Wednesday, April 18th 2007
Violent video games blamed for Virginia Tech slaughter
We can all agree that the tragic incident that happened at Virginia Tech was horrible. However, now is the time that we have to figure out what caused someone to kill this many peers, and how we can prevent this in the future. Unfortunately, as we've seen in the techPowerUp! Forums, this is something that people do not exactly agree on. Professional lawyers, as well as the highly acclaimed Dr. Phil McGraw, are quick to blame violent video games for the killer's maniacally depressed rampage. Currently, there is no evidence that the killer even had access to a video game console, let alone play violent video games. A much more likely possibility is the way the killer reacted to his anti-depressant medications. Instead of the anti-depressants calming the killer down, like they were supposed to, they made him violent and erratic. And so, this instability could easily have caused him to snap when the killer's girlfriend dumped him.
Source:
The Inquirer
42 Comments on Violent video games blamed for Virginia Tech slaughter
to friggin bad you don't want to hear about it.. no one is catering to your needs, they post whatever the hell they feel like.
go rant somewhere else.. Just because you went there or knew someone don't mean you know a single thing.. it just means your a person who lived there.. Did you talk to him? did you know him personally? i doubt it.. so stop acting like your all knowing... it's world news dude.. you think stuff like this only affects where it happens? this affects everyone who sees it.. including us.. maybe next you can tell us not to talk about the war in iraq because it pisses you off..
I'm sorry for your loss but we're not here for you to vent on..
as for video games.. lol... thats really all i can.. just lol.. sounds like another shrink trying to cover up the fact that their incompetent..
remember the bully game? that moron ranted about how bad it was for weeks, then they asked him if he had even seen or played it.. and he said "no" lol.. people just talking like they know something.. well if it was a game, what game was it? honestly the shreer ignorance of the statement is just aggravating.. people blame everything but the obvious.. the guy was missing what makes normal people.. he had some personal defect in his very genetics that made him incapable of dealing with issues.. he was a defective human being.. like dhamer or any of the other sick o's.. video games.. man, when will they stop blaming the games.? at least our "games" don't involve millions of american lives like they play with all the time in government.
whos this guy think he is coming into our forum and telling us all to stfu?
hmmm
Better gun control laws?
or
Video games?
Oh yes, I've GOT IT! It must be those pesky video games.
you think it's a coincidence this is happeneing more and more? after the last school shooting and how they publicised it they all but put out an invitation for infamy.. they offer people a chance to die and become immortalised as some kind of dam savior to the loosers.. you want to blame something.. blame the media for making this info so readily available and shoving it in everyones face. blame them for going "aww the poor kid was messed up and had no friends" no awwww.. skrw awwww.. he was scum , he was a murderer.. he deserved the worst sort of death and a tombstone with no name and no markings..
stories like this need more careful editing.. they need to say more "he was a scumbag" and less "aww poor guy".. feeling sorry for him only encourages the belief that he was some kind of martyr.. he said " i do this for my brothers" and yada yada.. you do what? he didnt even make sense.. he thought he was doing something.. all he did was kill a bunch of children.. god says, better it be for a man that he was never born than to lay a hand on one of gods children.. he's burning in hell and he deserves it..
i know my words tend to be strong but this is a strong subject.. the media should be held accountable..
EDIT: you guys should really check out the link wazzle posted.. it is a really good story.. I am in heaven at the way they hardballed this guy lol.. made him look like a total fool from the way I see it, which is just what he is for saying something as ridiculous as "games make people kill people"
the signs were there and nobody done anything, yes he was reported a couple of times by 2 girls he stalked and a tutor but thats as far as it went (unless you call the 24 hours he spent with mental health officials addequate). it myths me how an individual of this state of mind can go into any gun shop in america and walk out with all manner of firearms/assault wepaons less that half an hour, now this isnt aimed at those die hard gun supporteres who think its there right to carry firearms but more at the laws regarding the aqquisition of firearms or the lack of. what im saying is, its too easy to purchase guns, i understand some people feel its their right to own them fair enough, but for any physco to walk into any gunshop in the usa and purchase a "DIY killing spree kit" in 20 minutes is apalling and somthing needs doing.
There are exceptions of course. And if the proposed theory has any grounding at all, it is likely one of these exceptions (in my opinion).
On a completely different point: I am senior in college myself, I'm not entirely social, and I am also unusually creative (though not morbid or violent). While discussing this with my father he went so far to blame the college itself on this behavior. I came to realize this probably has more grounding than it first appears. It is shocking the contradictions professors make when dealing with students. They are more than willing to tell us we are adults, but are just as likely to tell use to grow up and be responsible. Seating arrangements and attendance are actually more common now than it was for me when I took my first college courses in 2000.
Rather than expand further I'll simply explain why my father made the comment in the first place. I had to miss two days of class recently to go to my grandfather's funeral. I informed my professors immediately, and gave documentation to one of them as he requested. When I get back I found out my absence was not excused at all. The missed classes will in-fact affect my "participation points" (of which is also a childish joke) accounting for 25% of my grade, as well as a missed quiz (quizzes being worth 15% of my final grade. Though 2 missed classes and one quiz isn't much, it may account for as much as 2-3% of my final grade. For those of you not in school that could drop the grade from an A to B+, or C+ to C. When a life-long career is at stake, thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars are invested in such an education, and because a student has next to no recourse to fix such problems in an environment where you are paying for a service, I can easily see how someone might just flip out. Fortunately I'm just spiteful, and not violent.
In case you didn't want to read my rant, I'll simplify and sumarize. Perhaps this kid just got a bad grade, or better yet just had to deal with just another bad professor. If he did get screwed by a professor it's not like he ever had any path for recourse in the first place.
In any case, blaming violent video games is retarded. Dr. Phil = fail. Jack Thompson = fail. If anything is to blame here it is his teachers and roomate(s) for not warning someone official, and possibly the medicines he was taking.
I still dislike to kill anything, haven't gone hunting since I was a kid playing pac man or Oregon Trails. I feel it is better to shoot through the lens of my camera than with a rifle. And I would much rather watch a bear through binoculars than through a scope.
Everyone is ranting and raving about how someone else should have turned him in, but what if they did? Then he would be on about how his rights were infringed upon, just like you would if someone said you were a loon. So either get ready to give up some personal rights, or be ready to put up with the actions of others, as it effects their personal rights.
Thanx for your.... well what ever you wanna call feed back, on a little bit of an outburst .. here im sorry for pissing on your 1st amendment rights.. does it make you feel better now. and durrrrrrrrrr before you start bitching about other people voicing thier openioin and saying you can ,,, well dumb ass i was doing the same thing.
O and sure wtfever games have nothing to do with it, blah blah, seriously. its already shown that playing games like F.P.S can improve hand eye cordination, and consentration, but i really dont think they look at the fact that people have been slaughtering people since before the atari came out or D&D, (which was the whole thing with the two kids that raped and killed some little girl in the 70's but back then it was D&D to blam. They pretty much have to have some reason to blame a person for snaping and going A-Wall aside from the fact that people arent perfect and some people are fn nuts from the start.