I understand the frustration, but I can’t help but feel that their anger is misdirected. Do we really think video games are promoting violence?
[…] playing the game led the teenager to research and then later purchase the gun hours after his 18th birthday.
I’m getting a sense that there are other steps that could have been taken to prevent this tragedy aside from this video game that features guns.
I’m not sure I understand. When was the last time a video game was used to go on a killing spree?
The same argument can be used in one context and be wrong, yet used in another context and be right.
The object in the argument matters. For example, the argument that punishment reduces undesirable behavior. This could be true in criminal justice, but it’s absolutely not true when applied to early child development. It just teaches them to be scared of you if the child isn’t old enough to understand.
There might be an association between guns and violence. Is that even true for video games?
That’s not the argument though. The argument is “videogames don’t cause this problem” which is true in both cases.
That’s like saying, replace “video games” with “cars and alcohol” to understand the MADD argument.
What about all the movies with guns? It’s much more normal to see a movie about someone getting shot or otherwise killed than see even a titty, much less any genitalia. I’d argue that many more people watch media than play games, if that’s the logic they’re going for.
Their frustration is completely misdirected also because it’s friggin’ Texas! What do you need to get a gun in that state? A pulse?
Edit: the dude was 18, how did he even get a gun? You need to be at least 21 to have one. How did he even get an semi-automatic weapon? The fuck?
You need to be 21 to purchase a handgun from a dealer.
This was not a handgun.
Question still stands: how the fuck did he get a semi-automatic gun if he wasn’t even able to get a handgun?
I hear what you’re saying, but how many hours are logged by some swimming in images of fps games? I’d argue, from my interaction with teens, that there are far more hours logged than passively watching any media. But that’s not the point anyway.
Our American society is swimming with a gun obsession. Whether it’s via video games, movies, social media, politicians, the NRA, “2nd ammendment cities” (wtf), and too many more avenues to think of. Games are just one vector of marketing guns to a maleable population. The core of this suit is that a manufacturer was pushing their models within the game in collusion with Activision. I believe advertising guns to a kids demographic is prohibited. I’d search it, but I’m lazy and the AI results would be wrong anyway.
I’m getting a sense that there are other steps that could have been taken to prevent this tragedy aside from this video game that features guns.
Do you ever get the sense that it’s possible for more than 1 thing to contribute to an event?
People have always blamed video games for violence, even all the way back to Columbine. This isn’t a new argument.
Those arguments were weak then and they are no better now after years of research trying to test whether video games cause violent behavior. I don’t think there’s a need to revisit the same argument — unless of course new information or context that changes things has been found.
They voted back in all the same leadership at an election not long after. Having made that decision, I find this to be less surprising than it might have been.
Do we really think video games are promoting violence?
No, that’s not their argument. They are saying the gun manufacturer advertised their real life gun in the video game. They don’t have an issue with video game violence, they have an issue with advertising weapons to children.
