"Video Game Addiction" to be Forum Topic at Sandy Hook School District

[MeChaNiZ3D]

Debate in itself is not bad. What I would be worried about is this forum becoming a circlejerk for critics of videogames to reinforce each others' opinions and cement an opposition to videogames in the area despite there having been no proven link with the incident. And I don't see why gaming should come into the 'healing process' at all, except that there are people who still think it was the cause. I have no respect for veiled attempts to get one off at gaming because parents need something to blame other than guns.

Then again, it really just depends on the population. But I do expect mostly anti-gaming sentiment from parents in the area, just from the media that sprung up immediately following the incident, and discussing that amongst themselves is not going to accomplish anything without someone from the opposing viewpoint. It's not really fair of me to dismiss it without seeing how it goes and is structured though, and I don't know who lives there so I'll shut up now.

 

[Clovus]

Fuck we're a bunch of indignant cunts aren't we? Gamers really are pathetic little creatures, crying whenever anyone dares say anything bad about their hobby.

It's a general meeting about raising kids. They weren't even drawing links between the shooting and video game, you geniuses and the rest of gaming media are doing all of that.

Guess what the other topics include? ?Tips for Managing Sibling Rivalry? and ?Spring Forward! Ideas and Programming Suggestions to Enjoy Summer". Untwist your panties and get on with your life, stop trying to be so fucking offended all the time. What is this, Tumblr?

Or you can not be a jerk and realize these people are trying find something to blame instead of confronting the actual issues.

I think his whole point was that the forum has nothing to do with the shooting. The other topics don't have anything to do with the shooting either. It isn't weird that parents would be concerned that their children are playing video games too much and might be "addicted".

If ThreeName's description of the event is accurate, he is rightly pointing out that this article is extremely misleading.

He absolutely did present that case in about the worst way he possibly could though ...

 

[Something Amyss]

This may be a great time for us Gamers to take one on the chin. Grieving people need to wail and pound against somebody's chest until the tears stop. Let's just let them and maybe give a hug afterwards.

That's the mature thing to do, so it's not going to happen.

And I get why. Part of me is indignant that there's any sort of equivocation going on. It's just not a large enough part to go railing against victims.

I'm not the internet, though. For one, I've been known to display occasional instances of apathy.

When are we going to stop going for easy targets and start at least looking at some of the underlying problems?

When lobbying groups spontaneously immolate in a miraculous act of God (or the religious act/phenomena of your choice).

Seriously, Newtown looked like it was going to be the moment. That time where we, as a nation, banded together and said "enough. This shit has got to stop." And we sat down and addressed things.

And then the NRA started a marketing campaign, which shifted us off the rails and into tantrum town.

As long as we have people with a vested interest in topics like these, and they have both money and the ears of the lawmakers and media, we will not make headway. And that's not just guns and not just the NRA, before anyone starts in on me. It's just they're the ones most freaking relevant to Newtown.

It's all well and good to empathize with people who lose a family member to the Black Plague; that empathy doesn't mean you're somehow obligated to accept their need to burn witches.

And when gamers are actually on the stake, get back to me and I will whole-heartedly agree.

Right now, a good chunk of gamers are acting no better than Ann Coulter attacking 9-11 survivors, though. And that's disgusting.

What you need to stop doing is searching for answers in insanity. Never ask why a crazy person does the things they do. It doesn't make sense, that's why we call it crazy.

Often enough, we can actually make sense of that sort of thing. I mean, that's like saying that we'll never know if the Earth is round or where the Sun goes at night.

We don't know why Lanza did it in this case because we lack sufficient data, but we have all sorts of people who are experts on "crazy."

And this is part of the problem: when we literally have the tools and people shrug and say "what can you do?" If only someone had not had that attitude before Columbine, someone might have taken the data they did have and assembled it into a narrative useful in dealing with Klebold and Harris before they killed people.

Videogame addiction is a thing, it's just not as much of a concern to people involved as being murdered.

Video game addiction is no different than any other hobby addiction[footnote]as far as we know[/footnote], though. Which makes the name somewhat misleading. It's a thing, but people are attempting to equivocate it to hard drugs. That we treat it more seriously, that we treat it as though it's a link to anything is an issue. I'm fine with "We need more study." I'm fine with "We don't know if there's a link." We should all take issue with any affirmative link without evidence.

Just not enough to start raging and abusing people.

 

[Callate]

And when gamers are actually on the stake, get back to me and I will whole-heartedly agree.

Right now, a good chunk of gamers are acting no better than Ann Coulter attacking 9-11 survivors, though. And that's disgusting.

Really? That's what it takes? A wrongheaded sentiment isn't worth disputing until it's about to lead to violent death?

Yes, some of the people expressing their anger at this response to the shooting have gone well over the top. I don't think anyone deserves to be threatened or insulted for how they're handling their grief. That doesn't hold as far as failing to observe that- as is not unusual for those grieving at a sudden and unjust loss- they appear to be flailing in trying to find somewhere to lay blame. In this case in a way that is likely to sow seeds for future anti-games paranoia.

Being a victim doesn't give one credit for future wrongdoing. I can sympathize and empathize and still recognize that there is a potential for those who have been harmed doing harm.

 

[Something Amyss]

Really? That's what it takes? A wrongheaded sentiment isn't worth disputing until it's about to lead to violent death?

You set the example. I didn't. You used the witch burning example. You jumped the severity up there.

I didn't say there was no grounds in-between. I did say that when it got to your hyperbolic, alarmist, equivocation fallacy example, that we'd talk.

If you don't like that I addressed your example, perhaps dial it back next time. Just don't turn it around on me here. I think I've demonstrated that I am willing to address the issue as it is when people aren't bringing up witch burnings. Surely you can tell the difference between burning people alive and talking about a hobby's potential impact on a shooting.

 

[ecoho]

I don't even understand how guns help you! Gun safety people say "guns should be locked up in a gun safe" but if you get robbed and you're in the house, how are you going to defend yourself with a gun? IT'S IN A SAFE! "excuse me Mr. Robber, I am just going to get my gun" ... "oh, yeah, no worries ... take your time dude, no rush!".
.

Since you haven't been quoted into oblivion yet, I figure this is ok.

As I do own a gun and it isn't locked up, I do have some rules. 1.) If there is going to be a child in the house, it will be locked up and unloaded. 2.) If I feel depressed or I suspect any person in the house is depressed, the gun will be dismantled as much is practical.

It's the truth that you are much more likely to kill yourself with a gun than someone will kill you. Also more likely that a kid will find the gun no matter where you hide it. Also, ounce of prevention. Proper alarms, door locks, and a dog are very effective at getting random criminals to choose another house. Finally, most criminals who break into places are not interested in hurting you. They want your stuff, not anyting to do with you. They'll damn well try to steal when you're not there.

Last time I got into a "robber wont try to harm you" argument, all I got back was "I wont take that chance" and in my head I saw

Spoiler

I look at all these other places that have gun laws and are doing just fine, they aren't being ransacked every 2 minutes, the government hasn't turned into North Korea or any other argument for guns ... to which I get, "America isn't like those places".

I always liken it to an atheist arguing with a Christian, the atheist will pull out all this scientific evidence to rule out the Christian god but the Christians just say "but the bible says ...", much like Americans say "but the second amendment says ...".

ok a few things why its different over here;
1.we have more people. we have more people then any three nations in Europe that's a fact.
2.size. the US is roughly the same size as Europe.
3.gunlaws only effect people who follow the rules not criminals. seriously though guns don't kill people, people kill people a gun is just a tool as we've already seen people can do just as much damage with a knife and that doesn't need to reload and doesn't jam.

 

[MXRom]

Something bad happens. Games are blamed. Nothing happens from it. Move on.

 

[Callate]

I didn't say there was no grounds in-between. I did say that when it got to your hyperbolic, alarmist, equivocation fallacy example, that we'd talk.

If you don't like that I addressed your example, perhaps dial it back next time. Just don't turn it around on me here. I think I've demonstrated that I am willing to address the issue as it is when people aren't bringing up witch burnings. Surely you can tell the difference between burning people alive and talking about a hobby's potential impact on a shooting.

And by choosing to take that tone in addressing it, you contributed hyperbole of your own. You could have said you felt the example was extreme without making it all-or-nothing, and would have made a much clearer point regarding your own actual stance on the matter. Instead you decided to indulge in pedantic lecture.

From where I stand, the hysteria which leads people to make connections between two unrelated things (school shootings and video games) is not terribly dissimilar to that which leads people to make connections between other unrelated things (plague deaths and "witchcraft".) The results may be different, but at times that's only a matter of time and escalation, particularly when no one steps in to provide a cooler interpretation while there are still people willing to listen.

Surely you're aware that the term "witch hunt" has been popularized for uses that do not involve actual execution for witchcraft?

 

[Strazdas]

Ah, looking for scapegoats instead of addressing the real problems (lack of mental care and bullying atmosphere). Then again, Sandy Hook has been doing that for a long time now, its almost expected. The discussion itself is not bad, granted, but i have a feeling its going to be in the tone of "dont let your kids touch computers" rather than a rational discussion. Especially since its "parents forum".

What you need to stop doing is searching for answers in insanity. Never ask why a crazy person does the things they do. It doesn't make sense, that's why we call it crazy. How long has it been since Columbine? Do we even understand why they did what they did? One was depressed and one was probably a sociopath, but that still doesn't explain their actions.

so basically what your saying is that whole neuroscience should not exist because "thats why we call them crazy"?

If he is depressed, how about getting him to exercise (shown to help with depression) or do some voluntary work (made me feel SO much better), instead of cramming pills down him.

Is this actually based on research? excercise actually makes me depressed. i do it as "i must do this to stay heathy" thing and would drop it in an instantly if health was not a concern. Not sure how voulantary work would help depression either, maybe for some people.

Funny thing is, video games can cause the same kind of chemical responses in the brain that lead to addiction (though compulsion would be a more correct term, I suppose).

The good that I think can come from this is that video game obsession (and this is different from passion; passion is a positive side to obsession. Addiction is not) often starts as a salve for other issues in someone's life (and I know; I've been there before). If a parent sees their kid's life being consumed by video games, it might get them involved to know if anything is wrong with their child, and get them some help.

videogame addiction is a certainly a real thing. i have been there as well. it is however not a thing as big as people make it out to be. I heard doctors tell me that "more than 30 minutes on computer per day is addiction". we should approach this from a different side, one of mental health, not "omg videogames, dont let kids see them".

It's a general meeting about raising kids. They weren't even drawing links between the shooting and video game, you geniuses and the rest of gaming media are doing all of that.

Guess what the other topics include? ?Tips for Managing Sibling Rivalry? and ?Spring Forward! Ideas and Programming Suggestions to Enjoy Summer". Untwist your panties and get on with your life, stop trying to be so fucking offended all the time. What is this, Tumblr?

No, its not. The topic states it is not. addiction is not "general meeting about raising kids". And the other topics make this one stand out even more, as its clearly a tacked on topic to scaremonger and not part of medical or psychological discussion.

Now, had you actually read and understood what other posts were saying, you would have taken more than "Whining and crying" but actually us asking for a stop of scaremonger and searching for scapegoats and instead needing to tackle the real causes, you know, being constructive and helpful rather than "oh, no, videogames".