Video games make crazy people do crazy things
Seriously, video games are not meant for all people. If you are a little unbalanced upstairs or if you hear voices, other than the ones coming from the TV and/or real people, please, do not play video games. They are not real, and while some of them may seem based in reality, reality they are not.
As Florian Eckhardt over at Kotaku points out, it's been a bad couple of days for gamers.
First off, Canada got their own Columbine style massacre yesterday when this 25 yr old went on a shooting spree through Dawson College in Montreal, killing one woman and injuring 19 others before he was gunned down. Apparently he was a fan of the Super Columbine Massacre game.
Second, this guy in Philadelphia beat his own daughter to death for unplugging his console which in turn made it fall to the floor. I read about that here. He got so upset that he punched his daughter a few times and may have even flung her over a chair. The end result, a dead 17 month old little girl.
I just need to pause to say, what the f$%k is going on here? What the hell is wrong with people these days. Now did these games make these crazed individuals commit these horrific acts? Hardly. As the AP report on the Montreal shooter pointed out, the gunman had a profile on some vampire freaks website which itself was drawing some heat earlier this year since some other alleged killers had profiles on the site. Did that website drive them to kill? Hells no. Do video games drive people to kill? No, dammit. I'm sure these individuals were not perfect, untouched angels before coming into contact with these video games. In the Montreal killer case, it was probably the destructive nature of the Columbine game that drew him in because he was feeling destructive himself. For some, playing games of this sort could be a way to ease tension. For someone who's a bit disturbed, this could've "turned him on". Is that normal? Obviously not, or else anyone who's ever played Hitman would be trying to get into the contract killing market. For most people, video games are a form of escapism. For the now deceased shooter in Montreal, it was training.
As for that guy in Philly, what the hell was up with that guy? It is a damn game. I have three kids, they unplug all kinds of cords all the damn time. Is it annoying when they turn the TV off or spill something on my Xbox when I'm dispensing pwnage in some Halo 2 over Xbox Live? No, no it's not. It's a minor nuisance because it's a game and no where near the cost of a child's life.
Crazy times indeed.
[post that inspired this post]
As Florian Eckhardt over at Kotaku points out, it's been a bad couple of days for gamers.
First off, Canada got their own Columbine style massacre yesterday when this 25 yr old went on a shooting spree through Dawson College in Montreal, killing one woman and injuring 19 others before he was gunned down. Apparently he was a fan of the Super Columbine Massacre game.
Second, this guy in Philadelphia beat his own daughter to death for unplugging his console which in turn made it fall to the floor. I read about that here. He got so upset that he punched his daughter a few times and may have even flung her over a chair. The end result, a dead 17 month old little girl.
I just need to pause to say, what the f$%k is going on here? What the hell is wrong with people these days. Now did these games make these crazed individuals commit these horrific acts? Hardly. As the AP report on the Montreal shooter pointed out, the gunman had a profile on some vampire freaks website which itself was drawing some heat earlier this year since some other alleged killers had profiles on the site. Did that website drive them to kill? Hells no. Do video games drive people to kill? No, dammit. I'm sure these individuals were not perfect, untouched angels before coming into contact with these video games. In the Montreal killer case, it was probably the destructive nature of the Columbine game that drew him in because he was feeling destructive himself. For some, playing games of this sort could be a way to ease tension. For someone who's a bit disturbed, this could've "turned him on". Is that normal? Obviously not, or else anyone who's ever played Hitman would be trying to get into the contract killing market. For most people, video games are a form of escapism. For the now deceased shooter in Montreal, it was training.
As for that guy in Philly, what the hell was up with that guy? It is a damn game. I have three kids, they unplug all kinds of cords all the damn time. Is it annoying when they turn the TV off or spill something on my Xbox when I'm dispensing pwnage in some Halo 2 over Xbox Live? No, no it's not. It's a minor nuisance because it's a game and no where near the cost of a child's life.
Crazy times indeed.
[post that inspired this post]
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