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About LinkBacksGames don't make people kill people. Religion does!
Games don't make people kill people. Religion does!
Originally Posted by iworrall
Thats only partly true many people kill for non religious reasons.
It is a crock though the guy wants publicity for his crimes and ideals and by discussing it we panda to his needs
this argument will never go away until something else comes out to blame
books killed people
then films killed people
now games kill people
psychology should definitely be in the curriculum so we can stop blaming external stuff for influencing the fickle human brain
I wonder how many 'average Joe' Roman citizens went on an insane killing spree after the entertainment of the day...
Depends who you ask I think.
I dont think the oft quoted "rewards" for such acts go in their favour either tbh.
That said, it was only 500 or so years ago that Christians were promised all sorts for joining crusades in the name of God.
Probably none, since their thirst for blood was probably satisfied by watching such things, and Im sure the Romans dealt with trouble makers more efficiently (read executed)
I personally think that Assassins Creed is the ultimate killing spree training tool, and as soon as someone leaves a cart full of hay near a tall building yer all in for it
on a far more serious note, we already know he is one sick and twisted individual, why on earth would we believe his influences were a computer game
We're only here for the Banter - The Luvvies - Chewin' The Fat
Violence and Lubrication is the solution to fixing everything, if it still doesn't work, you need more lubrication.
Nobody really believes it, but I bet it is good for page hits.
It'll grab headlines, give pseudo-scientists attention, and all the usual parasites capitalising on disaster nonsense.
That neatly sums up what I think about this. But then again, wasn't there an accusation that Lady Chatterley incited rape/adultery, and of course there's been many, many films that have had the finger of blame pointed at them. Granted, post-Crackdown1 I've looked around and idly wondered how my agent would scale a particular building, but conversely, playing Assassin's Creed 2 has not made me want to adopt an Italian accent, move to Florence and setup as an ambushing serial killer.
Should games be censored? Yes, to an extent. For example, like some others I found the airport massacre mission in MW2 pretty gratuitous and uncomfortable. So if someone was to suggest that this should have been removed then I'm in broad agreement. I'd not be in favour of an outright ban on anything that's currently carrying an 18 certificate (as has been suggested in the past). I'll also admit (now a bit shamefully) that while I hated the airport level in SP, it was my favourite haunt in MP.
Alongside some "restraint" from the publishers, I'd also be very much in favour of the age limits being enforced more rigorously. I've repeatedly seen parents buying "18" rated games for their primary school kid. Is GTA4 suitable for a 6 year old? I'd be hesitant. On the other hand, something like Black Ops or Left4Dead is definitely not suitable, yet some folks think that fine for wee Billy or Johnny.And yes, I do realise that there's nothing to stop an irresponsible parent from buying an 18 game "for me" and then giving it to their kid.
Finally, getting back to that Norwegian nutjob, I'd have difficulty giving credibility to anything he said. No doubt if he claimed that "the king of the potato people told me to do it" then we'd have the right-wing press calling for a ban on Red Dwarf or King Edwards.Hopefully the Norwegians have a nice quiet padded cell somewhere that the lunatic can be thrown into and quietly ignored for the rest of his natural...
Apologies if any of the above comes across as flippant - not my intention. Having known quite a few Norwegians, and had a fine old time in Oslo in the past, my deepest sympathies are with the many good folks cruelly effected by this tragedy.
Career status: still enjoying my new career in DevOps, but it's keeping me busy...
Re: News - 'Games make you kill' debate reignited as Oslo killer writes about Call of
OK, lets put this to bed for the last time!
Watching/reading/listening to violent things does not turn you violent. However, if you are already predisposed to commit violent acts it can exacerbate the problem. The same holds true for sex in the media.
There will always be individuals who are born with a predispostion towards violent behavior, and unless society changes radically (unlikely) then there will also be people who in their childhood are shaped to become violent in nature.
Even if such a person was prevented from seeing violent media all their life they would still be violent.
As the number of people that this will effect is small in any given population there is no need to ban these media. The key is to identify these individuals as early as possible and get them the treatment they need, or remove them from society via institutions and prisons. Also parents need to be made more aware of how to spot and deal with the early signs, and also take responsibility for the part they play in a child's upbringing.
I wonder what title spawned Crusades and Inquisitions ...Bible ? BAN Bible !
That conflicts with my previous data which reveals that most Christian fundamentalists are into Portal 2.
Spent any time in a public housing estate lately?
Actually US army uses computer games for training. Even the rebels in Lebanon were trained (by...?) using computer games like COD. But I guess saying it's good or bad really depends on who's getting killed and who's doing the killing.
Rolling out the old chestnut:
“Computer games don't affect kids, I mean if Pac Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching pills and listening to repetitive music.”
Armies use games (training simulations) to aid in the understanding of tactics, teamwork and various other core training exercises, they aren't designed to teach you to lose your sense of morals and massacre an island full of kids (nor is any game...ever).
Ultimately, this has fack all to do with games and its influence. This guy was a right-wing nutjob, this attack was a religious attack - end of. The victims weren't foreign no, but the motivation behind it was racist. The fact he played COD has no bearing on this because its not what motivated him. By the logic of him using COD as a training tool, we are fully certified Special Forces...*facepalm*. The focus should be controlling extremists, right, left or foreign and regardless of religion/race etc. Thankfully the debate is widely more focused on that than the fact he played a game.
I dont think, Crossy, that games should be neutered. Although the airport scene was somewhat heavy, it had a purpose, it was in the game because it was part of the story - i don't actually know how they substituted that particular bit without playing it...(anyone fill me in here?). I think they actually struck the balance right with the option to disable that part of the game, and that i think that is what should be implemented more often if you aren't sure about its content. I personally wouldn't want a scene or section of a game removed because someone is more sensitive to something than I am, but they shouldnt be forced to play it either.
Where I do REALLY REALLY agree with you is the age verification. i think tougher calls need to be done to ensure the ages of people are authentic (drivers license/passport number or something - like they did with age of conan if im not mistaken?). And HUGE fines put in place for retailers AND parents who buy games for someone not of legal age. I actually only know 1 person who has a kid and actually controls the content he plays - quite shocking!
Anyways...back on topic...
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