I have to admit, I’ve been a little jittery ever since the VA shootings a few days ago. Not that I fear that something similar will occur here on our peaceful little island, but rather that the usual blame game of “he’s a loner”, and “it’s all because of those violent video games he plays”.

Why is it that the gaming hobby gets more than it’s fair share of this backlash? Back in the 80’s it was D&D and Satanism, and now it’s Counter Strike or Grand Theft Auto.

Are people simply looking for an easy way out? I read the article by Heather Chaplin, co-author with Aaron Ruby of Smartbomb: The Quest for Art, Entertainment & Big Bucks in the Videogame Revolution, and I realise that this is probably so.

As a culture, we fetishize violence……. The fact is, whether we want to admit it or not, we’re seeped in violence both virtual and real. We don’t just play violent; we are, deep down at our core, violent.

Look at our history. We’ve been waging war every day since manifest destiny first became popular more than a hundred years ago - some above ground like the current war in Iraq, others clandestine…. Just a few years ago, we gave the go ahead to our government for a policy of pre-emptive strike. What is that if not an emphatic endorsement of violence as the prime solution to a given problem?

And as the Virginia Tech shootings reminds us once again, anyone who wants a gun can get one as long as they can pay for it.

Most of us learn how to abstract away the faux-violence of pop culture and to stay numb to the real violence in the world around us. But when one of us does become sick - really sick the way Cho was - perhaps it shouldn’t be so surprising that the sickness manifests itself as a bloody reflection of all the culture showed him.

To blame violent videogames for this, let alone videogames as a medium, is short sighted, hypocritical, absurd, and, frankly, a little desperate. It’s an argument made by people who fear a medium they don’t understand and want a bogeyman more than they want real answers.

- Heather Chaplin

Come to think of it, Cho might not have walked this path of insanity and violence if he had actually been a gamer ~ providing him a safe and suitable outlet for his fustration, and the chance to meet and know people how actually shared this hobby. Who knows, he might have just turned out to be just another nerdy gamer.

:Links:
Slashdot: Gamers Grapple With VA Tech Shooting
Dr. Phil Blames Video Games for Virginia Tech Massacre
MSNBC Agrees With Kotaku: Jack’s A Tool
Feature: Dissecting Jack’s Lies
Gamers to rally in New York, but may be missing the point
Op Ed: SmartBomb Author on Va Tech Shooting