Media Blames Videogames For Wannabe Bomber's Actions

[Ih8pkmn]

This isn't surprising anymore. Really.


[sarcasm]
Crime going up? Don't blame criminals, blame video games!
Drug abuse going up? Don't blame crack users, blame video games!
Bombs being made? Don't blame extremists, blame video games!

Why? Because it's easy and all gamers are defenseless children or shut-ins who don't care what's going on in the world and are too lazy to lift a finger if we blame their hobby! News corporations make money off of fear-mongering and yellow journalism, and the newest form of entertainment in the world-which people are afraid of because anything new is scary- is blamed for everything! EVERYONE WINS!

[/sarcasm]

If Resident Evil teaches you how to make bombs, then my cousin MUST be a terrorist. He's played every Resi game there is, and has beaten all but Code Veronica.

Also, I bet 50 dollars that Fox Newbs will pick up this as a news story by Wednesday.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

Was he going to shoot an RPG at the end of his spree?

It isn't Resident Evil without that!

I'm failing to see the connection here.

 

[Action Jack]

I think RE3 let you make grenade launcher ammo.

By pressing a button two or three times, that is. I'm sure not any more knowledgeable about explosives for having played it.

 

[Low Key]

For how many people actually play (or watch) violent video games, there sure is a vastly disproportionate number of people who aren't psychos to those that are.

 

[imnot]

Well nows a better time than any.
FOR JORGE!
*blows up airport*
*and London*
*and The daily fail (see what I did there )HQ*

 

[theriddlen]

I think it's because he was breathing.
I noticed that EVERY SINGLE MAN who murdered anyone has been breathing. That can't be a coincidence!

 

[Mrsoupcup]

Only thing Resident Evil has taught is how to battle a lake monster with harpoons. Seriously fuck major news media outlets. I almost wish the hot button issue was Comics that supposedly cause Communism, so I could play my fucking Xbox in peace.

 

[The Artificially Prolonged]

-deep heavy sigh- So terrorism is gamings fault too, silly me I thought it was about american foreign policy in the middle east /scarcasm.

I really shouldn't read these articles anymore, it gets to the point when these witch hunts are just sad.

 

[Psycho Cat Industries]

That is complete and utter ridiculousness.Just another Middle-East terrorism inspired idiot who decided to follow the tyrants who hate America for success and or religion.Honestly,there have been wars in the past and I can guarantee you that the Assyrian Empire was a hell of a long ways away from Pacman.

 

[Mr. Omega]

Daily News doesn't NEED proper research. They have... Complete Bullshit! In less than 5 minutes...Fox News will be at the ideal broadcast time... Complete Bullshit will be released into the airwaves, ensuring complete global saturation... of stupidity.

Serious: Really? I'd hardly call Resident Evil "ultra violent"

 

[ShadowsofHope]

*Yawn*

In other news, water is dry and fire extinguishes water.
[sub]See what I did there?[/sub]

..

Also, you can create bombs in Resident Evil? News to me!

 

[mireko]

The reasons for his actions are obvious.

For too long, the government had denied him an egg.

[sub]CHRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS[/sub]

 

[Natdaprat]

Next headline will be "Rapist of girl played Bulletstorm in his free time"

 

[Jabberwock xeno]

OH GOD FREAKING-

Why doesn't anyone ever sue these guys for slander/libel?

They make up FALSE BS, and thats NOT protected by the 1st amendment.

 

[Harbinger_]

This is really pushing it. Now just watching video games on youtube is enough to turn you in to a mass killer? I think there are much bigger issues here than "ultra violent video games".

Pretty soon you'll see a version of "A student heard two kids talking about a video game in his class so he started shooting everyone."

I wonder when the general populace is going to get a bit leery of this.

 

[Bob the frantic]

2 bucks on 2 days.

I'm betting on 24 hours.

Since the ''experts'' have to be paraded in first by FOX News law, I bet 4-5 days

 

[Therumancer]

Well, I think people are missing the point. Video games are a "boogieman" that is used to blame big problems nobody wants to address on.

For the politicians and people in the left wing media, it's better to say "video games made him do it, evil video games" than to bring up the fact that the guy is a cultural Muslim. The guy was seemingly well assimilated to our society, knew our pop culture, understood how to use technology, and everything else. Exactly the kind of guy that would be used as the poster child for "Muslims are our friends", and the opposite of the whole "we're actually dealing with a tiny group of pinheaded radicals". The problem is a lot nastier than that, as I've been pointing out for years.

To focuse on what the guy's actual motivations are in this, would run contrary to things like an opposition to profiling, the patriot act, and similar things, not to mention being contrary to the entire stance it's taking on "The War On Terror".

Video games are a catch all boogieman, and pretty good because they are popular enough where they can be tossed into almost anything in need of spin. If the guy hadn't said something about watching video game videos, they probably would have made a big deal out of what sites the guy was looking at and what he watched there despite not saying anything. If the guy had a video game deck and a few games, they would have used that.

I'll also be honest in saying (before someone mentions it) that the right wing uses this too for a lot of it's own issues, as a result it's not going to call the other side on being absurd, by agreeing with (or simply not opposing) something like this being a factor it adds fuel for the next time they want to bring out the boogieman.

That's what I think at any rate. You'll also notice that it has us argueing more about the video game connection, than paying attention to the actual issue here with a guy this apparently assimilated planning a bombing rampage. He was only caught because he got sloppy with obtaining the materials. That's a lot more frightening, and conflicts with the morality a lot of people are espousing, than portraying the guy as someone who was influanced by video games.

I know many will disagree with me, but that's my thoughts.


Oh and as far as Resident Evil teaching people to make bombs, I don't think it will go there, but I *DO* think there might be comments on Resident Evil's political axe. Resident Evil is a very anti-capitalist game as has been pointed out over the years. The whole thing revolves around your typical evil corperation (stock bad guy) and an associated degree of goverment corruption given who they were developing for. Even if the heroes are Americans for the most part, to someone who has an anti-capitalist/anti-west attitude you can see how the game concept is going to be fairly appealing, capitalists going too far in the pursuit of money and power, committing massive taboos and the desecration of the dead, and ultra-violence being employed to stop it. Resident Evil doesn't encourage terrorism (and this stuff was all fairly typical before the first game came out), and was meant to be at worst a mild political commentary via a work of fantasy, but to someone who is already a fanatic it could easily take on a differant meaning.

 

[Hawk of Battle]

Oh, Daily Mail again? Yeah, ok, right. Does anyone else think that his "blog" quote there sounds like it was written BY the Daily Mail? It just sounds so stupidly suspect. "This is not the first time I watch these vidoes." Come on, nobody ever posts anything like that ANYWHERE, that is clearly written by someone who works for the Daily Mail.

I think RE3 let you make grenade launcher ammo.

By pressing a button two or three times, that is. I'm sure not any more knowledgeable about explosives for having played it.

You're right, it did; by mixing Gunpowder A with Gunpowder B to get Gunpowder C, and then mixing it directly with an Ammo Tool. CLEARLY, this game is a step by step guide to home bomb making!

 

[MrGalactus]

I know all this is mosly irrellevant, but I hate the term "Ultra-violent" Resident Evil is no where even close to "Ultra-violence." You seen Robocop? That Spartacus T.V. show? Hostel? They are fucking discusting, Resident evil is nothing compaired to them.

Ok, on topic; This happens all the time. One exception = a symptom according to the fear-mongering press. It's just baseless crap.