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Games Are No Cause For Murder
An anonymous reader writes "At Gamers With Jobs, Shawn Andrich speaks out against pointing the finger at videogames as a causative factor in a murder cases. He makes the excellent point that, though we may enjoy the metaphor, life is not a game. There is no simple connection between event A and event B. Our actions are dictated by experiences from a lifetime, and they should be addressed that way for good or ill. 'Life can't be framed up like a game of billiards. There is no easy eight ball, corner pocket shot to be made when trying to draw a line between cause and action ... Lasting, positive change will only come when we stop reaching for causes and start creating conditions that will support kids and teenagers who need it. We can't make anyone put the pin back in the grenade, but by supporting active, caring people who want to help, we might be able to influence some of those fateful decisions before it gets that far.'" GamePolitics on Joystiq has an editorial up looking at a similar question.
Afternoon tea is no cause for solar eclipses
Wood polish is no cause of sleeping sickness
Radio waves are no cause of cumulus nimbus
No, it's not God's fault. Blame whoever created God.
Je fume. Tu fumes. Nous fûmes!
I decided to run the Jack Thompson Translation software on the first comment from TFA...See the results below. Comments in italics, translations are not.
Just off the top of my head, benefits I've gotten from gaming
1. Faster, more accurate typing skills (for dodging bullets)
2. better reading comprehension (so I know who to shoot)
3. Sharpened Problem solving skills (when the gun doesn't work, switch to the knife)
4. Computer and Programming knowledge (old aimbots didn't install themselves you know!)
5. Experience using CAD like programs (to make maps of my school of course)
6. better hand eye coordination (the better to shoot you with my dearie!)
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I had a good signature until format c:
I don't know. I've played some games that made me want to kill...the developer of the game.
I agree, video games are a perfectly good cause for murdering Jack Thompson.
See? Video games breed violence! (against Jack Thompson)
Yeah, I know last time I was murdering someone, I grabbed my railgun, jumped off a third story balcony and kept on running, then started shooting while jumping to avoid missle launcher fire.
And if you believe THAT, I've got some lovely beachland in Florida to teach you.
It's been a long time.
After watching the trailers for StarCraft 2, I had a sudden urge to take six dogs and rush my neighbor...