This is wrong...

[The Dragon Overlord]

Read the following article...

news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070420/tc_nm/column_pluggedin_dc;_ylt=Ak.NOPhSyLzH3GELRcbw25MK77EF


This kinda stuff really just gets on my nerves, I'm not saying that there isn't violence in games and that they don't put some kind of influence in kids today but that is what the ESRB rating system is for, so parents can know what is in the games the kids are playing. Blaming video games for such violent acts is very wrong, there is no one single contributing factor to violence such as this, video games coming under fire is just stupid.

The Dragon Overlord believes the main cause of such events originate from the person's mental state, I mean how many sane and reasonable people are going to play a game like Devil May Cry or Grand Theft Auto and then say to themselves "This game was fun, I'm going to go kill 20 people then commit suicide." Its just stupid I say, pure idiocy.

[Erinul Dragonis, Ookamiotoko]

Oh boy, here we go again.

Video games, even though people say that they're to blame for the school shootings, like this recent VT shooting spree, ARE NOT TO BLAME. There has been no scientific study connecting video games to events like these. It's obvious that people are just using video games, not as a cause for these happening, but as a scapegoat.

Thankfully, Joe Lieberman hasn't gotten on this bandwagon (yet). He was the one who almost banned violent video games when the first Mortal Kombat game was released (If my memory serves right here). Thankfully, instead of a ban, the ESRB was made.

People always keep saying that video games spawn killers. That is absolutely not true. In fact, video games are actually good. There has been a study that says 'People who play video games have increased hand-to-eye coordination, giving them better reflexes.' I actually find that to be true, but it might not work for everyone. There was also another study suggesting that 'video games improve eyesight'. As long as you stay a good distance away from the TV while you do, it really does increase eyesight.

It's people like Joe Lieberman and Hillary Clinton (yes, she somewhat did play a role in all of this) that make me just want to tape them to a seat and make them watch me play a game like Dead Rising or GTA, and then show them that violence doesn't kill. Of course there is one thing I do agree with them on:

'If mentally unstable people play video games, there's an increased risk that he'll go into a school or a building with a gun and start killing.'

I find that somewhat true. Mentally unstable people sometimes have no conception of reality. Some of them believe that if they kill someone in real life, they'll just respawn somewhere. That usually sometimes makes them tend to just kill people. However, some unstable people can get angry very easily.

I would continue to go on and on about this (and trust me, I would), but I'm going to give others the chance to post about this.

[The Dragon Overlord]

Now that is what I am talking about, the people in question that have done this kind of thing actually reference religion in most cases, but do you see religion coming under fire? No, because religion is such a giant thing that anyone stupid enough to blame it would be shot down in an instant, plus there is the freedom of religion in the US.

The unstable people really bug me, if someone would really think that killing someone in real life means that they would just respawn somewhere then they really need some meds and counselor cause that is just a disaster waiting to happen, game or no game.

[Erinul Dragonis, Ookamiotoko]

I couldn't have agreed more.


Also, you are right about the religion thing. IF someone started to blame religion....well, let's just say that it'll only last for about 10 seconds.

And while we're on that subject, I don't see how ANYONE with a brain can ever blame religion on this. In fact, religion actually doesn't have a grudge against video games for this. For example, my local church sometimes has these one night lock-ins, which allows us to bring all sorts of games. Doesn't that tell you something?

Like I said before, people are using video games as a scapegoat since they really have nothing else to blame. Even if the odds are against them (i.e, positive scientific studies, testimonies, etc.), they STILL go and create a whole mess of things. And have you even noticed that only the Republicans have actually done something about it? In several states, it's now illegal to sell M-rated games to kids under 17 (or 18), or the store will be penalized with a fine. That is a good step to prevent underage kids on getting their hands on violent video games.

Democrats, on the other hand, only do one thing and the only thing they can do best: Complain. As the Republican's make good moves to prevent any gun crimes liked to video games, Democrats once again just complain like they usually do. Nowhere have I seen or read an article that stated a Democrat doing something to help prevent minors from buying violent video games. Why? Because there aren't any. (If you have evidence to prove me wrong, then please, feel free to tell me)

I will stop right here with a question or two:

1) Why do people not blame something else besides video games, like a person's environment or living conditions?

2)What will be the next step in preventing another incident like VT?

[The Dragon Overlord]

In order...

1) No parent wants to admit that they let this happen to their child

2) By making sure that when the flags and warnings go up something is done about it, VT happened because so many warning signs and flags were raised but no one did anything about it.

[L]

I know! Why is it that everyone got to blame video games for shootings and other bad stuff I don't want to talk about. I'll admit I use to think video games were the cause of bad stuff happening and only played rated E games, but I soon came to realize that the whole idea was kinda dumb, and besides, I play games with shooting, violence, and blood... and nothing bad happened to me. But I would like to point out something, people with severe mental illnesses which could make them crazy should NOT play those kind of games, it just seems kinda risky if you ask me. They also blame movies for some crimes, which is also dumb, but I shall leave that for another story....

[Erinul Dragonis, Ookamiotoko]

It's like some people say: "A weapon is only as deadly as the wielder," I suppose. =/

[The Dragon Overlord]

You actually have that saying backwards, but thats beside the point, blaming the media for this, while it does contribute, is wrong. Violence, drugs, guns, and so on are the entire reason they came up with the rating systems used for TV, Movies, and Video Games. Its obvious that someone just isn't paying attention when they sell the games to individuals.

[Erinul Dragonis, Ookamiotoko]

I have it backwards? "A person is only as deadly as the weapon?" Doesn't seem like it makes sense, or to me at least. XD

But back to the topic, it's not just the sellers who sometimes don't pay attention to the ratings, but the buyers as well. I've actually did get Dead Rising for the Xbox 360 this past christmas. It was an 'M' rated game, so I was surprised when my father said I could have it. He didn't even look at the box. This is a prime example of people just not having common sense. Of course, I did get the game due to the fact that my father was above 18 (way over XD) and all. But the only thing that matters is how easy it is to get an 'M' rated game. If your parents won't let you get a game, get someone else to buy it for you, or just borrow it from a friend. No matter how much parents try, their kids still are able to get their hands on 'M' rated games, no matter where it came from.

Nowadays, some states REQUIRE that the person intending to buy the game be at or above the age requirement for a game, but sometimes it is still not enough.

There's my nickle's worth of thought. =/