Video games get blamed... again

[Mass Distraction]

How do you feel about us gamers usually getting the short end of the stick when something bad happens? At times media treats us like we are the spawn of satan or something.

Take a look at this article on how some messed up people think Mass Effect caused the terrible tragedy in the US: [link]


Mass Distraction, bringing you all the latest topics since a week or so ago

[Xannidel]

In this society many people blame video games because they do not really understand video games. Sure SOME people might play COD and think "Oh, I can do all the shit and if I get shot maybe I can just sit in the corner and wait to heal." or they play Battlefield and think it is that easy to shoot a gun and then they go and do something stupid.

Video games will always be the scapegoat for politicians and others and that is just how things are, anyone remember before this year's presidential election there was a female democrat who apparently played WoW and there was a huge smear campaign about her rather spending time in a virtual world then in ours or something stupid like that? It is sort of like that.

[Mass Distraction]

Oh yeah, and remember the massacre in Norway? They ended up banning all war games because someone stated that the guy had "learned how to use and shoot a gun in Call of Duty". I still have no idea how someone can be so absolutely stupid that they think how to learn to handle a real gun by using a controller or a mouse. I should know, I've been trained to use a gun in the army. It's not about hating video games at that point anymore, it's just being utterly retarded.

In the end, they apparently don't know anything about games since one of those banned "war" games was World of Warcraft. I guess having war in the title is enough to be a war game.

(12-19-2012 12:42 AM)Xannidel Wrote:  Video games will always be the scapegoat for politicians and others and that is just how things are, anyone remember before this year's presidential election there was a female democrat who apparently played WoW and there was a huge smear campaign about her rather spending time in a virtual world then in ours or something stupid like that? It is sort of like that.

I don't even live in the states and I heard about that. It's ridiculous.

[SERIOUSLY THOUGH]

It's always the same. Crime happens, media blames video games, gamers get annoyed, a month of to-and-fro snipes, debate dies down after no logical conclusion until next crime.

Unless it has an effect on our games - such as the introduction of new gaming legislation that would, f.e., ban games with killing - I couldn't give more of a toss about what the media says are the effects of gaming.
People out there will always have opinions. The best thing to do is to ignore all the angry people and keep on enjoying your video gaming experience.

[BumblebeeCody]

No point writing paragraphs about it because
1) The new station was wrong about the killer. Since the killer used his brothers ID card
2) Him liking a game isn't a direct cause (if he was the killer)
3) Proves society is full of morons who'll blame anything if it gets them an answer and they don't research sources first
4) Proves you can point a finger and a group of morons will follow like sheeple that they are and attack
5) It's a sci-fi action game set in space with plasma rifles and aliens.

2 points about the people commentating:
1) The article shouldn't have blurred out those names. If you're so proud of what you're saying to broadcast it on the Internet (regardless if it's Facebook), their names shouldn't be censored but laughed at
2) I put the blame on those in Americans who still want guns. If guns weren't legal then this tragedy wouldn't have happened in the first place. You'd think the Batman shooting would've been a huge hit on America but apparently you take away their freedom if you take guns away and turns them into "Europe". A few months on and this happens.

[cingchris]

I just don't understand how people take everything they here on the news and just believe it without questioning it at all. I mean all the people who sit on their asses saying video games are evil have probably never even played one let alone research the games they say are "terrible for society" other than the genre, and I bet most don't even do that. What I kinda wanna do now is make up a fake news story of a tragedy and blame Beautiful Katamari, and see just how many people go say that game is evil without even questioning me, because that game is a child's game, too bad I don't have the resources to pull that off.

[Mass Distraction]

From music to movies to games (and sometimes comic books), there's always a new form of media people want to blame for all their problems instead of actually getting to the bottom of it and fixing what is wrong.

I say we blame the news. That shit is violent.

[A Zombie Riot]

I don't know if anyone mentioned this (or if the article mentioned this). But apparently Mass Effect was blamed because they accused the wrong guy of the shootings, and that guy ended up liking Mass Effect so they think Mass Effect is the cause of it.

[Berry]

The Media,ONCE again,acting stupid.

[Ouberry_13]

Ah, good ol' idiotic media not doing their research properly. "This (wrongly accused) person did something bad. They also play games. Game must have driven them to become sociopaths!"

Lovely how easily led some people are, too. I recently went on the Mass Effect Facebook page just to see the shitstorm still in progress. It was beautiful how the accusers just repeated the same lies the news sources said. It was almost a work of art how stupid it all was.

Oh, and Cody, seeing as how I do not want to get in a huge argument over gun laws with you, I will merely state you are wrong. Making gun laws stricter will not stop gun violence in the US. People are idiots who, as they put it, "need guns to make sure no one will fuck with us." I even have people in my own family who think like this.

[retrolinkx]

Soccer mom's buy 18+ games for their kids without knowing what kinds of negative effects it could cause them.

But of course, I, as well as many of you are the exception to the rule, I've been playing FPS's since I was 4, Quake 3 was fun and all that but I don't want to kill people just because the game does. If you are that stupid to be manipulated by a video game, then you are a weak person, if a 4 year old isn't manipulated into killing, a 20 year old sure as hell an tell the difference.

This is sort of why I want to work for a game shop, just to give careless and reckless mothers Wii's and Nintendo Games, or at least Xbox/PS3 games that aren't going to cloud the mind of the child to be like this.

Oh well, since 1% of the gamer population apparently counts for all of us, why does my post matter?

[cingchris]

(12-19-2012 05:41 AM)A Zombie Riot Wrote:  I don't know if anyone mentioned this (or if the article mentioned this). But apparently Mass Effect was blamed because they accused the wrong guy of the shootings, and that guy ended up liking Mass Effect so they think Mass Effect is the cause of it.

Yeah the article mentioned that the wrong person was accused of the shootings, which is also pretty damn annoying that the news puts out false information because they didn't do their research, but what I just realized is this is going to be just hilarious when all those people telling Bioware that their game is evil find out that they were wrong and have just made complete asses of themselves.

[BumblebeeCody]

@Ouberry_13
It's sad mentality to have really.

"The way to solve mass shooting involving guns is....MOAR GUNZ"
It's like putting out fire by adding more fire to it. At least I know living in the U.K or Europe in general is fine...

[Berry]

(12-19-2012 05:41 AM)A Zombie Riot Wrote:  I don't know if anyone mentioned this (or if the article mentioned this). But apparently Mass Effect was blamed because they accused the wrong guy of the shootings, and that guy ended up liking Mass Effect so they think Mass Effect is the cause of it.

It would've been an innocent mistake but the fact still stand that Games and other entertainments are being blamed by society.It is just downright stupid.The game wasn't even a type of simulation(ex. Grand Theft Auto).And what is accusing a game gonna do anything.Eventually people are gonna ban violent games but how is that gonna solve anything,people are gonna find a reason to do something evil.

The fact still stand is that the guy was responsible whether if he was inspired by the game or not(yeah i know they thought the wrong person).

[SERIOUSLY THOUGH]

Yep.