Toronto Sun accuses video games for Dawson College shooting
While I feel sadness for what happened yesterday at Dawson College, and send my warmest thoughts to those who are struggling to stay alive on a hospital bed, I cannot but help feel bile rise into my mouth as I stumbled upon the front page of the Toronto Sun this morning:
Their basis for this headline? The killer wrote on the Internet that his favourite video game was Super Columbine Massacre RPG. The Sun article can’t even substantiate the claim further than a one-line blurb about video games. But no, he mentioned video games. It has to be video games.
Forget the fact that he was obviously depressed. Remain oblivious to the fact that he was angry at society. No, dumb all of this down to video games once again. It would be so, so wrong to try and figure out the complex psychological background that compelled him to do this. No, it has to be the fault of video games. What else could it be? Everything else in the world is going so well.
If you have the time, I invite you to check out his blog and accompanying photos. You tell me if it was a man who let video games rule his life, or if he was just profoundly troubled.
Bravo, Toronto Sun. You morons.
[…] * Toronto Sun accuses video games for Dawsone College shooting […]
Lazy media representation.
I feel more than violated by any claim that murderous tendencies are in any way linked to media, whether it be violence in film or video games.
For one, violence has been in the media for hundreds of years; the only new development is your ability to manipulate it in video games. Big whoop. Ted Bundy killed a fuckton of people, and he blamed porn.
What the fuck?
He later, of course, admitted that he only fell back on that excuse in Utah, since he knew they’d fall for it.
Killers aren’t born out of video games–they’re born out of society. If we’re going to pin it on something, let’s pin it on the right things: the kid was disturbed. He craved a unique sort of attention that he wasn’t getting, and by all probable cause, probably had a hard time socially.
There’s no easy way to target what made him do it–and even harder to understand what made him want to.
Major media is made up of lazy fuckwads.
And, no, the monitoring of blogs is the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard. If you’re planning on killing people, chances are you’re not going to spread it around. I’ve said many things on my site (I once said I’d kill children because I couldn’t get a press copy of Hong Kong Phooey. Of course I wasn’t serious, and of course it in no way reflects how I feel; the beauty of intercommunications is that you can write freely to exagerrate or undermine your actual beliefs, aspirations, and humor). Again, that’s lazy solutionism.
What I fail to understand is where people keep getting the idea that video games are causing people to suddenly snap and go on a killing spree. I mean who is researching this, if anyone, and who are they testing? Five-year olds or just people with a difficulty to seperate fantasy and reality?
If anything a spot of violence in a video game is how I take my stress of the day out on something. A digital image that feels no real pain and doesn’t actually die. I shut my game off when im done and thats it. Its over and done, no lasting feelings of rage or homicide. No lust to kill or maim the innocent bystanders in a crowded public area.
I read violence in books, I watch it on television and I see it in movies on a weekly if not daily basis. I just wish the media would quit trying to incite a panic with every damn headline they publish. Its getting awfully boring.
All that can truly be said about this was that this guy had some issues deeper than a videogame and he needed help. Unfourtunately this young man decided to act out in a decided negative way and it cost him and young woman their lives and has more than likely scarred over a dozen other people for the rest of their lives. And yet this sad event will simply be pinned on a video game.
Blaming a game just doesn’t seem to do justice to the events that unfolded.
What a bunch of assholes.
Well, oversimplification is to be expected by a race that invents a Creator-God to explain the wonders of nature.
(This isn’t a criticism per se, I like good stories explaining Life, the Universe and Everything as much as the next guy. It’s simply an observation)
See my article on the emotional plague and the simulcarum created by virtual realities that abet alientation. http://plawiuk.blogspot.com/2006/09/life-is-video-game.html
I advise against following the link. It is violence against your eyesight.
Wow, that’s creepy.
I honestly thought that was some sort of photoshopped image of me at first. I was thinking, “where did Mike get a picture of my face?”
I mean, his face looks like mine. I have no pictures of myself brandishing a firearm like a complete Lee Oswald wannabe.
Incidentally, why, for the tag “Canada Rocks!” did they choose the gayest, most un-metal picture they could find? I mean, no offense to whoever that is; he just looks more like he’s about to make out with a dude than play a rock song.
this guy..is fucktop..
Hey,
My sister was shot by that skinny son of a bitch, She was wounded in the abdomen part and stayed unconcious for 2 weeks in the hostpital without even knowing if she would survive,
2 weeks of being woried, of standing there wanting For her To Wake Up Or… To die
2 weeks of spreading tears,
2 weeks of suffering
All this Because of wath cause some good damn random guy just woke up and said imma kill some people today, Someone who wasent stoped or arested or interogated after seing all those pictures on those websites Damn People Wake Up, Wath Those police man checking out website are to preocupaded of watching some small child getting raped and masturbating off that while eating donuts!!!!
People Blaming Video Games !!!
Bunch of idotic son of bitches Are we in the year -1 000 000B.C When people Blamed wath they dindt understand on religion… There only blaming it on violence in games, movies, tv shows, Rap and such because they dont have anything to say!!
One of my friend Joel Kornek Who got Shot and i Love to play the Game San Andreas and shoot at random people its a game or medal of honor shoot those Hitler Servent And ect… Whe listen To The Game, Tupac, ect… Watch horor film, I laft when i see people getting decapitated!! Do we get violent and feel an urge to kill people without reason! NO!! it does the oposite for me takes out all my anger i have in me its like an exaust without those weed all be more violent.. Look at the year like 63 A.C or something like that all these romans and Barbardians killing themselfs… All that violent u tell did they have video game or movies or other violent Stuff NO!! Killing People Was ther way to take out there natural urge to violence!
So do we balme Video games and such…??? NO!
Il Tell you who to Blame, Those idiotic Idiots Like Harpers And Such… C mon a guy with a sub machine gun!!! and an high Caliber Rifle WTF!!!!!! How the hell in a civilized free country like Canada Can we be alound to have that… Alright legalise an 9 mm or an shotgun.. u cant do much wiht those always recharging.. I dont think youd go hunting with an Uzi, Or M4… If you do choke on a bullet !! lol !
When My sister got shot we didnt get any help from the gouvernement we had to pay for our food at the hospital.. Id like to thank the doctors and nurses for all there help and support there the only ones with hearths in this…
The onyl thing my siter got was Money for her time she cant work and a small pay check for my mom leaving work to take care of her!! C mon… Wath would it be to give 10 000 dollars to my sister for being shoot.. The family of the girl who died anastasia Desusa (sorry for the spelling) They dint get notting because her dauther died!! Thats so dumb C mon People Wake Up
Here is a link to my friend/ sisters boyfriend Site that explains it all if you want more http://www.killthinking.com/about.html People Before comiting an act like this plz ask for help if you ever thought of it go ask help plenty of people waiting to help you out there
killthinking.com
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in my opinion video games keeps people from snapping by relieving the stresses caused by society. So if you fell like killing something pick up a game. It is the fuckers that don’t know how to deal with life that decide that they want to fuck up a someone’s family. when this happens what is the most convenient target? Video games why? They contain people killing others. For me I take it out on a game rather than doing this for real. It just comes down to morals.
I dont understand why so many think video games are bad.
oh sure they have violence but, c’mon. Violence is part of human nature. As sad as that is, there isn’t much we can do. video games help give great eye-hand coordination. I, myself play games like GTA, and I dont go and steal cars. maybe it’s because i know the difference beween whats real and what isn’t. i guess people need some kind of a scapegoat. that would explain one of the reasons of what happened in WWII. I also think that some video games could help relieve stress, help some have greater strategic capabilities. oh yeah I carry my PSP almost where ever I go. I wish i could do that with my PS3. I mean the military was going to use VR to train troups, to make a perfect soldier.
personally im with steve in the opinion of knowing the difference between reality and VR, I too carry my PSP wherever I go, I play games like Armored Core and medal of honour, in the games i may run up and knife someone but i know enough to not go and do that in reality, theres concequences here in reality opposed to having the concequence of having your character dieing in the game, personally i believe the f****** retards that call them selves the media are just trying to create a panic to up their ratings, i say F*** that they can go fornicate themselves on that note, and i should know about people waving random weapons around as my town a couple o’ months ago had to people running around town with shot guns, pistols, and of all things a Crossbow. now that is just stupidity and should have been left in the gaming reality especially the crossbow…..who runs around with a crossbow.
game…
“ Nothing is more important……