starcraft and Warcraft". So dumb..

Are you serious?

What are they going to do next? Say he played Angry Birds?

 

[Mammoth Jones]

A kid at the school I teach at posted something to facebook about how he was inspired by the events of what happened and had made a hit list.

This is why you don't give a shooting 24/7 news coverage.

Yep. And I mean, it isn't the shooting that gets the coverage. It's the shooter. I've seen this douches face plastered on TV since Saturday morning. It's like he's become the worst form of celebrity and we give these maniacs the attention they desperately crave. It's like we remember him more than the victims.

I really wish the media would identify the killer once and then that's it. Don't reference his name after that. No constant pictures on TV. No wikipedia page.

 

[KHarvey16]

I didn't say it bestowed truth on anything. Nobody in this thread has any truth about anything, the entire thread is filled with opinions. So I don't think your disagreement with my opinion makes my opinion any less valid.

You suggested we don't feel the same way you do because our reasoning has been undermined by our enjoyment of games. You can't substantiate that claim without citing something other than your opinion. Frankly it's a bit shitty to dismiss objections to how you feel by telling us we're just too into games to know what we're talking about.

Feel free to speculate to your hearts content, but don't try to call out others without something to back you up.

 

[cpp_is_king]

A kid at the school I teach at posted something to facebook about how he was inspired by the events of what happened and had made a hit list.

This is why you don't give a shooting 24/7 news coverage.

If he doesn't get arrested I'm holding you personally responsible for not reporting him.