Lanza shootings: Group giving gift vouchers for return of violent videogames

[StevenW]

http://www.psu.com/a017926/Southingt...ent-videogames

It's a raw, sensitive issue for those closely involved so I can't blame these people for trying to stop something like this happening again, but the connection with videogames to the Adam Lanza shootings, I believe, is well over-the-top.

It's like that ironic line from a GLC song (apologies if you've not heard of this comedy rap group) "Guns don't kill people, Rappas do. I heard it on a documentary on BBC Two".

Nah, mental people with guns kill people.

[Chickenooble]

Nah, mental people kill people.

Fixed.

My boss, at our Christmas luncheon, said that he thinks we need to ban violent video games A co-worker of mine asked when he last played a violent video game and my boss, dumbfounded, said he doesn't even know. Personally, I've been gaming since the days of Colecovision and I've played so many violent video games. I've dismembered, maimed, shot, torched, exploded, stabbed, run over and crashed into so many in-game characters over the last couple decades.

With his mentality, which is shared by many in Washington and in the Media, you'd think my real-life Kill/Death ratio would be well above 0/0, especially considering all the firearms I own.

Do violent games desensitize us to death and violence in the real world? Perhaps... but, they certainly haven't been guilty of pulling a trigger on a classroom of children.

[Yuuichi]

Sure lets not blame the parents of never teaching their kid better when he was growing up, or the lack of being able to receive good mental health care people need. Nope it is all violent video games. Wonder why I have not done or even thought about anything like this before then seeing as I play violent video games all the time.

Video Games have been the scape goats since 1995, before that it was TV, before that movies. I can turn on the TV and find documentaries/shows that are more violent and sometimes more disturbing than any video game I ever played. Least my video games are pixel people, tv show real people.

[StevenW]

Sure lets not blame the parents of never teaching their kid better when he was growing up, or the lack of being able to receive good mental health care people need. Nope it is all violent video games. Wonder why I have not done or even thought about anything like this before then seeing as I play violent video games all the time.

Video Games have been the scape goats since 1995, before that it was TV, before that movies. I can turn on the TV and find documentaries/shows that are more violent and sometimes more disturbing than any video game I ever played. Least my video games are pixel people, tv show real people.

There's a point. Ask them to bring down their TV sets instead.

[Chickenooble]

the lack of being able to receive good mental health care people need.

How would this work? Do we just have the government enable a bureaucrat to automatically screen everyone at some arbitrary age for some mental deficiencies; if found, then do we subject that person to a lifetime of assessment tests? And if a person fails a test, what does that mean? What if they pass all the tests and still commit a heinous crime? Truth be told, a sane and rational person is capable of making an insane and irrational choice. At that pivotal point any mental health care, whether it was used or not, would mean nothing.

Seems like a waste of effort and funding to me...

[Yuuichi]

How would this work? Do we just have the government enable a bureaucrat to automatically screen everyone at some arbitrary age for some mental deficiencies; if found, then do we subject that person to a lifetime of assessment tests? And if a person fails a test, what does that mean? What if they pass all the tests and still commit a heinous crime? Truth be told, a sane and rational person is capable of making an insane and irrational choice. At that pivotal point any mental health care, whether it was used or not, would mean nothing.

Seems like a waste of effort and funding to me...

A health care system like canada would work. Your going way way way into left field thinking. We just need to stop making health a buisness.

[Chickenooble]

Health care is a commodity. The individuals needed to provide the care, the facilities needed to give the care, and the supplies required to adequately treat conditions (with drugs, equipment and tools) all cost money.

There's no way around that fact and for that reason Health Care is a business. It's not a right. It's a business whether run by an overly bloated and inefficient government or not.

When we start saying commodities are rights, then where do we draw the line? Everyone should have a nice place to live... so, let's give everyone houses! Everyone should be entitled to a warm bed, so let's give everyone free electricity! Everyone needs to communicate, so free internet and phone services for all!

[Yuuichi]

Health care is a commodity. The individuals needed to provide the care, the facilities needed to give the care, and the supplies required to adequately treat conditions (with drugs, equipment and tools) all cost money.

There's no way around that fact and for that reason Health Care is a business. It's not a right. It's a business whether run by an overly bloated and inefficient government or not.

When we start saying commodities are rights, then where do we draw the line? Everyone should have a nice place to live... so, let's give everyone houses! Everyone should be entitled to a warm bed, so let's give everyone free electricity! Everyone needs to communicate, so free internet and phone services for all!

Obama does give out free phones and service lol. The health care system seems to work for canada just fine.

[Chickenooble]

Obama does give out free phones and service lol.

It's a shame, too. I don't know if you remember the day when there was shame in not being able to provide for your family or yourself. I do. Now society seems complacent with barely passing and settling with mediocrity, as if we're all entitled to some degree of success. We're all unique snowflakes, I guess?

The health care system seems to work for canada just fine.

The United States isn't Canada. You can't simply emulate another system and expect success because there are fundamental differences between our societies.

[Yuuichi]

It's a shame, too. I don't know if you remember the day when there was shame in not being able to provide for your family or yourself. I do. Now society seems complacent with barely passing and settling with mediocrity, as if we're all entitled to some degree of success. We're all unique snowflakes, I guess?

The United States isn't Canada. You can't simply emulate another system and expect success because there are fundamental differences between our societies.

Trust me I agree with you on people settling or worse just living off gov with 5 kids while they dress nice and kids look like shit.

[Fon]

I wonder if I can trade in all of my old "M" rated titles for newer "M" rated games.

Anyways another year, another attempt to ban/restrict something that is irrelevant with the issues at hand. What they should do is take a look around the world and realize that other countries that have very little to no access to violent video games have more violent crimes that are just as worse as the one used in the article.

[Ixion]

Buy a bargain bin game for $5 and trade it in for $25.

I would get rich if I lived over there.

[ps3freak18]

I love how everyone jumps on video games when these types of tragedies happen. I guess just because they are interactive but nothing is ever said about movies, TV, etc. I mean you hear about serial killers, you don't hear people saying look at movies like Saw, American Psycho, etc. No Hollywood always gets a pass but video games are scrutinized for very minor thing all the time. Like i said, I guess it mostly boils down to the interactive aspect. You know sometimes people are just fucked in the head. This is the case here not GTA and COD syndrome.

[Chickenooble]

I love how everyone jumps on video games when these types of tragedies happen. I guess just because they are interactive but nothing is ever said about movies, TV, etc. I mean you hear about serial killers, you don't hear people saying look at movies like Saw, American Psycho, etc. No Hollywood always gets a pass but video games are scrutinized for very minor thing all the time.

Well, they don't always get a pass... not with everyone, anyways...

[ps3freak18]

I know the celebrities were trying to do something positive but it is very hypocritical to do what they are doing. Many of them make their millions off violence. So in turn they are being kind of hypocritical. This wasn't really a direct hit out on movies like the video game subject always is. This was more retaliation in response to the original video. It is really just a battle of gun control which tbh isn't the subject to get into here.

[Kuro]

Give rated m games, get card and buy more rated M games lol.
Seriously its stupid how they pinpoint it to videogames. Media..

[Petra_Kalbrain1]

This approach makes no sense whatsoever. Do they not realize that they are only providing more fuel for their imaginary fire? Kids will so blatantly take advantage of this "program" in order to pay for their newer, more realistic violent games. If they are really stupid enough to not see that then I completely understand why they don't see the REAL sources of the problem.

At this rate, the film Idiocracy may just become a documentary in our lifetime.

[TDbank24]

So what if you can see the darkest side of me? It's not the real me.

Three days Grace - Animal I have become. Explains life in a nutshell.