Well, I've been looking for something to write about, and I finally found it. With the recent NIU shootings, the violence-in-games debate has started to roar. Finally, MSNBC puts Faux News and Jack Thompson in their respective places.
"On Friday, police were still struggling to figure out why a seemingly polite, well-respected graduate student named Steven Kazmierczak had shot and killed five students at Northern Illinois University and then turned the gun on himself. But Thompson had it all figured out. Faster than you can say wild speculation and reckless sensationalism, he leapt in front of Fox News cameras and suggested that video games were to blame.
Click Here to read the entire article. I think its about time someone starts asking questions and pointing out sensationalistic journalism.
Well it looks as if gamers everywhere have fought back. See my previous post. After being severely smitten by the unresearched musings of Fox News' Live Desk and Cooper Lawrence, gamers everywhere took to Amazon.com and smeared Lawrence's new book by posting scathing reviews of the book, thus making the book rating plummet to 1.5 stars. Some reviewers even stated that they disliked the book even though they did not read it. Much the same statement as Lawrence made on the "Faux News" program reguarding Mass Effect.
Now, I'm not condoning the actions of gamers, but I do feel vindication in a "karmatic" sort of way. Unsubstanciated claims, especailly when false, hurt everyone. I guess Ms. Lawrence is feeling the effects first hand.
I'm a conservative and an avid video gamer, and to me this is abhorrent.If you have ever taken a journalism class, you would be familiar with "yellow journalism."It basically boils down to selling news. Just like the tabloids, Fox News uses sensationalistic headlines and stories to get ratings. It just goes to show you what kind of journalistic integrity Fox News has. Anyone who has Jack Thompson as an "expert" on the VT shootings shows no credibility what so ever. It just makes me sick to think that other conservatives eat this crap like candy.
What I want to know is why are parents buying kids a Mature rated game? Is it OK for your child to watch SAW 3 or Boogie Nights at 12 years old?For most kids; probably not. Obviously there are some cases where children are well adjusted enough and mature enough to understand causality (cause and effect). However to blame video games as the sole corrupter of youth is ridiculous. Movies are more violent now than ever before, but video games are killing our children.
Furthermore, uninvolved parents should be flogged, publicly. Buying a mature rated game for junior is ridiculous. Do some research; look into what your kids do. Be A Parent, not a friend. What happened to personal responsibility?This isn't just a "right wing G.W. Bush thing." Both the left and right sides of the istle are just as guilty of perpetuating this stereotype. These blatant lies only become fodder for politicians trying to promote their nanny state.
I think people in America, especially the Baby Boomer Generation ,are failing to adapt to the new technology. To paraphrase Adam Sessler, this is today's modern day comic book, and it will corrupt the youth. Today's games aren't like Pong or Pac-Man. The medium has grown up with the audience, and older folks are failing to see that.
I was born in the Silicon Valley in the early 1980's. I moved to Northern California (Sacto North) when I was 3. I have been playing video games for most of my life, Commadore64, NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, Saturn, Playstation, PC and Wii. Not to mention a few others I left out. I am now a well edu-ma-kated College grad. I enjoy country living with a rock and roll life style. This is the world of video gaming through my eyes.
"Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms (of government) those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny"
-- Thomas Jefferson
