The Big Lie of Brandon Crisp

[SmartIdiot]

It's quite pathetic really. Not only because it demonizes videogames (plenty more room on that bandwagon!) but because so much attention has been drawn to this case. The documentary painted Brandon almost like a person falling into a downward spiral from a drug addiction and just for that they should be fucking ashamed of themselves. Had it been the flipside and he was over-enthusiastic about hockey I doubt this story would have got out. In fact I doubt anyone would give a shit, which isn't to be deliberately callous but it's true isn't it?

Nothing will ever reach people in the news unless there's a way to get ratings out of it. That means manipulating it in any way possible. To use this story in this way is absolutely despicable and suggesting that a 15 year old could be so... possessed, by a videogame is insulting. To the rest of us gamers but his memory especially. Do you think he would've wanted to be remembered as the-boy-who-fell-out-of-a-tree-over-videogame-row, rather than (to paraphrase) a boy who 'wanted to be the best at everything he tried'? No, yet this story is doing just that. All this was, was a case of over-ambitiousness gone ignored and unguided by parents who couldn't see any future in it but could've done in time. It's just tragic that the outcome happened to be this. That's right, this was a tragic accident, with very little, if nothing, to do with videogames.

This demonization of videogames has to stop. It gives gamers as a whole a bad name and to the people directly affected it's very condescending to suggest people lose rational thought while playing them. Why not report something truthful for once? (Stop laughing...)

 

[Zelist]

you know i had just posted about that on my website when it showed up in the edmonton sun, thanks for the link to the video so i can show everyone who is intrested in video gaming =) btw check out my site tehlanparty.com, im trying to make a site that makes it easy for essentially anyone to get into gaming

 

[Booze Zombie]

Well, I left a reply with them... I don't know if it'll stop them outright lying about video games, but I can hope.

Also, just because a boy gets angry at his parents over a console and falls out of a tree means it's the console's fault?

 

[anaphysik]

Also, just because a boy gets angry at his parents over a console and falls out of a tree means it's the console's fault?

(Not responding in particular to you - this little line just summarizes the whole problem with the TV media quite well :] ) Therein lies the media's dilemma - they can't blame anything else. They can't blame the kid in this case (that would look horrendously insensitive), and they can't blame the parents in this case (that would alienate their audience - recall that it's people like those parents, with very limited exposure to gaming themselves but who have children who are exposed to it, that are most likely to watch this video and agree with it). The media certainly won't blame itself, so what party is left? Videogames, of course.

So even if the media WAS well-aware that videogames are not nearly as large a factor as they presume, I doubt that they would spin the story away from them. It's just too easy to get good ratings by blaming today's rock&roll, Elvis, Socrates, you name it. Videogames currently have that little mainstream media blame spotlight on them, and it's simply another incident of a media station exploiting that for ratings. It's completely ridiculous.

(It reminds me of commercial aircraft accidents and incidents - the leading cause of which is simply failure to properly inspect and maintain the craft, which is the job of the airline (who run the airframe), not the manufacturer (who build it). Even though most failures are the fault of the airline, manufacturers are very reluctant to blame them, as they don't want to lose their business. So the manufacturers themselves typically take the brunt of public disapproval over airframe accidents/incidents. In this case, though, the manufacturer is both journalist and scapegoat, since it's they who are expected to run tests and release notices about the accident/incident. It's a pretty shitty situation, and to be honest, I'm just glad that airframes are so damn well made that they don't constantly fall out of the sky, or explode, or rip in half, or rip in half a different way, or.... (look, if Materials Science has taught me anything, it's that there are lots of ways for things to fail).)

 

[Fronken]

How great it is to see that people in the media have any sense of logic....Oh wait.

Seriously, this is one of the most retarded things i've read all day, lets try and see if their logic works under any circumstance:

I get into an argument with my girlfriend about me using the internet to much, then i go for a drink at the local bar to blow off some steam, and i get hit by a truck in a freak accident, is the internet to blaim?

I get into an argument with my mom about me failing a test at school, then i go for a walk to cool down, but on my way there a gasleak in a nearby building accidently explodes, killing me, is the school to blaim for giving me a test?

Answer to both of these are (obviously): NO

How is it that me, a 19 year old swedish kid with about average IQ can figure out that's complete and utter bullshit yet people who are in their 30's and are educated waaaay above my level cant?

 

[Lonan]

I've watched 15 minutes of it and in no way is it biased or evil or against gaming. It is quite reasonable. I was outraged when I heard everyone calling this boy a stupid kid and how his parents were bad and all that on the initial forum. Am I too sane and intelligent for this forum? Frankly, I think you're all stupid, except the people who aren't anti-everything that suggests gaming could be negative. They bark like dogs in the same way Palin supporters do, chanting "U.S.A." the second she says anything emotional and starts roaring whenever she says "socialism" or "muslim" or whatever. You're all dogs, now quit barking.

 

[Booze Zombie]

I've watched 15 minutes of it and in no way is it biased or evil or against gaming. It is quite reasonable. I was outraged when I heard everyone calling this boy a stupid kid and how his parents were bad and all that on the initial forum. Am I too sane and intelligent for this forum? Frankly, I think you're all stupid, except the people who aren't anti-everything that suggests gaming could be negative. They bark like dogs in the same way Palin supporters do, chanting "U.S.A." the second she says anything emotional and starts roaring whenever she says "socialism" or "muslim" or whatever. You're all dogs, now quit barking.

Is that sarcasm? If so, it's not very good, if not, it's not very good.

A woman saying there's no rating system when there is, is not biased or false?

 

[Sewblon]

I believe that the majority of the population is indifferent to the issue and the anti-gaming movement is solely the work of a vocal minority with agendas that have nothing to do with the welfare of children or anyone except themselves. That report was just stupid, children have been arguing with their parents, climbing trees and falling out of them since before the radio was invented.

 

[Lonan]

I've watched 15 minutes of it and in no way is it biased or evil or against gaming. It is quite reasonable. I was outraged when I heard everyone calling this boy a stupid kid and how his parents were bad and all that on the initial forum. Am I too sane and intelligent for this forum? Frankly, I think you're all stupid, except the people who aren't anti-everything that suggests gaming could be negative. They bark like dogs in the same way Palin supporters do, chanting "U.S.A." the second she says anything emotional and starts roaring whenever she says "socialism" or "muslim" or whatever. You're all dogs, now quit barking.

Is that sarcasm? If so, it's not very good, if not, it's not very good.

A woman saying there's no rating system when there is, is not biased or false?

She never said that there wasn't a rating system, she said that there wasn't a huge banner saying "PARENTS: DO NOT BUY THIS GAME FOR YOUR CHILDREN IF THEY ARE UNDER 17" or something to that effect. And there was absolutely no sarcasm in there at all, did you really think I was making fun of the program? How the hell could you think that? It was blatantly for it. How in God's name do you get the idea that this is an evil anti-gaming program? I heard this before when the the minions of this site railed against this boy and his parents and the media when he left home, and somehow thought that he was dumb, and his parents and the media were the anti-game or something. I also heard someone saying his parents shouldn't have been against him for playing more games than sports. With sports, you actually move around and it's good for your body. Do you care about nothing more than games? Also, have you considered the effects of your huge electricity use on the environment?

 

[Booze Zombie]

She never said that there wasn't a rating system, she said that there wasn't a huge banner saying "PARENTS: DO NOT BUY THIS GAME FOR YOUR CHILDREN IF THEY ARE UNDER 17" or something to that effect. And there was absolutely no sarcasm in there at all, did you really think I was making fun of the program? How the hell could you think that? It was blatantly for it. How in God's name do you get the idea that this is an evil anti-gaming program? I heard this before when the the minions of this site railed against this boy and his parents and the media when he left home, and somehow thought that he was dumb, and his parents and the media were the anti-game or something. I also heard someone saying his parents shouldn't have been against him for playing more games than sports. With sports, you actually move around and it's good for your body. Do you care about nothing more than games? Also, have you considered the effects of your huge electricity use on the environment?

There's this thing called choice, I might just make different ones than you.

I think the anti-sports argument has to do with the large amounts of aggression some of us associate with sports.

By the way, I got the impression it was an anti-gaming program from the article this very thread is about.

Have you considered the effects the electricity you're using could have on the environment?

 

[RufusMcLaser]

Brandon's gaming habits are presented less like unsupervised button-mashing and more like some kind of underground bloodsport in which competitors wrap their controllers in tape and then rub them in crushed glass.

The second funniest thing I've read all day. Not so much the idea the author conveyed, but the image it calls up.

 

[Samurai Goomba]

Brandon's gaming habits are presented less like unsupervised button-mashing and more like some kind of underground bloodsport in which competitors wrap their controllers in tape and then rub them in crushed glass.

The second funniest thing I've read all day. Not so much the idea the author conveyed, but the image it calls up.

It's settled. I am building and selling a controller wrapped in duct tape with little shivs instead of analogue sticks. I will make a fortune.

This news report is just one more puddle of urine in the ocean of urine that is Mass Media. I can honestly say I do not care at all.

I do hate that people will just assume that this is the kind of thing conservatives believe. I'm a conservative, and I despise such narrow-minded, anti-gaming bigotry. I long for the days when games will be as loved and cherished as other forms of media, such as movies and literature. It's all virtual media, people!

 

[PopcornAvenger]

Well, I couldn't really participate or endorse flooding their boards/email with angry letters until I saw the actual show (it's available on their website).

There's an element of truth in their piece, but it's obviously biased towards blaming the games, blaming the videogame industry. Sure, they're in it for the money. There's responsible business leaders in the gaming industry, and, sorry, the ESRB ratings ARE a warning label.

What's revealed in the piece is the nature of addiction and obsession. Kids and teenagers are susceptible to it, I was. It's only when the obsession inteferes with daily life that it becomes addiction and potentially harmful. You don't see much news about reading/book addictions, or "regular" sports addiction, yet I and many others are addicted to them, and have been for decades. The reason video game addiction is so frightening to parents is, for a majority of them, it's a world they don't understand. I'm willing to bet for those that do understand it, and even participate, they have much more intelligent and educated sets of rules for their kids concerning when, where, and how much time is allowed for gaming.

The people who failed here was Brandon's parents, bottom line.

The bias against the gamer is fairly evident here, though. Gaming takes away from "valid" or "healthy" lifestyles, like outdoor sports ("real sports"), doing homework, spending face time with friends, etc. Professional gamers are obviously NOT professionals, just sad couch potatoes leading our children astray and pushing product.

Of course one has to wonder at the value of throwing away school & homework and training to become a professional. I doubt the odds are as stacked against you as, say, becoming a professional basketball or football player, but it's still a minority. No doubt the odds will become much more severe as the gaming community continues to mature.

Informative and interesting, yet had too much sensationalism and fingers pointing away from those responsible for Brandon's death - his parents. Of course Fifth Column is going to downplay their role and the responsibility of parents in general - because that's the demographic they're aiming at.

I have to say I also found this article a bit of a knee-jerk reaction to Fifth Column's piece and a fierce defending of borders. A more intelligent and indepth analysis would have served better. Yes, the show had a bias, and it was obvious to anyone with a modicum of intelligence watching it (it didn't help that the only videogames rep interviewed stuttered and wasn't strong and decisive). It did raise a few (a few) interesting points about addiction and it's potential to harm. As usual, the truth lies somewhere inbetween . . .

 

[Echolocating]

The Fifth Estate is simply ignorant, in this case, and perpetuates that ignorance to anybody who eats this stuff up. The real problem, and something the TV show should have addressed, is how misinformed most parents are of video games. It should have been an episode of educating the masses. Instead, it proved to be very damaging to the maturation of an entertainment medium.

There really needs to be a push to educate people about video games so that we don't get another Brandon Crisp incident. Speaking as a parent who understands video games, if his parents had any idea about how attached he was to his game of choice, they wouldn't have pulled the plug on it like that. Unfortunately, they didn't handle the situation well because they were uneducated about video games. This is where the problem lies.

Heck, if enough educated parents got together, I bet they could force some major players (Blizzard, Xbox Live, etc.) to create special online subscriptions with a set amount of hours per week time limits on them. How many parents would want that? Probably quite a few... if they only knew more about how potentially addictive online gaming can be.

Parents need to stop being reactive and start be proactive... and that means becoming educated. Thus, the problem that the Fifth Estate (and countless others) perpetuates.

 

[SenseOfTumour]

Blizzard actually already have parental controls, and I believe XBL do too, I know on Blizzard's set you can set times when they can log in, or maximum hours per week etc.

There's a damn ridiculous amount of safeguards in place in gaming to protect kids from unwanted content, or overuse, but, of course, that doesn't make for interesting TV.

'Next on Fox News - group of 20 somethings stay in on Saturday night playing videogames, have fun and no-one dies, coming up after these messages'

Its not news like 'killer game sold my children to paedophile communists'.

also we need to remember TV feels threatened by gaming, more and more of the younger generations are gaming instead of sitting vacantly in front of a TV absorbing adverts, of course TV wants to deter parents from letting their children play games.

 

[Echolocating]

Blizzard actually already have parental controls, and I believe XBL do too, I know on Blizzard's set you can set times when they can log in, or maximum hours per week etc.

That's pretty cool. I don't play Xbox Live or WoW because that shit is just too time consuming, but I'm glad to know that they recognize a need for restrictions. Then the question lies in why the parents don't take advantage of these sorts of measures. Oh right, TV doesn't want to educate if it cuts into their profits. ;-)

I'm so glad I don't watch TV anymore. My son will be starting Kindergarten soon and I wonder how things will be when the kids talk about things they watched on TV and he has no friggin' clue what they're talking about. It took about a year for people at work to stop asking me what I thought of that show that was on last night, or that funny commercial that's been running for a while, or that preview for that awesome movie that's coming out soon. ;-)

 

[13lackfriday]

Typical tactic of the conservative thought engine.
Any new technological advances in entertainment or social interaction is immediately targeted as the cause of a wide variety of sins and crimes committed in the day.

Just look back in history.
When the Ford T-mobile came out, "concerned parents" denounced it because young people started going out on dates in them to, presumably, invent premarital sex.

 

[Socken]

Ah yes, there was another school massacre here in Germany I think 3 days ago. The kid's dad had 15 guns at home, and had taken the kid to the shooting range since the age of 10. He had no friends at school, always was "the quiet type", and the police found 40 gun replicas in his room at home.
And of course, the very next day Germany's biggest newspaper offered a convenient 3-pages special report about the horror that is video games and why the aforementioned kid went killcrazy after having played Counter Strike and Call of Duty 4 too much.

 

[Baneat]

And if the guy wasn't playing games, he could be climbing trees instead, and... oh.