They said the D.C. shooter played violent video games.

[Cad6500]

they must have had VERY violent video games back in the dark ages...

[beebskadoo]

The Bible has more violence in it than any movie, song, or video game that I have seen/heard. 

[Canoas]

no I mean like most video games that can be classified as violent. I don't know one game other than GTA that you are rewarded just for the violence itself. Most games that are violent in nature have violence as the secondary aspect. For example, the goal of Tomb Raider is to escape, not to kill. But you kill in order to escape. Therefore violence is not the primary motivator.

 a lot of games give you points/gold for killing other players/npcs.

[Slaeowulf]

Quick hint: Never state that "I am not more qualified than you guys to talk about this stuff". You've no idea how qualified we are. I'd be very surprised if not a single LTT member had a Degree, Masters and/or Doctorate in Sociology or Psychology.

Moreover, you've come to the obvious conclusion that any rational commentator would come to without getting into any technical analysis of morality, psychology or sociology. Yes, we know that video games don't directly influence behaviour. What you fail to mention is that they can indirectly influence attitude, which is the sort of thing we should discuss as a community because when that point is made to us we'd better hope we have an answer for it.

[Slaeowulf]

And let's not forget paranoid, delusional schizophrenics. There was a woman in America who pleaded insanity (and was granted that defence) when she killed her children because she genuinely believed she was in The Matrix. It's not entirely abstract to think that someone with severe mental health issues may believe a video game reality to the point where they go out and run over or shoot a group of people because they did it in a video game.

The problem here is that of American Exceptionalism and how this influences the American media. When all of their major news networks know they cannot actively criticise HUGE issues in America, like America's lack of provision for people with mental health problems or the ready availability of firearms to the point where one of the most secure locations in the country (if not the world) is not safe from such an event, because so many of their viewers have bought into the idea that they are special and wonderful and better than the rest of the world through virtue of being born in America, and they know such a criticism would put them in dire straits, they need to find a scapegoat. Video games are an easy target.

 

By the way, if any you guys watch Extra Credits you'll know exactly what episode I'm thinking of here. For those of you that don't, go and watch this --> http://www.penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/moving-forward. They make a fantastic, positive case for the good that video games can do, which is another thing we need to focus on in a big way. Let's not get mired in this mud slinging match and just rise above it

[DirkaFat]

Quick hint: Never state that "I am not more qualified than you guys to talk about this stuff". You've no idea how qualified we are. I'd be very surprised if not a single LTT member had a Degree, Masters and/or Doctorate in Sociology or Psychology.

Moreover, you've come to the obvious conclusion that any rational commentator would come to without getting into any technical analysis of morality, psychology or sociology. Yes, we know that video games don't directly influence behaviour. What you fail to mention is that they can indirectly influence attitude, which is the sort of thing we should discuss as a community because when that point is made to us we'd better hope we have an answer for it.

The OP has a degree in phycology. 

[chaozbandit]

Wasn't the shooter also believed to be mentally ill? The fact that he was allegedly "hearing voices in his head" should raise some flags here and there. Personally I think that mainstream media is focused a tad bit too much on the fact that video games are violent. What should be of equal concern is who (and under what conditions) is permitted to be in the possession of firearms in the first place...

[Slaeowulf]

 I don't know one game other than GTA that you are rewarded just for the violence itself. 

 

How about any game with violence?

Skyrim - Kill the person, nick their stuff, be better off because of it.

Fallout NV - Kill the person, nick their stuff, be better off because of it.

...etc

Super Smash Bros - Kill the other players, win.

Tekken [insert # here] - Kill the other players, win.

...etc

 

The list goes on and on. Rewards don't have to be so direct and obvious as a number increasing. One thing that really won' help is people claiming they know it all and then getting all cagey when an alternative viewpoint is presented, lest we all look like a group of arrogant, ill-informed jerks.

No offence, but if you're going to claim to be so qualified on the subject, try not to use such simplistic arguments. Perhaps if you had a Degree that taught some video game design, like mine, you wouldn't say such ignorant things. (Note:Ignorant is not an insult. There are many things of which I am ignorant, too). 

[Slaeowulf]

The OP has a degree in phycology. 

I know. And? 

[DirkaFat]

I know. And? 

It's cool.

[Slaeowulf]

It's cool.

It sure is a fascinating subject. It's a shame he didn't actually use any of the knowledge one would hope he garnered from his degree in his argument and stuck to very basic logical inconsistencies. 

[DirkaFat]

How about any game with violence?

Skyrim - Kill the person, nick their stuff, be better off because of it.

Fallout NV - Kill the person, nick their stuff, be better off because of it.

...etc

Super Smash Bros - Kill the other players, win.

Tekken [insert # here] - Kill the other players, win.

...etc

 

The list goes on and on. Rewards don't have to be so direct and obvious as a number increasing. One thing that really won' help is people claiming they know it all and then getting all cagey when an alternative viewpoint is presented, lest we all look like a group of arrogant, ill-informed jerks.

No offence, but if you're going to claim to be so qualified on the subject, try not to use such simplistic arguments. Perhaps if you had a Degree that taught some video game design, like mine, you wouldn't say such ignorant things. (Note:Ignorant is not an insult. There are many things of which I am ignorant, too). 

Ignorant is an insult.

 

 

Edit: Or at least it can be.

[DirkaFat]

It sure is a fascinating subject. It's a shame he didn't actually use any of the knowledge one would hope he garnered from his degree in his argument and stuck to very basic logical inconsistencies. 

Cool.

[Slaeowulf]

Ignorant is an insult.

No it's not. I said s/he was ignorant of something, not that s/he was an ignorant person in general. 

[Whiskers]

Hm.

 

Media corporations worldwide continuously show viewers the worst examples of violence and crime imaginable. They glorify it, draw attention to it, miss out key information about it and make those responsible for the crimes into celebrities.

 

Interesting, huh?

[DirkaFat]

No it's not. 

Well, like most other insults, it's up to the person how much the insult matters, but it definitely can be an insult.

[Slaeowulf]

Well, like most other insults, it's up to the person how much the insult matters, but it definitely can be an insult.

Quote the rest of my statement, and you'll see why it isn't an insult. 

[DirkaFat]

Quote the rest of my statement, and you'll see why it isn't an insult. 

Saying that someone said ignorant things could be an insult 0_o

[Whiskers]

Saying that someone said ignorant things could be an insult 0_o

 

Intent is important. Anything can be an insult if the intention is to be insulting.

 

But calling someone ignorant is not inherently an insult. It's a statement, possibly even an accusation.

[Slaeowulf]

Saying that someone said ignorant things could be an insult 0_o

Perhaps if we're going to stick to a very childish mindset, yes.

I said he was ignorant on one particular thing. Ignorant is not an insult, or a comment on one's character.

There are many things I'm ignorant of. I just paid a mechanic to fix the turbo in my car. Why? Because I'm too ignorant of that particular thing to do it myself. However, I doubt he has a Masters in AI & Cybernetics, so he is probably ignorant of how to program a neural network is C++, for example. That doesn't mean either of us are ignorant in general (which doesn't make sense unless we've no knowledge of anything), it just means we've specific ignorance in certain areas, as the OP did with video game design.

Okay?

[DirkaFat]

Intent is important. Anything can be an insult if the intention is to be insulting.

 

But calling someone ignorant is not inherently an insult. It's a statement, possibly even an accusation.

Accusations can be insults, especially when it's generalized such as calling someone ignorant

[DirkaFat]

Perhaps if we're going to stick to a very childish mindset, yes.

I said he was ignorant on one particular thing. Ignorant is not an insult, or a comment on one's character.

There are many things I'm ignorant of. I just paid a mechanic to fix the turbo in my car. Why? Because I'm too ignorant of that particular thing to do it myself. However, I doubt he has a Masters in AI & Cybernetics, so he is probably ignorant of how to program a neural network is C++, for example. That doesn't mean either of us are ignorant in general (which doesn't make sense unless we've no knowledge of anything), it just means we've specific ignorance in certain areas, as the OP did with video game design.

Okay?

What does you being ignorant have to do with anything?

[Slaeowulf]

What does you being ignorant have to do with anything?

Do you really not understand the point I made? It's quite obvious and I'm not typing all that again. 

[DirkaFat]

Do you really not understand the point I made? It's quite obvious and I'm not typing all that again. 

Copy and paste?

 

Yes I do understand, but now... you didn't answer my question.

[Whiskers]

Accusations can be insults, especially when it's generalized such as calling someone ignorant

 

As I said, anything can be an insult. That doesn't mean it inherently and absolutely is one.

 

I am terrible at geography. If I give you bad directions and Slaeowulf called me ignorant as a result then it would not be an insult. It would be a factual observation and statement.