Yeah Rupert Murdoch owns several news stations, and news papers. And this is what we Americans call fair and balanced news.

I just find it interesting that, despite the constant bashing of video games, News Corp. (Murdock's company) owns IGN.

I repeat: FOX OWNS IGN.

I guess as long as he's not getting in on production, bashing the medium is ok.

If he would go on a killing spree if off meds, then he shouldn't have been in public (hello asylum?). Face it, he was a crazy moron. Can't blame anything but crazy.

As a European I simply don't understand HOW THE EFF THIS GUY GOT ANY WEAPONS IN THE FIRST PLACE?

Maybe just maybe the US really should ban weapons for citizens? Hmmm?

If the dude couldn't buy weapons... he wouldn't have had the chance to shoot people.

@jpitner
Well it has not been mentioned what his mental condition was. Seeing how there's been some mention of anti-depressants, it may have been simply some form of depression. That kind of illness in particular generally is not so dangerous that time in asylum is necessary; the likelihood of something like THAT happening was not predictable, seemed unlikely to go and do something like that. Yes he had a mental illness, but that does not mean that the doctors diagnosed him as "dangerously psycotic" and thought something like this would happen if he stopped taking his meds; if they did see him as dangerous without his meds he would have still been in a hospital until he became balanced enough that he wasn't considered dangerous.

Not to mention he can't be put away if no one thinks to report his behavior... in hindsight, his roommate probably wishes he told someone that the guy stopped taking his meds. Afterall, while it was unpredictable that he would have lashed out in this manner, he could have had any number of other negative reactions stemming from his depression; depression has led some people to self-descruction, such as makig them anti-social, or shut ins, and in worse cases leading to suicide (difference here being that he decided to lash out first)

There is no happy medium here and nothing is going to change either way(at least for now) but the fact that shit like this influences how people perceive an industry is just sad...

"I repeat: FOX OWNS IGN." - Upgrayedd

AHA! So the ineptitude of Fox News infiltrates even IGN? Perhaps that is why IGN PS3 gave Dynasty Warriors 6 a 5.9.

Also, Crazy Person + Guns + Isolation - Meds = Violence. Clearly the biggest part of that equation, Video Games, are to blame.

I really don't know what to do about the media. They get away with these blatant lies and truth bending all the time and no one seems to mind. The industry lets the media beat on them while we collectively express our distaste for them on forums and blogs

I think the industry leaders should pursue legal action against them whenever they can. For instance, the Mass Effect fiasco could've flown in court. Valve should make a claim as soon as they take it too far with Counter Strike.

I'd suggest we get a community protest together but then they'd bend that too. "Thousands of blood-thirsty gamers demand blood at protest...modeled after manhunt."

@Grrza
I really like how you compared the quote to the society they want us to believe we live in. It was really insightful of you


@Jim

We in the US are crazy about guns for some reason. One of our constitutional amendments states that we have a right to them. People feel like there's some kind of war going on where you can be attacked by criminals in the streets and you NEED guns for your self defense. It's an aspect of this country I really dislike and people will always argue using blatant fallacies as a basis. Namely "If you take away all the guns, only the criminals will have them and the public will be defenseless against crime."

It's easier to buy a gun than it is to buy a computer in the good old US of A. If we had tougher gun control these school shootings would happen a lot less.

@ Jim (the commenter): The guy was on medication, but he had no previous warning signs of violent behavior. He was a 27 year old man with no criminal record. It's horrible that something like this happened, but that doesn't negate the thousands of lives saved in the US every year by private gun owners. If they couldn't legally purchase weapons, they wouldn't have a way to defend themselves against criminals who would acquire them illegally. An outright firearm ban because of the actions of an extremely small number of people is just as ludicrous as trying to ban violent video games for school shootings.

@ Origim:

"Tabloid" is a also a term to describe the standard sizing format of the newspaper pages that the New York Post uses, though it does also fit into the sensationalist bat boy bullshit you'll see in the supermarket. The Post is basically 25 cent toilet paper with a decent sports section.

GamePolitics added this excerpt from the Northwest Herald:

"Kazmierczak often would play the video game Counter Strike, a first-person shooting game, the roommates said, but they were quick to add that the game was nothing unusual for dormitory halls."

There it is.

Is Counter-Strike still played that much? It's such an old game. They need to get off that Counter-Strike bandwagon.

The NY Post - "ultra-violent video game"

Wow is it realy ULTRA violent? They obviously haven't played a Condemned game.

@Jim & Mxyzptlk

Mxyzptlk is a prime example of what I mean by people are crazy over firearms. Studies have shown that you are more likely to accidentally kill a loved one than actually shoot a criminal. Half of the criminals shot in a "Citizen defends self with gun" story aren't even seriously threatening. Take for example a man who killed TWO UNARMED MEN with a SHOTGUN for breaking into his NEIGHBORS house while they were ON VACATION. He "Had no choice but to defend himself" by shooting them as they left the building with the loot? Right.

Guns don't kill people, but they sure as do help expedite the process. I doubt Cho or the IL killer had the connections to purchase firearms illegally.

He must have sucked at Counter-Strike, everybody knows the glock is terrible. And pump shotty? No wonder he only got 3 kills.

@ Luigi takes over: I hate to disappoint, but I don't own a firearm nor do I ever plan on owning one. I don't like the idea of firearms, but they exist. There's no changing that. I'm crazy about personal freedom instead of living in a nanny state. I'd be interested in seeing your statistics that show that half of criminals shot by private gun owners aren't "seriously threatening". Any person breaking into your home or business is a potential serious threat. The example you stated is an extreme one, and sadly those are the types of stories that get focused on by the media and anti-gun advocates. I condemn that person's actions. I would defend anyone who shot an intruder on his own property who could cause harm to them or their family.

In the US, states that have concealed carry laws have lower crime rates. Why? Because criminals are less likely to fuck with people when they might be able to defend themselves. When DC passed restrictions on gun ownership, crime rates there went up dramatically. The same thing happened in Britain. Responsible gun ownership is a deterrent to crime, whether you'd like to believe it or not. Torrent the Penn & Teller Bullshit! episode on Gun Control if you have an open mind, they do a great job covering the issue.

Brb shootin' mah school.

Who the fuck still plays Counter-Strike?

I don't know about you guys but I recreate all the events I see in videogames in real life.

hmmm... why is it, the big companies that can lose money from these stories... like microsoft, nintendo, sony, ea, etc. bring out some people to defend the games industry. What really pisses me off is how they are so gung ho to stop people from pirating, which loses them money, yet, when someone goes and blows up a school, and its blamed on video games, which also costs them money, they run and hide like a little bitch and let blog makers and internet website people defend them. Which, i hate to say it, means absolutely jack shit to the main stream public.

If we want this shit to stop, the companies that make the games... the whole fucking industry, must stand up and say something. NOT run like a bitch.

er... * don't bring out people to efend the industry

Oh, and one more thing, which is quite humorous: The people who write "articles" here are making fun of people who work at real newspapers as non-journalists? What's next, veterinarians making fun of neurosurgeons?

Jack Thompson, Attorney, and You're Not

Jack Thompson, Phoenix Wright is a better attorney than you. And aren't you going to get disbarred soon or something? By the way, the V-Tech shooter did not play counter strike, he played Sonic the Hedgehog a long time ago. Methinks it is you who should do your homework.

Monkeyspoon5, not about to be disbarred by the state of Florida.

@ monkeyspoon5: I don't see anywhere in that report where it says lack of guns is solely responsible for Canada's lower crime rate. Could other factors such as poverty, drug use, unemployment, lack of social services and other issues that are a larger problem in the US possibly be contributing? Or am I wrong and it's just guns and guns alone that are the cause of all society's ills?

@Mxyzptlk

True enough, it's probably a combination of all of those factors not just guns. I shouldn't have just focused on that. Which leads me to what always confuses me about the United States, that they don't seem to focus on those problems enough, and instead focus on spending even more on their military. But I guess that has nothing to do with this discussion.

@Sam Spectre

Agreed.