Posted Apr 28, 2007 at 05:31PM by Glen D. Listed in: Off Topic Tags: George W. Bush
Ó

white house - Image 1President George W. Bush organized key members of his cabinet into a team which seeks to find facts which could shed light on in the wake of the vicious shootings at Virginia Tech which saw the death of 33 people. Among the areas being looked at is videogames.

"One could blame guns. One could blame access to the media. One could blame video games," said Utah governor Jon Huntsman, as he tried to identify some of the possible factors contributing to the growing number of violent incidents involving the youth.

The link between violence and videogames first came to prominence in the aftermath of Colorado's Columbine shootings where two students went on a rampage, killing teachers and classmates in the process. The stigma was further magnified as activist groups raised an outcry against violent games such as the Grand Theft Auto series, Thrill Kill and several other first-person shooters.

Lawyer Jack Thompson upped the ante on the "crusade" against violent games by aiding state legislators create laws that sanction violent games, filing lawsuits against game companies, and lately, by suing game blogs that are critical of his actions.

Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt visited Utah lately to convene with local officials regarding the issues surrounding violence among the younger demographic. Utah was one of the sites selected because a similar shooting incident involving a Bosnian immigrant occurred in Salt Lake City recently. Utah also has one of the strictest gun laws in America, which officials say could be a model for a broader policy.

To know more about the government's investigation, follow the read URL.


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20 Comments


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   by Creighton (Unregistered) - 2007-04-28
 » ..

America is numb to Bush screwing up, so this doesn't come as a surprise that our President could believe some hack like Jack Thompson.

   by KaizokuNinja - 2007-04-28
 » Money

This is money well spent... /sarcasm

   by CHUCKINGROCKSATSPACESHIPS - 2007-04-28
 » Bush Likes Guns

So does that mean he will point the finger at games? I hope not. Maybe we should petition to congress to show as an example that gamers aren't killers. They may not realise the scope of the gaming community that we are not bad.

   by fanboy (Unregistered) - 2007-04-28
 » well...

bugs bunny showed more violent content to kids.
tom and jerry...
and a whole list of other cartoons that go way back.

but i guess watching elmer fudd blowing daffy duck's head off with a shot gun is ok?

   by messiah (Unregistered) - 2007-04-28
 » Games

Hmm... I don't see our President Blaming games for violence in Iraq... for which he causes most of it...

   by brown thunder (Unregistered) - 2007-04-28
 » one out of a million

out of the millions of people playing video games, one guy shoots some people, he was a nut, dont blame video games.

   by rogeraususa (Unregistered) - 2007-04-28
 » Who is the shooter?

LOL - didn't Cheney shoot someone too?

Talk about hippocrates at Capitol hill....

What's Obama's stance on this topic? Maybe he'll be a gaming friendly president???


   Re: INTERNET KLANSMEN (Unregistered) - 2007-05-01
 » Obama is black

He's gaming friendly only in the sense that he spent his youth in a detention center for stealing TVs and other electronics.
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   by Spector - 2007-04-28
 » LOL

I hear Bush just played Call of Duty 3 and was really impressed.

"Who ever made up this World War II is a master of storytelling."


   Re: enterman - 2007-04-28
 » lol

nice, funny comment
   by beavis (Unregistered) - 2007-04-28
 » lol

lol probe lol

   by not Bush's fault (Unregistered) - 2007-04-28
 » Jack Thompson is pressuring the White House

The only reason Utah has low crime is not because of guns (I have several friends who own firearms), but because it's a mostly White, Christian state. That's all. In minority areas you will see violence as a result of videogames because it triggers their tribal behavior and increases it. I'm not white btw, just letting you know the truth.


   Re: Nark (Unregistered) - 2007-04-28
 » Wow.

Please tell me that was meant to be satirical. Otherwise... please stop existing now. Thank you.

   Re: Big Bo$$ (Unregistered) - 2007-04-29
 » Video games do not kill people

That's one of the dumbest posts i've ever seen...

   Re: CHUCKINGROCKSATSPACESHIPS - 2007-04-29
 » Your An Idiot

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   Re: aaa (Unregistered) - 2007-04-29
 » aaa

Tribal Behavior? Is that something whites dont have? cuz last time i checked AFRICA was the cradle of civilization. Minorities dont lead to crime, poverty does...

man, im really feeling sorry for Utah right now.
   by Nark (Unregistered) - 2007-04-28
 » And anyway,

this whole issue is based on a faulty premise: that violent crime is on the rise. In fact, the number of violent crimes has been dropping steadily and consistently since 1993, a full 50%, in fact, between '93 and 2001. Given that this roughly coincides with the advent of violent video games (DOOM first came out in '93), common sense tells us that if video games have any effect at all on the rate of crime, it's a decreasing effect.

Looking at the statistics, there are only two reasonably assumptions: that video games have no effect at all on crime rates, or video games cause the rates to go down. Any other conclusion would be a perversion of the available evidence, and could only be seen as political opportunism.

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   by Charlie Hustle (Unregistered) - 2007-04-28
 » How about..

They point the blame where it really lies? That being in the media for turning these idiots into celebrities.

I mean really, some mentally deficient cretin out there see's something like this idiot at Virginia Tech. He's now A) very very famous, and B) by taking his own life, avoided the consequences.

It's basic psychology. This whole phenomena was portrayed in Oliver Stone's "Natural Born Killers"... And yet it seems no bugger has learnt a damn thing.

Turn these sickos into celebrities, you'll just breed more of them.

I'm sure that any government nonsense in this will totally ignore the fact the loser at VT didn't play video games.

Of course it's a bit rich when the government starts going on about violent games, when "America's Army" is a violent videogame. Wonder if they'll ban their own game?

   by Neuromancer (Unregistered) - 2007-04-28
 » The whole thing is stupid.

They should just make a law that penalizes parents who don't care enough to look the game box they are buying for their children... then kids wouldn't play violent games anymore! Oh Wow!

   by SurlyTHC (Unregistered) - 2007-04-30
 » Bush is the Terrorist!!!

Yet another reason to wonder what my tax money is used for, besides carting around presidential hopefuls in private jets. I hope everyone is registered to vote and takes advantage of that privilege.




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