Last Thursday, there was yet another attempted shooting rampage in Germany. Fortunately, nobody was killed, which is of course why no major news outlet run the story. Despite the fact that no lives were lost, however, one particular German school is joining the country's pathetic anti-videogame bandwagon, declaring that his school is to be "Killergame-free."
German school principal Bernd Denning believes videogames play a major role in a child becoming a "homicidal maniac," providing violent answers to problems that kids may be having.
Even if Killergames are not the trigger of a killing spree, Bernd Denning, principal of the Schramberg Second School said yesterday, they still take a major part in turning minors into homicidal maniacs. Even if there isn’t a monocausally relation between excessive playing of games, leading to acts of violence, it still provides a twisted frame of reference of solutions for their problems and hardships, that they learn – and may transfer to the real world under certain circumstances.
Right now, Denning and his idiot brigade are working out how to stop these games, but the message is this: "Killergames are corruptive and therefore need to be outlawed." The school doesn't want the games simply banned at their establishment, they want these kids to never play violent videogames, even at home. Denning cannot believe that there are those who want videogames accepted, stating that it's "morally desperately demanded to say no to a practice that is elementary linked to killing sprees."
Seriously. There are people out there who believe this crap.
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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Contest:
8:20 AM on 09.21.2009
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Lets see how long it is before it comes out he's been fucking kids in the changing rooms or something.
About 1945 wasn't it?
But the rest I agree with, stupid people, it is not that freaking easy. Outlaw them and it will never happen again, worked great before. Damn it.
Ignorance, the plague.
Killergames indeed
Buddhist monk supports violent games.
The juxtaposition gave me an inner ear infection. Thanks, Destructoid.
What can you say to these people? They can't be convinced. This principle is the same sort of person who wanted to ban Lady Chatterley's Lover in England in the 1800's due to the fact that it contained a description of sex. These people want to drag us back to the 1930's. You can bet that they would also ban any films with violence in them too if they could, but of course they're smart enough to realise that that fight is over. Still, they go after video games because there's a chance they can ban them.
Reasoning with people like this principle is pointless. They know all our arguments. They even, like this guy, admit that there is no link. And yet they still want to ban.
The only cure is time. These people are almost universally old. They'll die. And then this nonsense won't be around any more. Yes, some developers will lose their jobs, some companies will fold and that's all tragic and whatnot, but like films, like TV shows and like books, this will go away.
Lady Chatterley's Lover was eventually published in England you know. There's nothing to fear.
Normal Germans need to stand up for themselves. And if the politicians don't listen, they need to run for office themselves.
@Korolev
The only problem is that there are always people, younger people who will accept there arguments. I don't think this will go away, this is how idea's in society perpetuate themselves because younger people can accept the elders arguments at face value.
Notice its these same people that believe everything Fox News tells them. To them every game is about killing, and games have nothing positive for society at all.
Perhaps Germany should control their guns a bit more, and educate in how not to misuse them better etc. Connecting with young people more too, and such problems can avoided. This principal more or less confirms the lack of connection between young and old, and until that is broken down, messed up stuff will happen.
He's correct in saying that Video games can turn a kid into a maniac but so can TV, books, music, the internet, religion and paintings. In fact any sort of expression can rot away someone's brain but so can taking it away. So if we can't live with expression and we can't live without it then we should censor all life and ban all thinking
Even if there isn’t a monocausally relation between excessive thinking and use of imagination, leading to acts of violence, it still provides a twisted frame of reference of solutions for their problems and hardships, that they learn – and may transfer to the real world under certain circumstances.
By his logic the humane thing to do is kill all humans.
Because blaming school shootings on an highly stratified, Lord-Of-The-Flies-esque social order combined with the unpredictable digressions of the human mind is just too hard, dammit.
But why not blame them anyway.
Germany really is a shithole for gamers.
OH NO HE DIDN'T
I'm willing to bet that this kid was an ostracized loner with parents who didn't give a crap and had a low self esteem as a result of no one bothering to really be a friend to him.
Oh...lol...I decided to just read the actual article before posting and they say this:
Herrmann said a preliminary investigation showed the teen had no perceivable history of trouble, but students at the school described him as a loner.
Nailed it.
Best comment ever.
Very reich-wing thinking.
ofc art is always a easyer target than politics, i think the real issue here is how a teenager got his hands on a weapon.
Seems to me that gun control is eaiser than game control ofc i am a "crazy liberal" what do i know
If he had, at the very least he'd be a bit more lethargic.
I'm sure he majority of us would agree with you. We're a cynical people. Negative and self-loathing and a bit unappreciative of just how god damn good we've got it. *sigh* My wonderful stupid ass coutry.
That said somebody needs to trademark Killergames. NOW!
I wonder if there's something to that.