Are Games Becoming the Scape Goat for Tragedy

As the media have started to analyze what lead up to this horrific event, the blame game has already began. National Media are already honing in on the gaming habits of the man behind the shooting.

How do you feel about this? Do you think games are in the crossfires for the wrong reasons?

[majiebeast]

Well People like to avoid the reality of the messed up world we live in, so video games make the perfect scapegoat.

[dedicatedtogamers]

This isn't anything new. In the late 80s, politicians were trying to sue and block and ban Nintendo because they were this "big evil Japanese toy company" invading our kids' lives. If you're wondering why every single videogame has a warning (Warning! Seizures! Hand cramps! Consult the manual! etc) prior to the loading screen, that's because of the American politicians in the 80s who were trying any and every way to restrict Nintendo from entering our market and they tried to use medical "science" to prove that videogames were unhealthy and needed to be regulated (hence the warning on the loading screen).

And then when Columbine occurred, the media was quick to blame a popular game from that time: Doom. Can you believe that they ACTUALLY called Doom a "murder training simulator"? Hhahaha.

[Army_of_Darkness]

A white person on a horrific murder spree= clearly was unstable and had mental issues( from to much video games or listen to "devil music" or been sexual abused as a child).
Any other nationality committing F$#Ked up shit like this= 100% terrorist...

[rpd123]

Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold did play a shit ton of Doom, but that's not why they did what they did. One was a psychopath, the other severely depressed. It's as if the media can't accept the fact that mentally ill people exist or commit crimes without being influenced by video games.

[SilentNegotiator]

Exactly.

"Becoming" my A, dollar sign, dollar sign.

[LocutusEstBorg]

OMG that serial killer had a red sofa at home! The red sofa caused him to subsonciously desire bloodshed every day he sat on it and drove him to a killing spree!

[DragonKnight]

I know that it's B.S. to blame games for violent shootings and stuff, but maybe if we collectively got together and stopped the shooter genre from taking over everything, we'd have more quality games and variety, as well as hear less of this garbage from people just looking to push one of several agendas. Just my opinion.

[HammadTheBeast]

It was hilarious that about 100 people made ridiculous comments about Mass Effect and how it inspired the guy to kill these people because he "Liked" it. Then they found out, the Facebook profile they were looking at was the killer's brother. Honestly, some people are too stupid to exist.

[rpd123]

I feel really bad for his brother. They ousted him on a national stage and every news site posted his facebook. And then people started insulting him and telling him to rot in hell, without even knowing that it was really him and despite the fact he was still posting even though the shooter was dead. That's a really shitty way to find out what his brother did.

[ATi_Elite]

Yes and it just goes to show you how STUPID people are when they blame SOCIAL issues on Video Games!

Mass Murder blame video games
Stock Market crash blame video games
terrorist attack blame video games
serial killer blame video games

even though all these idiots have some deranged mental issues that were NEVER addressed and they would have done these horrific acts even if Video games never existed.

I wonder what they blamed before electricity was invented as the cause of these horrific acts....Evil!

[liquidhalos]

I just think that its a sign that America isn't doing enough to identify and actively treat people suffering from mental health issues. One needs to only look at how some of the European countries approaches mental health to see just how backward the American system is (basically non-existent)

But its easier for local and federal government to fuel the fire, blaming video games, because its cheaper to force warning labels compared to the cost of creating and funding a robust team of mental health professionals, to seek out, identify and treat mentally ill people in need of help.

Even if you use the video games are evil argument you still fall back on a lack of support for mentally ill citizens. A sane person wouldn't see games as reality and use them as a reason to kill. A mentally ill person might, but that could be prevented with a robust mental health support team but instead the government is too busy trying to bring democracy to countries that don't want it wasting money that should be used to support its own citizens. So don't blame games, blame politicians for letting the people who elected them into power down.

[liquidhalos]

LOL N4G is a joke man, i swear 90% of users are infants who have a giant Disagree button that they just smash all day along unless you end your message with

"My console is the bestest ever"

The serious about gaming and gaming issues users should all mass migrate to a site with a little less emphasis on bubbles, disagree - agree and top ten articles and more emphasis on games

[Jaces]

People look to blame tragedy on anything BUT themselves....the human race. Disgusting world we live in.

[maelstromb]

Hey, it's either games or music that become scapegoats. Funny how the violent BS that gets played over and over on basic TV channels like ABC, NBC, FOX, etc. NEVER EVER get called into question. But the fact is, ppl will always look outward to place blame somewhere after experiencing any sort of unspeakable tragedy, instead of looking within and asking themselves what THEY could have done to have prevented said catastrophe.

[Thefreeman012]

It's just a witch hunt for media, something easy to point the finger at instead of sitting down and really taking a hard look in the mirror

[ShaunCameron]

Yeah. A media who is nothing more than a mouthpiece for the government and the special-interest groups they're in bed with.

[Projekt7tuning]

@Thefreeman012
Your right, it is a modern witch hunt. The first two things to do after the knee jerk reaction, is to blame games and guns. And for people to be crying for their rights to be taken away in the name of "safety", is a tragedy in itself. How exactly does the media plan on having our wonderful government enforcing psychological issues and tendencies? Are we to have a thought police, that if your identified as a possible problem in the future, your to be incarcerated. How do you determine who's "normal" to begin with? I don't wanna go here for any kind of debate. But maybe if it wasn't taboo now for people in the US to have faith, and the possibility of eternal punishment. Then maybe we would get our moral compass back. But do remember, we have always had these kinds of problems. The major difference is we all have access to instant mass media now. And that allows the media to focus on just one thing to shape public opinion. But whatever. The witch hunt has begun and the media is now trying to compare the NRA to the KKK. Now that is actually scary. When will the media take responsibility for what they do and show? The news media is just as responsible for glamorizing these killers, as anything or one they try and blame.

[Brian1rr]

Finally 2 people that make sense

[Riderz1337]

Watch CNN have a story about this today or tomorrow where they blame video games for violence. Go F*ck yourself.

Edit - Seriously we blame video games for violence and all the bullshit that's going on in the world relating to violence and then we go and praise f*cking retards on tv like Snooki by giving them contract to new shows where they earn millions of dollars. Seriously just go F*ck yourself this is why I stopped paying for cable I can't stand watching the same bullshit over and over again.

[DERKADER]

Just wait till the next entertainment medium arrives and then that will get all the blame. It went from books to music to movies to games. I wonder what the next cause of all our problems will be.

[isyourhouseonfire]

I'm just hoping there's a 'Candy Nook Elementary' in GTA V.

[dp277407]

Today's most obscene comment of the week goes to this kid. I havent watched the news to know what the school was called.

[isyourhouseonfire]

Unlike you, I live in the REAL WORLD. Things are tough, and if you can't keep a good attitude then you don't stand a chance of surviving from an emotional stand point.

So grow up.

[dp277407]

I am grown up and I also have kids and my own home and real problems that adults have in the real world. Nothings wrong going about acting out crazy things in video games, its just about how far you take it and emulating a crazy person only glorifies what he did.

[HammadTheBeast]

Not sure if you remember, but 20 kids died. Kids with hopes and ambitions. Your comment is an a-hole move, and way too soon.

[liquidhalos]

Thats just not funny, when did joking about the death of 20 children become funny? If you honestly think that this sick tragedy is a joke then you need to seek professional help especially in lieu of your reply to dp277407. It is you who needs to do the growing up isyourhouseonfire.

[isyourhouseonfire]

I didn't joke about it.

I said I hoped a school WITH A DIFFERENT NAME was in GTA V. If so, then I would like the ability to lower its flag to half staff to mourn even when playing the game. Its the least we can do, as gamers, to show we're not a violent group like non gamers think.

[jrbeerman11]

nice try isyourhouseonfire, nice try

i dont buy it. Your original comment was disgusting no excuse.

[HonestDragon]

Looks like another case of someone who needed mental help. Authorities are already mentioning that the gunman had mental issues. Here's the link if anyone is interested in following up with it.

http://news.yahoo.com/conn-...

[RuperttheBear]

The media will always find any other reason to blame than someone simply being batsh*t crazy. It's not just games, they are just the favourite trend. Books and films have been the whipping boys in the past, now it's easier to blame games.

It sells papers and gives them ideas for content, it's easy money.

The fact is there are crazy people in this world that will commit terrible acts, that can be set off by anything. An argument with a neighbour, a bad day at the office, hitting their toe on a door. Anything can trigger someone going off.

But it's easier to point at something that is mainstream, the more mainstream the better. Gaming is in the public eye and the public are aware of others they know who play on these 'evil games'. It's fear mongering, plain and simple. It sells papers and increases audience figures.

EDIT:I think the major reason for these incidents in the US is that guns are so easily available to nutcases like this.

Until that changes you will see incidents like this time and time again.

[Projekt7tuning]

@RuperttheBear
With all due respect, it's not as easy to get a gun legally in the US as you think. There are backgound checks, age requirements for hand guns, and long guns to a lesser extent. There is also a waiting period before you can even take a gun home, and thats if you passed a back ground check. This actually happened to this assbag. He went to Dick's sports to buy a long gun and was told he had to wait and do a check. He didn't wanna wait, got pissed and left. That's gun control working. If his mother didn't have weapons, which I find so hard to believe a single woman would collect guns, and the type of gun she had, as the news media is telling us. Then he would have found a local drug dealer that had access to illegal guns, had no waiting period, and still did what he did. Crack and Heroin are illegal, but I can buy some in every single city in our nation. Taking away guns, will only disarm people who fallow the law to begin with. Lets say they were banned. How much blood do you think will be shed form all of Vets and old timers who will refuse to give them up. It will be just like Waco TX, or Ruby Ridge. Only it will be across the entire country. Were already legalizing pot in many of our states. Thats going to hurt the bottom line of the Mexican Cartels. If guns were banned today, The cartels would be much more lucrative than they are today, because their commodity will be weapons. And unfortunately, so many of us who fallow the law now, will become outlaws. Basically outlawing guns will only allow outlaws to have them, and will cost this country more lives and more money than ever trying to enforce it. Timothy Mcveigh and Ted Kaczynski didn't use a gun to kill hundreds, They used fertilizer. F-ed up people will always find a way to do F-up crap. I'm not trying to tell you your wrong by thinking that way by any means. Only it's not the way to do it yet. The knee jerk reaction from our government announcing a sudden gun ban, will create a chaos we've not seen since the civil war. Slow reform of the laws would be preferable.

[WeskerChildReborned]

I don't get why games get blamed most all the time, i mean their are as much violence shown in Tv Shows, Movies, and hell even music.

Anyway, Video Games don't kill people, it's just that Humanity is f***** up.

[animegamingnerd]

agreed i have no faith in humanity in fact it is quite the opposite if the world ends i kinda of of hope we go instinct cause of a lot of the things we do

[ALLWRONG]

blame game

[Qrphe]

This is true. The blame will be thrown around and nothing will be done (I really mean nothing) to prevent shit like this from happening again. PARTICULARLY when we advertise it and make a shooting seem like something to top in the demented minds of those committing these atrocities.

[ShaunCameron]

I'm not surprised by video games being a scapegoat considering the people who want it shut down. Religious conservatives looking for something to blame for society's decay. Liberals looking for an excuse to make more laws and "regulate" the industry. And feminists for obvious reasons.

[Tetsujin]

From this moment on, the first network (CNN, Fox News, etc) that has the balls to blame a video game for this (Mass Effect from what I'm recently been reading) I will not take seriously for their news EVER AGAIN - like I did already (Sarcasm). Those kids who died no longer have a future, and how dare some news company use a tragedy just to f-in boost scores and blame everything but themselves (society in general).

Sometimes I wish I can blame the media, not one time from any of these acts of violence has anyone questioned our media; it's always music, movies, video games, books but NEVER the news networks.

[KrisButtar]

just read your post and well said bubble up for u

[jrbeerman11]

great point, the gunmen often commit these crimes because they want the news networks to plaster their faces all over their networks so people will forever remember them. Even if its for something as awful as shooting up an elementary school.

Blame could be thrown back in their faces, but why would they point it at themselves?

[KrisButtar]

"Are Games Becoming the Scape Goat for Tragedy"

i remember when rap and metal music were the scape goats, video games and just the next easy target.

[KillerPwned]

I always saw video games as my escape from reality. Its a time to let your mind free and just relax.