A really awful part of all this is the way the media has dealt with it. They've found a story/situation that people will pay attention to, so they cover it like crazy, etching it into everyone's brain. It was a bad thing to happen, but it's done now. IMO the constant coverage of this can only lead to bad things.
For example: Some kid who's already near the breaking point sees footage of Columbine or one of the other school shootings, and sees that people he/she identifies with have just found a way to solve the situation: kill everybody. A misguided lightbulb appears over the kid's head. "I'm gonna get some guns & explosives! That'll solve the problem, just like in Columbine!" The fact that no-one is paying attention to this kid as it is (i.e. lazy, clueless parents who could've prevented the situation by talking with the developing human being they are supposedly responsible for)means that the kid has that much more opportunity/reason to go through with it.
This suit against the video-game industry just trivializes the situation and makes it that much more unbeleivable. Stupid, stupid people.
I have one simple statement for all the people who would rather sue unrelated companies in a cash-grab attempt than take responsibility for their own lousy parenting: World War One and Two both happened long before TV and Video Games were a part of our culture, and how many World Wars (excluding the U.S. government flexing it's military muscles and getting in nuclear pissing contests with smaller nations) have there been since the introduction of TV and Video games?
The only other thing I feel that is left to be questioned is the psychotic notion that every American needs at least one gun...
I think that covers at least my 2 cents, probably a couple more pennies too.
Perhaps the gaming industry should now sue the media and the party (parties?) trying to sue them over Columbine for Defamation of Characer, just to see how far we can actually push the envelope of stupid bullshit.
Slashdot Mirror
"Ignorant people shouldn't breed."
A really awful part of all this is the way the media has dealt with it. They've found a story/situation that people will pay attention to, so they cover it like crazy, etching it into everyone's brain. It was a bad thing to happen, but it's done now. IMO the constant coverage of this can only lead to bad things. For example: Some kid who's already near the breaking point sees footage of Columbine or one of the other school shootings, and sees that people he/she identifies with have just found a way to solve the situation: kill everybody. A misguided lightbulb appears over the kid's head. "I'm gonna get some guns & explosives! That'll solve the problem, just like in Columbine!" The fact that no-one is paying attention to this kid as it is (i.e. lazy, clueless parents who could've prevented the situation by talking with the developing human being they are supposedly responsible for)means that the kid has that much more opportunity/reason to go through with it. This suit against the video-game industry just trivializes the situation and makes it that much more unbeleivable. Stupid, stupid people. I have one simple statement for all the people who would rather sue unrelated companies in a cash-grab attempt than take responsibility for their own lousy parenting: World War One and Two both happened long before TV and Video Games were a part of our culture, and how many World Wars (excluding the U.S. government flexing it's military muscles and getting in nuclear pissing contests with smaller nations) have there been since the introduction of TV and Video games? The only other thing I feel that is left to be questioned is the psychotic notion that every American needs at least one gun... I think that covers at least my 2 cents, probably a couple more pennies too.
Perhaps the gaming industry should now sue the media and the party (parties?) trying to sue them over Columbine for Defamation of Characer, just to see how far we can actually push the envelope of stupid bullshit.
I believe that'd be Johnny Mnemonic. Don't forget about the cool VR-helmet he had to wear to go online too :)