Newtown Boy Campaigns Against Violent Games

[Andy Chalk]

Newtown Boy Campaigns Against Violent Games

A 12-year-old from Newtown, Connecticut, is encouraging his peers to throw away their violent videogames.

In the wake of the tragic mass murder at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, 12-year-old Max Goldstein has pledged to throw out his violent videogames and is calling on his peers to do the same. Prior to the massacre, Max was a regular Call of Duty player with the approval of his parents, who "gradually succumbed" to his desire for the game. But at the funeral of his friend's brother, Goldstein said he came to realize "how real this was," and decided that he no longer wanted to kill, even within the fantasy confines of videogames.

To encourage others to take part, Goldstein has launched the "Played Out" movement, with the slogan, "Choose not to play." With the help of his stepfather, he's putting a dumpster outside the Newtown Youth Academy where kids can toss their violent games for later destruction. He announced the program to "hearty applause" at a meeting of the newly-formed Newtown United group, which discussed, among other things, "how to increase the size of the group and get its message out."

Goldstein isn't the first person to have this idea: In 2009, a group calling itself Aktionbundnis Amoklauf Winnenden called on people to failure [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/95480-German-Group-Holdling-a-Killer-Game-Cull].

Source: Courant.com [http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/newtown-sandy-hook-school-shooting/hc-newtown-united-sandy-hook-shooting-1220-20121219,0,2500252.story]


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[Ickabod]

Good for the kid.

While I disagree that violent games cause people to be violent. This child believes it strong enough that he's putting himself out there to support what he believes in. Not like politicians that are doing it for a shameless vote grab.

Now if only he could set up a dumpster for people to throw their assault weapons in, then we'd be on to something. (For the pro-gun folks, I didn't say all guns.)

 

[Legion]

Well as long as they aren't hypocritical and also never watch a violent TV show or film ever again either. Not to mention comics or books. Either you find fictional death entertaining to some extent, or you do not. You can't claim some kind of moral stand and not go the whole way.

 

[ANImaniac89]

I feel bad for this kid, but honestly I find is despicable for someone to use a tragedy such as this to push there own personal morals.

 

[Daaaah Whoosh]

I play violent video games so I don't shoot people in real life. I mean, come on, haven't any of you ever felt bad about the atrocities you've committed in video games, to the extent that you've silently vowed never to do the same thing to a living being? Because I know I have.

 

[gardian06]

This will probably end in the same abject failure.

People with half a brain knows that videogames had nothing to do with this.

Mentally ill folk will always find something to set them off, be it videogames, books, movies, TV shows, plays... So I see no reason to throw my games away when its not their fault.

Its like asking people to throw away their copy of Fast and Furious because someone died in a car crash.

Good for the kid.

While I disagree that violent games cause people to be violent. This child believes it strong enough that he's putting himself out there to support what he believes in. Not like politicians that are doing it for a shameless vote grab.

Now if only he could set up a dumpster for people to throw their assault weapons in, then we'd be on to something. (For the pro-gun folks, I didn't say all guns.)

Well as long as they aren't hypocritical and also never watch a violent TV show or film ever again either. Not to mention comics or books. Either you find fictional death entertaining to some extent, or you do not. You can't claim some kind of moral stand and not go the whole way.

I feel bad for this kid, but honestly I find is despicable for someone to use a tragedy such as this to push there own personal morals.

you are all missing the point of the article.
the kid never said "these games caused it", or that "if these games didn't exist it wouldn't have happened."
he said essentially that "after seeing my friends die by guns in the same way depicted in these games. I don't want to see it again" basically he is pointing out that he can attach the real occurrence of watching his own fiends die to the death of terrorists, and then pointing out that he never want to see another person die real or imaginary.

he is for the most part talking about why do we play these games that depict violence when it can "remind" us of very real occurrences, and then adding that "to all those who don't wish to be reminded of this violent act to do the same as him"

 

[OniaPL]

This will probably end in the same abject failure.

People with half a brain knows that videogames had nothing to do with this.

Too bad that most people don't have even that.
Huehuehuehuehuehuehue.

OT:
Anyways, I think it's rather clear that video games had nothing to do with this. Sure, a person with mental health issues may be negatively affected by games, but that is not a video game issue. There are several things that have contributed to this; Lack of gun control, mental health issues and social exclusion, his family life, etc. etc. It's not like we can pin it on a single matter, we can just examine the main reasons and afterwards take steps to prevent another tragedy.

(No, fuck you, you won't quote me because I mentioned the words "gun control".)

 

[Bindal]

Who wants to bet that this whole thing is going to have a similar success as Winnenden?
And News Stations are probably going to fake the success just as back then. No, really, in 2009, they claimed that the container would be 'nearly full' while people, who were there confirmed that thing was basically empty...

Well as long as they aren't hypocritical and also never watch a violent TV show or film ever again either. Not to mention comics or books. Either you find fictional death entertaining to some extent, or you do not. You can't claim some kind of moral stand and not go the whole way.

But that's not video games! THAT'S TOTATLLY DIFFERENT!
Honestly, I actually have nothing else to add. If you blame one thing, also blame the rest. Or don't do it at all.

 

[Folix]

they're gonna throw all of their violent games into a dumpster? if hypothetically someone were to steal the games from the dumpster before they are destroyed then they could probably make quite a bit of hypothetical money. hypothetically speaking that is.

 

[kenu12345]

So wait they are just dumping it in a dumpster. *rubs hands together* i smell profit for me lol jk but anyway good for the kid and all

 

[charge52]

snip

I think you may have misquoted, because two of those quotes essentially said "good for him, but hopefully he doesn't continue to read/listen/watch other mediums that depict death and be a hypocrite".

The other two only one really fits as what you would be responding to, and the second(ANI) only fits if we assume the fact the tragedy caused this to be true.

 

[Dark Knifer]

While I agree that videogames aren't the cause of shooting like this, I just think this kid didn't want to see anymore of this in particular due to memories attached to it. The other stuff seems like an agenda pushing by this united group though.

 

[Kungfu_Teddybear]

With the help of his stepfather, he's putting a dumpster outside the Newtown Youth Academy where kids can toss their violent games for later destruction.

The only outcome I can see from this is people looting this dumpster for free games.