Gun Enthusiasts Complain About the "Call of Duty Effect"

[AT God]

I honestly felt some of this before I fired a real weapon. I thought I could at least operate a gun, which in simple terms as putting ammo in and pulling triggers is learnable. But in the problem any one of these people will run into, is accuracy. In games, the sights are 100% accurate and you never have to do anything to fix them. In real life unless you a gunsmith with an accuracy fetish you cannot just have accurate sights, most of the time your gun will shot high or low so you have to compensate. The another main contention I ran into when I had my head so far up my ass I didn't need ear plugs was the fact that most people don't realise how fucking loud guns are. Also in games you get attached to weapons that in real life aren't considered effective. The last more substantial problem with this effect is guns aren't perfect like they are in the game. They weigh a lot, they jam a lot. And jamming doesn't get solved by reloading, you have to take a knee and sometimes strip the gun to get something unstuck. The other part along with this is the way magazines work, in games you get 30 round mags and when you reload with 15 rounds left it is full again next time. In real life you have to put each bullet in one by one and many people who have never fired a gun don't realise that if will hurt the hell out of your fingers the first hundred times you do it.

Wow I need paragraphs.

 

[Napalm_Man]

"Gun enthusiast" is both an amusing and depressing phrase.

No more so than video game enthusiast, I suppose.

"Gun enthusiast" is both an amusing and depressing phrase.

Anyway, I've definitely heard of this before. Can't say I ever listen.

Wh... What?

How is being a gun enthusiast any different than being an enthusiast of anything?

Edit to add: The number of people who use the word 'clip' in this thread makes me rage.

Because I don't want anyone within a 100-mile radius of me to be enthusiastic about guns.

My main problem is that gun enthusiasm is born from the public (in the States, not sure where else) en masse having the right to own a firearm.

I really don't understand some peoples absoluet obsession with owning and carrying guns around, I mean I love to shoot whenever I can and I find guns interesting but what the fuck do you need to carry it around in public for, who are you so afraid of that you need to own an ACR? If your that paranoid I don't want you owning a gun either.

They're annoyed simply because people have heard of these guns from games? Man, I thought there were some people in the gaming community who were exclusivist elitist idiots.

Er, no. The author of the gun blog linked in the first post didn't say anything about being annoyed, he just made the observation that previously obscure weapons have suddenly become well known due to being featured in popular media. As for the commenters on that post, I can't speak for all of them, but the gist of it that I got was that they're annoyed at idiots who, having played the game, suddenly think they're some kind of experts on the subject; and I couldn't agree more, people like that are annoying.

Since I'm sure you share my hatred of arrogant, ignorant know-it-alls, I'd say your vitriol is misguided.

I'll admit to not reading the entire link, but the tone of some of the comments in the original post on this site (not to mention the title) give an impression of annoyance at little more than knowledge of the existence of these weapons. ("Where the hell did you hear of an ACR?") It's like someone taught outsiders their secret handshake, and now their feelings are hurt.

And... vitriol? You thought my post was vitriolic? That was me being calm.

I'm with PhiMed on this one, the article to me had a condescending tone that seemed to generalize gamers as unintelligent rather than being missinformed, but I digress.

 

[FatherSpleen]

"I just want to headshot some noobs! Like in Halo!"

Our generation, ladies and gentlemen!
It really makes you wonder why people don't take games seriously, huh?

 

[RelexCryo]

I am a gun enthusiast, and a gamer. Personally, I think because far, far more people are killed in car accidents, I would be more worried about teenage kids trying to set up their own "Midnight Club." There are many idiots, but very few homocidal maniacs in the gaming populace. Death by car race seems more likely.

That said, I cringe when people give gun enthusiasts a bad name, in the same basic way I cringe when someone gives gamers a bad name. Liquor (beer, whiskey, vodka) kills roughly 7 times as many people per year, and never, ever prevents a robbery, rape, or murder...yet no one tries to ban it. Instead they try to ban guns. More people have their lives taken from them by drunk drivers than guns, and liquor never does anything useful. Yet they don't try to ban it, because we already tried it once and failed. Of course they ignore the fact that gun bans so far haven't been working very well, (except in Japan, but people are allowed to own knives there, and there are almost no stabbings, so we can write that off as having good social conditions rather than a product of weapon control.)

Sigh. End Rant.

 

[DC1]

All of my friends are like this.
They also say if they joined the military they'd be a "sniper".

*Facepalm*

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

Well its a good thing I don't care about guns. It seems like a rather unhealthy hobby. And I look forward to meeting some gun nuts soon so I can talk to them about how great every gun on CoD is, just to piss them off.

 

[Deadpewl]

I am completley unintrested in the whole Guns debate. If someone comes up to me to mug me or something, I cannot do anything, as I have no gun (Britain), and even if I did, he would surely attack before I could draw. And if he had a gun as well, I'd be dead, so booyah

Another intresting note is the source's comment on the "Belt Below a level Belts should not Go"

I. HATE. THIS. SO. MUCH

Words cannot describe the sheer stupidity of people who do this. Seriously, all you're saying to the world is "I'm cool enough to have a half-functioning cerebellum! What am a belt, anyhoo?"

pants on the ground,
pants on the ground
lookin like a fool with yo pants on the ground...
(I wish I knew how to post video/wasnt at school where youtube is blocked)

 

[Caradinist]

Didnt they used to call it a "Counterstrike effect" back in 90s? When suddenly every punk learned about guns after playing Counterstrike.

You would be correct about that. People would even call them by the name in the game, despite the fact that they are fictional names, just like in goldeneye.

Modern Warfare is merely the next new thing, and it definitely reached out to more people than Counterstrike (because of the common misconception of "Casual" kids who play 12 hours a day on the X-box 360, yet they shun people who have a computer).

In other news, i have a great amount of gear in World of Warcraft. So i know when im looking for a knife in a knife store, im looking for something that has crit, slow weapon swing, and plenty of agility. And i know facts!

 

[Deadpewl]

Damn it.

These people are idiots and don't have good reason to have a firearm or even have the knowledge or skill to handle one! They're just going to hurt someone!

... And yes, I want one to defend myself against zombies, but that is a completely legitimate reason...

I agree with all of this.

 

[UltraParanoia]

If I knew how to bellow Magazine in keyboard form I so would. :\

Also, I own guns, and they haven't killed anyone ever. :O Going after law abiding citizens because you're afraid of criminals does nothing to stop criminals.

OT: Stupid people are stupid.

 

[dancingpolkabear]

Haha, it is funny how pathetic some people are with that. I don't pretend to know a lot about guns, but spending a lot of time round rural area I've learned how to properly use a rifle and all the parts and such. But I've known since I was a dumb little kid that you can't legally buy such weapons put into military use in a store.

I wouldn't be too concerned. Zero skill is required to kill in Halo and CoD (prove me wrong) with a sniper rifle, or anything really. They probably couldn't figure out how to LOAD the rifle to begin with! xD

Safety, the number 1 moron firearm usage prevention device

 

[Canid117]

I am a gun enthusiast, and a gamer. Personally, I think because far, far more people are killed in car accidents, I would be more worried about teenage kids trying to set up their own "Midnight Club." There are many idiots, but very few homocidal maniacs in the gaming populace. Death by car race seems more likely.

That said, I cringe when people give gun enthusiasts a bad name, in the same basic way I cringe when someone gives gamers a bad name. Liquor (beer, whiskey, vodka) kills roughly 7 times as many people per year, and never, ever prevents a robbery, rape, or murder...yet no one tries to ban it. Instead they try to ban guns. More people have their lives taken from them by drunk drivers than guns, and liquor never does anything useful. Yet they don't try to ban it, because we already tried it once and failed. Of course they ignore the fact that gun bans so far haven't been working very well, (except in Japan, but people are allowed to own knives there, and there are almost no stabbings, so we can write that off as having good social conditions rather than a product of weapon control.)

Sigh. End Rant.

Remember what happened last time the government tried to ban alcohol? It did not end well.

 

[Kazturkey]

Most of them probably think that a .50 cal sniper is actually used to kill people.

It's for helicopters and light vehicles, radar dishes and assorted light armor targets.

Rarely people.

 

[Warped_Ghost]

I don't learn much from modern warfare about guns except names. Then I wikipedia them. Call of duty sometimes changed the gun for gameplay effect. Like the FG42 on WAW the gun is actually pretty inaccurate on fully atomatic fire because the clip makes the gun unbalanced.
btw many people think they want to be snipers because of games but a real sniper has to be good at math to figure out where his shot will be placed a 1000 M away and how the wind will affect it. Also a sniper has to do a lot of waiting and they are usually executed because many soilders hate snipers because of phycological things snipers do.

 

[clzark]

sounds like the "punk" was messing with the store owner to me

 

[ReaperzXIII]

Most of them probably think that a .50 cal sniper is actually used to kill people.

It's for helicopters and light vehicles, radar dishes and assorted light armor targets.

Rarely people.

It isnt? Damn you Call of Duty! What about the WA2000, oh yeah is it possible to put stopping power on it? XD

Its only natural for people who play games to get interested in the things in them and start searching stuff, I know I have searched up almost every gun used in the multiplayer of MW2.

 

[Malkavian]

Because he said that the guy said he knew a lot about guns,

No, I don't recall that being said in the OP. In fact, I think it said that he "knew next to nothing about guns".

you cant just walk into any old gun store and be like hey I'd like to buy a M-249.

But might it be permissable to ask if a store carry a certain gun, if you'd like to see said gun in real life? Out of innocent curiosity?

And r u implying I don't know anything about games, dear sir?

No, I don't really recall implying that.

 

[RabidusUnus]

Wow. I have shot many guns in my life, and I'm still no expert. If I were that store owner, I would've told him to leave my store immediately. first of all, though I've never held an M1887 shotgun, looking at them in game makes me believe they are heavy. If you could even hold them out straight long enough to shoot, you'd have two guns on the floor, two broken fingers, and two sprained or jammed wrists.

I own a scope on my rifle, and it is more or less impossible to be accurate with it, even at only 30 yards, while standing or crouching. Holding your breath while standing up with a scoped rifle would be like putting on a cardboard helmet to stop a bullet. Useless.

And to anyone, anyone, who thinks that t's realistic to fire a .223 (5.56mm) weapon, like the ACR or M4 fully automatic, and not spray bullets everywhere, is a moron.

 

[Ghonzor]

I learned everything I know about guns from my father, who was a former Green Beret.

So yes, the Halo/ Call of Duty Effect pisses me off to some degree.