Call Goes Out For Shooter Cease Fire

[Gearhead mk2]

I'll join in. Nice way to show gamers aren't the psychos the media makes of us. And to all those that say "It's not gaming's fault so why should we care",

Spoiler: I got something to say to you.

Yes, these shootings have nothing to do with games beyond the shooter's brother enjoying Mass Effect. But se should still show our support to the people left behind in some way, however small it is.

 

[AstaresPanda]

So your doing it for your own sense of worth and compassion? We both know ITS NOT GOING TO CHANGE ANYTHING. im a good person coz i did something completely pointless and condescending? while we are at it lets make some cheap wrist bands to spread awareness and show we care. NO

If you want to do this and you feel the need to then go ahead, but making out that gamers that dont want to partake in this pitiful shallow pat yourself on the back gesture are somehow uncaring......

hmmm, dont mean to belittle what you feel is right or direct any anger at ya but i cant help but feel doing somthing that would prevent this kinda thing happening again would be better and honor the lost better.

 

[Roxas1359]

Judging from people's reactions both here and on the original site, it seems to me like it doesn't matter what we as gamers do, we are fucked regardless.

If we choose to follow with the cease fire, we get blamed for "supporting the view that games cause violence," but if we choose to ignore it then we get blamed for "supporting the view that gamers are ungrateful, hateful, spiteful, etc." So either way, we're fucked.

Basically we are stuck in a classic definition of a Catch-22. Either way we as gamers lose in the end.

OT: While I do agree that the shooting was tragic I think that if we honest want to help out we should donate money to the victims of the shooting and help out the students who will be forever changed and traumatized because of this. And while people will say that this is a mental health issue I find that is more of a scapegoat in the matter. Yes mental healthcare needs an overhaul but this is more on an issue of gun control. I will say that having a pistol is okay, but does one honestly need a semi-automatic gun? I say no. And this is coming from a person who is mentally ill and has to take medication to help me function and be able to concentrate and control my emotions (I suffer from massive panic attacks, anxiety, and bipolar disorder). Doesn't mean however that I'm going to go flat out crazy. Anyway that was a bit of a tangent. Basically while this is a nice sentiment this will honestly just fuel the media to blame video games.

 

[Woodsey]

Couldn't agree more.

It's not about whether it helps the families of the victims.

It's about what is says about the gaming community as a whole. Can we coordinate? Can we be compassionate?

Or are we just a mindless horde of sarcastic, nihilistic, mindless addicts, that can't put their controllers down for one day and can actually face an ugly fact in the face without automatically pulling up a huge wall of denial on anything and everything?

"It's not about whether it helps the families of the victims.

It's about what is says about the gaming community as a whole."

Right, well there's a pretty solid statement to highlight how egotistical and arbitrary the whole thing is. "The community" had nothing to do with anything, neither did games. If people follow through with it, all they're going to be doing is something else for an entire day. That's it. Most people can't pay attention for a 2-minute silence, the fuck is a day of barring one unrelated activity going to achieve?

Making it about "us" (I wish we could stop being put into some kind of weird collective because we enjoy one similar hobby), whether it's Murdoch's Mob playing the blame game or this incredibly translucent attempt to plead our case, is the worst thing that can happen.

And what ugly fact would that be, anyway?

 

[Moth_Monk]

The day I stop playing shooters is the day the world ends.

 

[PrinceOfShapeir]

Why? how does this help anyone? We're not playing shooters, okay...so? That's like paying respect by spreading peanut butter on the walls and drawing a smiley face in it, it's a complete non sequitur.

 

[Mikeyfell]

Why are they bringing videogames into this?

Can't we all just agree that crazy murderous psychopthas are bad people whether or not they have ever played a videogame?

I mean yeah, sure, what ever, join the cause, but seriously fuck...

 

[DataSnake]

Given the amount of preparation he went through, it isn't unreasonable to say he could've taken the time to whip up homemade explosives and stuffed them in the car. Guns are by no means the most deadly, devastating, or easy-to-obtain weapons out there. The first WTC bombing cost the bomber less than the price of a Glock. A man in China committed a similar slaughter to Newtown, but he did it with a knife. Just as many casualties, with an even more hardcore police force simply not arriving on time. Should we ban knives? Knives were invented by our ancestors to hunt and to wage war, and then they tied them to sticks and called them spears. Surely we live in a society where knives are obsolete? I see cooking shows where scissors are used instead to cut meat, and Cuisinarts are used to dice vegetables. Of course not, but you see where this is going.

Interesting fact: Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold's original plan for the Columbine massacre was to set off homemade bombs in the school cafeteria during lunch and just use their guns to mop up the survivors. That's not how it ended up going, because they sucked at making bombs. Had they just been able to buy some C4 at their local Wal-Mart's sporting goods department, that massacre would have been far, far deadlier. Since they had to make their own, and they sucked at it, the death toll stayed in the teens instead of breaking triple digits. Also, WHAT THE FUCK DOES A CIVILIAN NEED AN ASSAULT RIFLE FOR? It's total overkill for hunting, a shotgun is more than adequate for home defense, and it's not the kind of thing you can carry everywhere just in case you get mugged.

 

[The_R3d_Fury]

I hear that the killer breathed oxygen. So... for 24 hours...

 

[kommando367]

I just started another playthrough of Borderlands 2, so no can do on my end.

 

[DataSnake]

A Little background: I'm a former US Marine with combat experience in Iraq, and I know a fair bit about other, more grisly topics as well. Experience, as they say, trumps a lot.
1) A knife is more dangerous then a firearm in actual close quarters combat. Period. Ask pretty much any trained professional. They'll say the same thing: knives scare me. They're very easy to use, very easy to get ahold of, and very very easy to kill with.
2)Guns are actually dangerous too. That doesn't make them any more dangerous then knives, or less dangerous. Knives are more dangerous for spur of the moment attacks, whereas guns have the edge in preplanned violence. Guns must be prepped (ammo, safety off (if it has one), round chambered, etc. Knives: grab and stab. Done. Blocking a knife DOES NOT MEAN YOU WILL LIVE. Knives, and bullets, do MASSIVE amounts of damage and you can easily kill and cripple with both without much training.

OK, I'll grant that knives are a match for guns one-on-one at close quarters, for the sake of argument. However, imagine you're in a classroom and someone walks in with a knife and stabs the teacher. You have several options:
1. Book it for the door. The killer will have to catch up to you in order to inflict any damage. High chance of survival, especially if others flee too and you scatter.
2. Use an improvised weapon, such as a chair. The other guy still has a knife, but since you have longer reach, you can still get in the first hit and, as you've pointed out, blunt weapons can be pretty damn effective. Let's call it even odds, though if the others join in the odds will go pretty steeply in your favor.

Now let's imagine the same two options, only this time the lunatic has an M16.
1. Make a break for it. He shoots you in the back. You are now dead.
2. Pick up a chair, or a heavy book, or something, and charge the guy. He shoots you before you can get close enough to swing. You are now dead.
See the difference?

 

[Radoh]

Okay well that's an idea that I cannot get behind.
So to show support for the victims and their families we are going to stop playing shooters for a day?
Would that not look a subtle confirmation that video games are to blame for this?

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

My condolences to the families, but I will still play my games thanks.

I cannot say it better. While I appreciate the thought behind the idea, it's ultimately an empty, token gesture. It does nothing for the cause, will effect no change, is unlikely to help parents grieving for lost children, etc.

I suppose there is one boon to be had. The player who reaches for the disc/mouse to launch the game must pause and realise he cannot play that game, and why. It would mean that there are players out there sparing thoughts for the bereaved...but is that enough to justify the day?

 

[unstabLized]

Let's make a deal. You get people who play CoD to stop playing, and I'll hop on board instantly.

Then again, chances are, I'm not going to be shooting anyway, because currently, I'm in my Torchlight 2 journey.

 

[ResonanceSD]

Yea nah, this is dumb. In fact, I might just go boot up one of the Postal games in retaliation for gamers feeling they owe anyone anything or have guilt for playing a video-game.

I'm in Manhunt, why we all get blamed for no fucking reason and then decide that we owe something to society is fucking beyond me. Name me any other minority that would put up with that.

 

[N3squ1ck]

Trying to say this would make gaming culpable is like trying to say having a minute's silence on November 11th makes you culpable for World War I.

Erm...
That is kinda something different...

EDIT: let me write more, sorry:

Nobody actually thinks that one from today is to blame for WWI, but games and gamers are still blamed for many evils in this world as of now.

 

[mjc0961]

Chyeah, good luck with this. Since when have the majority of gamers been compassionate enough to take up any cause except playing Half Life 2 to try and get Valves attention. As others have stated, this is perfect bait for fuckwits like Fox News to latch onto.

It has nothing to do with compassion. The reason not to do this is because it IS perfect bait for fuckwits like Fox News. They'll take this as gamers accepting that games are responsible for shootings.

Fuck that shit. We need to get a counter movement going to play even more shooter games than normal during that exact same time period to stand up and say "We are well adjusted human beings who play shooters and have not and will never shoot up a school, office, or any other real life place. Games are not at fault for this tragedy, the fucked up gunmen are." If I want to show compassion for the victims I can find plenty of better and more helpful ways to do it than giving the media an excuse to blame me and my hobby for the shooting.

I've just made a note on my calender to pop Killzone 3 in and play as much of it as I can on the 21st. And I urge everyone else to pop in whatever shooter you like and play it. CoD, Battlefield, Medal of Honor, Halo, whatever the fuck it is, who cares. As long as you can shoot things in it, play the SHIT out of it on the 21st and show that you will not take blame for the actions of two mentally disturbed people and are not willing to give up your hobby because of them. And then do something really nice for the victims like donating to a relevant charity.

No, it would look like an act of empathy. All it would say is "Hey, I realise you're grieving right now, so out of respect I'm going to spend today not shooting people online." It would be an act by the gaming community to at least try and show some sympathy for those currently suffering from violence, by actively refusing to take part in violence for just one day. Trying to say this would make gaming culpable is like trying to say having a minute's silence on November 11th makes you culpable for World War I.

Except that is completely wrong. Not playing a video game is not an act of empathy. Here's an act of empathy: nobody go hunting. Nobody go to the gun range. Nobody do anything related to guns that's just for sport (obviously I would not be asking the police or army to go without guns for the day, that would be stupid). THAT would be an act of empathy that says "Hey, I realize your grieving right now, so out of respect I'm going to spend today not shooting real guns in the real world."

Actively refusing to take part in violence? News flash: there's nothing violent about pushing buttons on a controller. There's nothing violent about playing video games. How about you get everyone to agree to not be violent? As in, REAL violence? Or at least extend this stupidity of not taking part of violence by not doing things that aren't violent in the first place by also refusing to watch movies and TV shows, read books, or listen to music that also have violent acts depicted. After all, there's absolutely nothing violent about sitting on the couch watching Die Hard, but maybe people should not do that too because reasons.

Not playing games implies there's a reason to not play games, and that reason would only be because games are somehow responsible for this. They aren't, so play on. As for the terrible moment of silence comparison... No. Just no. Where did you come up with that crap? Although a moment of silence would be a much better idea for an act of empathy than not doing something that had absolutely nothing to do with this tragedy. Hey, I bet the gunmen wore clothes, right? Maybe out of respect we can all be naked on the 21st as well.

Or maybe... Just maybe... We could do something intelligent and logical instead of something stupid and irrational like not playing video games and giving the media a nice opportunity to blame our hobby for the actions of two fucktards.

very funny, actually a very good example. Just because it's not our fault doesn't mean we can't in anyway give ground. Common it's possible to say you regret something happened without admitting guilt.

The point is to give ground in a way that makes sense. To say we regret something happened in a way that makes sense. Nobody stops playing soccer if someone dies from being kicked not because they don't regret that it happened. They don't stop playing soccer because it would be STUPID.

As many others have pointed out, there are far better alternatives. Raise money. Stop the use of real life guns for a day instead of fake digital ones. Have a moment of silence.

 

[cikame]

F off, pixels are completely unrelated to this massacre, the effort would be better placed on raising awareness for parents with schizophrenic children.