Alabama University Shooter Played Dungeons & Dragons
- Thread starter Andy Chalk
- Start date
Oh wait I learned about stuff like this in one of my psych classes. *Grabs Sociology book*
Ah yes, here it is. I'll start off with an example:
There's been studies to see whether there's a connection between smoking and lung capacity. This research showed us that there was a positive correlation between smoking and lung capacity (meaning the more you smoke, the higher your lung capacity is). This is of course ridiculous, since we all know people's lungs worsen when they smoke. But what the study didn't take into account was age groups; The older you get, the bigger your lungs get and the more you smoke. Once the researchers examined all the age groups separately they found a negative correlation between smoking and lung capacity. In this case there was a third variable in play, namely age, which -at first sight- tricked us into believing smoking would increase your lung capacity. This is called a spurious correlation.
Now, back to the matter at hand: I believe what we have here might be a spurious correlation. There seems to be a connection between shooting people and playing D&D, but if you ask me it's far more likely that people with a psychological profile like her are more likely to play games such as D&D. Which is in fact interesting to know because if you can piece those different traits together (history of violence, reclusive, etc.) it could help law enforcement to do their job better in the future (pinpoint more exact location where a suspect may be hiding, what kind of actions they'd undergo, etc.).
So I don't see it as "D&D made her do it", even if that's what's implied in the article. I think it's an interesting piece of the puzzle that is her mind, which can prove useful.
Ah yes, here it is. I'll start off with an example:
There's been studies to see whether there's a connection between smoking and lung capacity. This research showed us that there was a positive correlation between smoking and lung capacity (meaning the more you smoke, the higher your lung capacity is). This is of course ridiculous, since we all know people's lungs worsen when they smoke. But what the study didn't take into account was age groups; The older you get, the bigger your lungs get and the more you smoke. Once the researchers examined all the age groups separately they found a negative correlation between smoking and lung capacity. In this case there was a third variable in play, namely age, which -at first sight- tricked us into believing smoking would increase your lung capacity. This is called a spurious correlation.
Now, back to the matter at hand: I believe what we have here might be a spurious correlation. There seems to be a connection between shooting people and playing D&D, but if you ask me it's far more likely that people with a psychological profile like her are more likely to play games such as D&D. Which is in fact interesting to know because if you can piece those different traits together (history of violence, reclusive, etc.) it could help law enforcement to do their job better in the future (pinpoint more exact location where a suspect may be hiding, what kind of actions they'd undergo, etc.).
So I don't see it as "D&D made her do it", even if that's what's implied in the article. I think it's an interesting piece of the puzzle that is her mind, which can prove useful.
Simple misunderstanding. She heard they made $120,000 a year and thought it referred to their experience point value.
But, joking aside: Duh, homicidally inclined gal who murdered her own brother with a shotgun in 1986 [http://www.aolnews.com/crime/article/report-details-1986-shooting-of-ala-professor-amy-bishops-brother/19357973]. Also apparently a prime suspect in an attempting pipe bombing [http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/02/ala_slay_suspec.html] in 1993. "In severe need of psychiatric evaluation" scenario, not "lets make her a university professor" scenario. Is Alabama that badly screwed up?
But, joking aside: Duh, homicidally inclined gal who murdered her own brother with a shotgun in 1986 [http://www.aolnews.com/crime/article/report-details-1986-shooting-of-ala-professor-amy-bishops-brother/19357973]. Also apparently a prime suspect in an attempting pipe bombing [http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2010/02/ala_slay_suspec.html] in 1993. "In severe need of psychiatric evaluation" scenario, not "lets make her a university professor" scenario. Is Alabama that badly screwed up?
*slams head into desk*
For the love of the tiny baby Jesus not this again.
Have we as a society not evolved past this stupid knee jerk stuff?
*sigh*
It's a .....GAME.
Good God I'm sure you could find more a relation between people attending college and then murder than to D&D....and as for games, I'm sure you could link far more consistently a vien of violent criminal behavior to those that play poker than D&D if you think about it.
You see it's not D&D and makes people want to shoot others, it's people doing this stuff that makes you want to.
Anything can be construed as linked to violence. You could look at his life and investigate how frequently he reads and say that frequent, or infrequent, reading leads to violence.
I'd also guess there's been more people that play football that commit violent crimes than those that play D&D...but no....let's just pick up pitch forks and torches and react like a bunch of blindly moronic lynch mobs because we have absolutely nothing better to do than try and make ourselves feel better by attacking a straw man like gaming.
For the love of the tiny baby Jesus not this again.
Have we as a society not evolved past this stupid knee jerk stuff?
*sigh*
It's a .....GAME.
Good God I'm sure you could find more a relation between people attending college and then murder than to D&D....and as for games, I'm sure you could link far more consistently a vien of violent criminal behavior to those that play poker than D&D if you think about it.
You see it's not D&D and makes people want to shoot others, it's people doing this stuff that makes you want to.
Anything can be construed as linked to violence. You could look at his life and investigate how frequently he reads and say that frequent, or infrequent, reading leads to violence.
I'd also guess there's been more people that play football that commit violent crimes than those that play D&D...but no....let's just pick up pitch forks and torches and react like a bunch of blindly moronic lynch mobs because we have absolutely nothing better to do than try and make ourselves feel better by attacking a straw man like gaming.
Oh
MY
GODS!
It all makes sense now! I never even noticed the ways in which D&D could lead to more nefarious things! I have often blamed my video gaming on things like lack of proper social interaction, or even the voices in my head which compel me not only to play satanistic games, but to burn things and stab people.
But now I see, it was always the Dungeons. The Dragons too, but those God-damn Dungeons...
MY
GODS!
It all makes sense now! I never even noticed the ways in which D&D could lead to more nefarious things! I have often blamed my video gaming on things like lack of proper social interaction, or even the voices in my head which compel me not only to play satanistic games, but to burn things and stab people.
But now I see, it was always the Dungeons. The Dragons too, but those God-damn Dungeons...
Oh those were the days...when D&D was actually the only role-playing game I played. Now its just a quaint stack of books in my bookshelf casually gathering dust. *contented sigh*
I understand the controversy behind Dungeons and Dragons, what with it being full of Gnolls and Dragons and Magical Wands that explode in your face if you don't say "please" to it. Its teaching our children to worship demons and practice witchcraft!. That is, if most children actually PLAYED Dungeons & Dragons. Now they have the perfectly convenient World of Warcraft so satisfy their need to murder innocent Gnolls for their loot.
D&D is a thing of yesteryear, a bygone age where pen and paper RPGs were what everyone played. Now only the truly dedicated fans play pen and paper RPGs most people just stick to MMOs. I have yet to hear a story about someone playing too much World of Warcraft and deciding to kill all "Horde" folks on his block to "cleanse the land of their filth" or whatever they say.
I understand the controversy behind Dungeons and Dragons, what with it being full of Gnolls and Dragons and Magical Wands that explode in your face if you don't say "please" to it. Its teaching our children to worship demons and practice witchcraft!. That is, if most children actually PLAYED Dungeons & Dragons. Now they have the perfectly convenient World of Warcraft so satisfy their need to murder innocent Gnolls for their loot.
D&D is a thing of yesteryear, a bygone age where pen and paper RPGs were what everyone played. Now only the truly dedicated fans play pen and paper RPGs most people just stick to MMOs. I have yet to hear a story about someone playing too much World of Warcraft and deciding to kill all "Horde" folks on his block to "cleanse the land of their filth" or whatever they say.
I have been a DM for over 10 years (playing D&D for 15 years), biggest thing i ever killed was a rat, on accident, and i felt terrible about it. Yea... 100% cold blooded right there...
the worst 40k has done to me is made me to poor to drink every week end. you only have so much cash left once the bills are paid.cheywoodward said:
Well, I'll add my two cents to the unanimous opposition this article has gotten: I've DMed D&D for about 5 years now, gotten about 12 or 13 people started on it (including my brother), and probably have invested more ($ wise) in it than any other hobby (if you discount the price of a computer, which is on an entirely different level). Thus far, all the people I've played with have been some of the best I've known. I read this article a while back, it's not new, but I'm very pleased that it has gotten the reaction it has in this thread.
Stop bashing on what could in another time and place be argued as the progenitor of RPGs as a species! Thanks.
Stop bashing on what could in another time and place be argued as the progenitor of RPGs as a species! Thanks.
One problem Andy, Mazes and Monsters is entirely fictitious. It's based on the infamous Steam-Tunnel stories, but it was never a real game. (We were trying to crib from it for our games of D&D)Andy Chalk said:
And the BASIC set? Wow...I think I've still got that upstairs somewhere...
Just as a basic statistics check (on d20, naturally):
I think 2 killers out of 20 million is reasonable odds. That's roughly 20 times less likely than dying to a Tsunami, 40,000 times more likely to die from falling down, and 100,000 times less likely than being killed by a car.
Even if it is true.
We in psychology learn this little thing called correlation. And first of all, causation is not correlation. And second of all, researcher bias can push people to find a correlation where there is none. You could research every year trying to prove storks bring babies and many years there will be an increase in storks where there is an increase in babies - it does not mean that what you're trying to prove is true.
You know, after watching Targets with Bela Lugosi, I really want to bitchslap one of these shooters mid-rampage. Just slowly walk up and SMACK! the shit out of them. I know that's precisely what i wouldn't do in that situation if I was there though; I'd be among the fleeing masses.
Ok. Take this story, add terrorists and you'll have something for FOX to show for 2 weeks straight.
Remember kids, D&D will make you go on a violent killing rampage so enjoy your last hours of sanity, future murderers.
EDIT: Breaking news! A lot of these killers have one thing in common. They all attend college. College is evil.
Remember kids, D&D will make you go on a violent killing rampage so enjoy your last hours of sanity, future murderers.
EDIT: Breaking news! A lot of these killers have one thing in common. They all attend college. College is evil.
Maybe, we shouldn't allow TV shows like Legend of the Seeker, Hercules: The Legendary, Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess, etc.We also shouldn't allow movies like the Lord of the Ring Films. I mean, if people acting for fun could lead to them committing murder than surely professional acting in a fantasy adventure story would lead to real murder as well... (joking)
I mean seriously, people love movies and tv shows that have violence, yet if people want to make up their own stories for fun it is sometimes looked down upon... I mean, imagine if kids who played sports for fun were considered to be weird outcasts while professional athletes would be considered a respectable profession...
I mean seriously, people love movies and tv shows that have violence, yet if people want to make up their own stories for fun it is sometimes looked down upon... I mean, imagine if kids who played sports for fun were considered to be weird outcasts while professional athletes would be considered a respectable profession...
Good point, there can't be a connection. If they had found a copy of D20 Modern though that would have been definite proof.The DSM said:
I just can't believe this, more than one person who had been interested in D&D has gone on a murderous rampage? Not only that but they suspect that other known criminals might have been met people who played D&D and therefore influenced by them to commit their crimes. Well I think it's time that we realise the potential this game has to turn completely sane law abiding citizens into bat shit insane killers. Wait, you tell me that several of these killers also attended university? MY GOD!! It's education who's the culprit! Quickly withdraw your children from school so they don't spontaneously go mad. IT'S THE DEVIL I TELL YOU!! THE DEVIL!!!!