Newtown Boy Campaigns Against Violent Games

[Varrdy]

Once again I see an article that has one massive root of the problem contained within and it conventiently misses it by a mile - parenting. This kid is TWELVE and yet his parents (eventually) allowed him violent video games that are clearly marked "mature" - why are they not panning them?

Also, some people I appreciate have mental issues and that can blur the line between fantasy and reality, which is a scary thought. However, without wishing to bash on people with such issues, why should the vast majority of us for which the line is clear and bright, have to get rid of or stop playing such games because of a tiny minority of people? I'd say that for many of us, these games are catharsis - we get out our agression and stresses with games and movies so we are more relaxed and less likely to go batshit and rampage through a school with a shotgun.

I would also like to make it absolutely clear that I am not ridiculing Max Goldstein in any way, shape or form. Right or wrong, his heart is in the right place at least and if this helps him and others cope with such a traumatic event then all power to him. Whether it works or not he has good intentions and, dare I say it, a good heart and we certainly do need more of that in the world. If it doesn't work, at least Max can say he at least tried to do something rather than many who will do absolutely nothing.

 

[lechat]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heath_High_School_shooting

from wiki

Spoiler

In early 1999, the parents of three victims represented by Jack Thompson filed a $33 million lawsuit against two Internet pornography sites, several computer game companies and makers and distributors of the 1994 film Natural Born Killers and the 1995 film The Basketball Diaries. They claimed that media violence inspired Carneal and therefore should be held responsible.[10]

The case was dismissed in 2001. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that it was "simply too far a leap from shooting characters on a video screen to shooting people in a classroom."[11] Both Thompson[12] and 79th United States Attorney General John Ashcroft claimed Carneal's proficient marksmanship was due to practice in violent video games.[13]

Carneal had in his locker at the time a copy of Stephen King's novel Rage (first published in 1977 under the pseudonym Richard Bachman). After this shooting King requested his publisher to allow it to go out of print, fearing that it might inspire similar tragedies. Rage for a time continued to be available in the United Kingdom in The Bachman Books collection, although the collection now no longer contains Rage.[14] King's other Bachman novels are available in the US in separate volumes.

it should be noted that rage is actually a book about a school shooting however that one case simultaneously places blame on internet pornography, gaming, movies and books all of which are things i enjoy in my downtime of not killing ppl (like most do i assume)