Counter-Strike Tied to Virginia Tech Shooter

[CSN NewsBot]

Next up in the unfounded case against videogames causing violence, the Washington Post has an article that details the life of the "eccentric loner" that carried out yesterday's shooting at Virgina Tech. Most notable is how they casually mention how he played Counter-Strike. Note: It seems as though, immediately after this quote was taken from the article, the Washington Post decided to remove this paragraph and others. However, this article will remain.

Several Korean youths who knew Cho Seung Hui from his high school days said he was a fan of violent video games, particularly Counterstrike[sic], a hugely popular online game, in which players join terrorism or counterterrorism[sic] groups and try to shoot each other using all types of guns.

Now, the article doesn't outright blame Cho Seung Hui's heinous acts on games or game violence, but don't you find it a little odd? Especially with persons like Jack Thompson and Dr. Phil so quick to jump on he blame train, hours before any information was even known about the killer. Though, to be fair, Dr. Phil is being a bit more reasonable than Thompson is.



How about we go back to what the real issue is here? Bad parenting, bad up bringing, and flat out psychotic tendencies. There's a novel idea! It sort of makes you wonder what people blamed murders on before the advent of games, television, movies, or books. But hey, at least Rush Limbaugh hasn't taken a dip in the moron pool.

[Thortok2000]

I read through the article and couldn't find the quoted paragraph.

[Zips]

They just redid the article. It was on page 3 of 5, and now there is a page less and that entire paragraph (among others) has been removed.

[Thortok2000]

Edited by [user="152360"] @ [time="1176866969"]

Dr. Phil seems to be taking the stance that video games/violent media don't cause people to become murderers, they cause psychotic people to become murderers. Which is a more logical stance. But still not the way I see it.



My personal opinion is that psychotic people are going to become murderers anyway, and will tend to gravitate to what psychotic people think of as murder simulators in the form of video games. And then when that's not enough for them, they move to real life. Which makes video games just another symptom of their psychotic behavior, rather than a cause of it.



I do think the media is too violent. Violence is used as a form of entertainment and we as a society should really try to focus on something else for once. If possible.

[omgomgz]

I heard that he caught his girlfriend in bed with another guy. It would make sense because he killed 2 people in a dorm, went back to his own dorm, wrote the note, then went on his killing spree. But I imagine they would find that out already and it'd be all over the news if it was true.

[Thortok2000]

I doubt it. From the way he's described in the article, he never talks to anybody. How would a guy like that even have a girlfriend?

[milly9]

Thortok2000 wrote..

My personal opinion is that psychotic people are going to become murderers anyway

I agree with this. Do people really think psychotics like this aren't going to find a reason to kill if there weren't violent video games? People like this don't need inspiration from a game to kill people, they'll get it from anything. Maybe they'll watch an episode of Teen Titans where they shoot someone with a laser and that'll be enough. Killing is a part of human culture and no amount of banning or censoring is going to stop that.

[Haklin]

How about we go back to what the real issue is here? Bad parenting, bad up bringing, and flat out psychotic tendencies.p

..he's right...!

[Thortok2000]

By banning violence in media, that isn't society trying to do something, that's trying to force society to do something. Society won't really change that way.



It would be better to tempt society into something else. Like designing really good movies and books and video games with a reduction or removal of violence, but they're still good and entertaining anyway.

[sushi]

Go Rush!

[peagle]

During my history studies, I was curious to note that there had been no violence or psychopaths in society before pong was invented in 1971.

[Ditsch]

Edited by [user="474140"] @ [time="1176872303"]

peagle wrote..

During my history studies, I was curious to note that there had been no violence or psychopaths in society before pong was invented in 1971.

What about the mafia and gangsters before video games? Doesn't that count as violence in society? That is just my thought on your comment.

[Gpig]

Ditsch wrote..

What about the mafia and gangsters before video games? Doesn't that count as violence in society? That is just my thought on your comment.

It started a year after the introduction of pong actually: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/

[acidsnow]

Man he must have mad haxing skills, 33-1 on a public server!

[lodewijk]

He lost one kill for the suicide though, 32-1