TheTrenchcoat Chronicles

On video games and violence from an expert on both

Written by

Trench Reynolds

in

,

Violence in games is a GOOD thing:

This is a great article, possibly the definitive article, about violence in video games. It was written by someone who knows what real violence is all about, Brooks Brown.

For those of you who may not know, Brooks Brown was friends with the killers and the killed at Columbine. By his own words, he had previously reported Harris and Klebold to the police about threats made at him, and the police did nothing. So I’ll take this guy’s word about violence and video games. It was his closing statement that struck me as most poignant…

Columbine was not caused by violent video games. Eric and Dylan (the shooters) were drawn to violent video games because they were violent, fucked up kids. I am drawn to these violen games becaue they offer more freedom. And, it may sound naive, but i believe the vast majority of gamers play these games for the same reason as me. Do you?

Link via Joystiq.

Comments

14 responses to “On video games and violence from an expert on both”

  1. jim Avatar
    jim

    I can agree with that. I play games like GTA and Manhunt partially because it something that I couldn’t do in real life.

    It feels nice to be able to shoot a cop and jack some dumb blondes car.:twisted:

    Reply
  2. Jess Avatar
    Jess

    Correction: He reported threats made by Harris, not Klebold. Funnily enough, Klebold was the one who told him about the website where Harris made the threats. Guess he wasn’t as loyal to him as everyone made out.

    But it is a good article and I agree with 100 % of it. You ought to read his book.

    Reply
  3. Trench Avatar
    Trench

    So you agree with that he said Eric and Dylan were drawn to violent videogames because they were violent, fucked up kids?

    Reply
  4. Jess Avatar
    Jess

    I don’t see where I ever tried to say otherwise. Obviously they were violent, because they caused violence, and obviously they were fucked up because people in normal states of mind don’t do what they did.

    Still, I blame bullying for the hate and anger they had in them. I blame them for making the choices they did. Can I ask, how much have you really looked into this case? Have you read any books or even done a considerable amount of research? You claim to be against bullying, but dismiss any evidence shown to you about them being picked on. Why won’t you accept it?

    Reply
  5. Trench Avatar
    Trench

    Because even if they were bullied it was minimal at best. If you listened to my podcast over the weekend you would have heard the story of someone who was really bullied to the point of physical torture. He didn’t shoot up his school. And now he’s getting his life back on track. And it’s hard to feel “bully sympathy” for kids who were bullies themselves. And again to sympathize with killers is to excuse what they did.

    Reply
  6. morpheus Avatar
    morpheus

    Maybe, but you can’t discount the role bullying plays in school violence in general. 66-75% of school shooters said that they felt harrased, bullied, attacked, etc. prior to the incident. I don’t condone, nor excuse school violence, but you can’t discount the role of bullying in it.

    Reply
  7. Trench Avatar
    Trench

    But if you read what these kids consider bullying it’s not really worth shooting someone over. The kid from Rocori was allegedly teased about his acne and shot his classmate between the eyes. The bullying excuse has been a crutch to those who are guilty of these crimes of violence. It’s a myth that was perpetuated the day of Columbine.

    Reply
  8. jim Avatar
    jim

    To say bulling is a legitimate factor in why kids shoot up their schools is like saying a black thief does so because his great great great great grandfather was a slave.
    Its such a cheep excuse because everyone has been bullied to some extent. Some just simple name calling and some got pine cones up the ass. Everyone feels a level of hurt from the cruelty of their peers. For them to say that’s a reason to kill is fucking ridiculous.

    Reply
  9. Jess Avatar
    Jess

    No-one is saying its a LEGITIMATE reason. Hell, I got picked on in high school. I didn’t kill anyone. I don’t think bullying is a reason to kill people. I don’t even feel sympathy for them that much.. they had pretty good lives compared to a lot of people (You should see their houses. They were rich boys with hopeful futures) But, the facts are still there. They were bullied, they retaliated, and they said bullying was the reason they did it. That’s where this so-called “myth” originated from, Trench. Straight from the horses mouth.

    “People made fun of my hair, my face, my shirts” ~ Eric on basement tape
    “You’ve been given us shit for years. You’re going to pay for this shit. You added to the anger and made me what I am” ~ Dylan
    “All you fucks who have been picking on us at school are going to pay” ~ Eric
    “I hate you people for leaving me out of so many fun things. And don’t say it’s my fault, because it isn’t. I asked and all, but nooo. Don’t let the weird looking Eric kid come along, ooh fucking no”

    I don’t think it gets any clearer than that. How much more evidence do you need to believe it? I suppose there’s no use, you want to live in blissful ignorance and believe that bullying is no factor at all. Well go for it. Just don’t act too suprised next time a bullied kid goes on a rampage.

    Reply
  10. Trench Avatar
    Trench

    “I hate you people for leaving me out of so many fun things. And don’t say it’s my fault, because it isn’t. I asked and all, but nooo. Don’t let the weird looking Eric kid come along, ooh fucking no”

    This is my main point right here. He was excluded. This is what I think the real anger lies. Not because he was “bullied” but because he was excluded.

    Made fun of his hair and shirts? Boo-Hoo. Just spoiled psychopaths who have no concepts of bullying.

    What about the threats made against Brooks Brown? Was that not bullying? What about Klebold bullying a handicapped kid? That handicapped kid didn’t shoot up the school. You say you have no sympathy for scumbags Harris and Klebold yet here you are again portraying them as martyrs.

    Reply
  11. jim Avatar
    jim

    If your waiting for my ‘pity the bullyed kids face’… I dont have one. :mrgreen:

    Reply
  12. morpheus Avatar
    morpheus

    So do you have no sympathy for bullied/excluded kids? Or no sympathy for the ones who shoot up their school? I understand not having sympathy for school shooters, but I think that not having sympathy for non-shooting bullied/excluded kids is inexcuseable. No one goes to school and asks to be emotionally terrorized/isolated. That’s just my opionion, though.

    Reply
  13. Trench Avatar
    Trench

    Of course I have sympathy for the bullied. I was bullied in school myself. It’s still no excuse to shoot up a school. And I think calling Harris and Klebold bullied is ridiculous since they were bullies themselves.

    Reply
  14. jim Avatar
    jim

    Everyone was bullyed to some extent, everyone was excluded to some extent thats the point. This kid WAS excluded and picked on like everyone else before and after him. That is not a licensing right to murder other humans and gives me warrent to say he deserves no pity anymore.

    Reply

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