Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

News Media Links Shooting To Games

Posted by Zonk on from the because-rational-thought-is-too-hard dept.

Via Kotaku, an MSNBC report entitled School shooter followed video game-like 'script'. If you're going to scapegoat in the wake of a tragedy, who better than the entertainment industry? From the article: "What I mean by 'a script' is that when you look at popular culture, movies, video games, you will see this kind of "shoot 'em" pathway running through many of them. It's not an original idea of his; it's something that kids are exposed to by the millions." Given that another story on the MSNBC site states that the suspect talked about shooting people before the incident, it seems like there is more than enough finger pointing to go around.

6 of 116 comments (clear)

  1. An original idea by StocDred · · Score: 5, Funny
    It's not an original idea of his; it's something that kids are exposed to by the millions.

    Or, maybe, if you intend to go somewhere and kill people, walking and shooting are pretty much your only options?

    I always thought video games got the idea to walk and shoot from real life. Now I know better! Thanks, MSNBC!

    1. Re:An original idea by skadus · · Score: 2, Funny
      Of course it's not the only option. Poisoning the water supply could be far more effective, and probably easier to get away with. It doesn't make a great game plot, though. And it's hard work (you need lots of poison).


      Shhhhh!

      They'll ban Final Fantasy, next!
  2. It's not just shooting by Winckle · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's kinda hard for me to talk about this, but back when Mario bro's first came out, I couldn't stop playing it, but then I took it too far. I decided to see what Mario's magic mushrooms were really like, and from then on it was a downward spiral of jumping on turtles and falttening brown mushrooms, I've been clean for a few years now, and I hope that kids jsut don't get influenced in the same way I was.

  3. Bah! by marcus · · Score: 5, Funny

    Kids go to school by the millions.

    Perhaps schools are the reason(hint)?

    Every kid that has done this, has had parents.

    Hmm, parents are the problem(hint)?

    Millions of kids drink water evey day.

    Wait, every criminal ever coinvicted has been exposed to drinking water. That's it! NO More Water! NO More Crime!

    --
    Good judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement.
    - W. Wriston, former Citibank CEO
  4. Shameful. by Jakeypants · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'm more concerned about the games that let you defecate on people.

  5. Re:Sure it's the games by FriedTurkey · · Score: 2, Funny

    Something I'd pointed out before when a case like this came up: In my state, there was a school shooting in 1980 or 81. It made Columbine look like Sesame Street On Ice. Something like 90 people were hospitalized, and it came down to a gunfight with the police. The shooters (there were six of them, all social outcasts as if I had to point that out) were more organized than any of the ones on the news here. They positioned themselves so that there was no line-of-sight from outside to them, and blockaded themselves into a hallway.

    So they used blocks to bounce the bullets away? Hmmmmmm. I wondered where they learned that?? Could it be....Pong??