# The correlation between mass shootings and video games **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 8, 2018, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correlation-between-mass-shootings-and-video-games/810221 "2018-03-08T04:30:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2018, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correlation-between-mass-shootings-and-video-games/810221/21 "2018-03-08T18:07:08Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Actually, this issue has been studied extensively, and no-one has found any link between video games and real-life violence. I’m sure the industry leaders will come fully prepared to make that point to His Orangeness. Ooh, imagine the tweetstorm that’ll result when the industry declines to roll over and [sarcasm]accept their obvious responsibility[/sarcasm]. Clearly, anyone who disagrees with him is wrong, weak, un-American, and a tool of the [del]Hillary Clinton Democratic Party[/del] current enemy. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2018, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correlation-between-mass-shootings-and-video-games/810221/22 "2018-03-08T18:51:40Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Ooh, imagine the tweetstorm that’ll result when the industry declines to roll over and [sarcasm]accept their obvious responsibility[/sarcasm]. Clearly, anyone who disagrees with him is wrong, weak, un-American, and a tool of the [del]Hillary Clinton Democratic Party[/del] current enemy. look - its Obama - its always Obama. His (Obama’s) shadow government set up this whole fiasco as a way to take guns - and with it - VIDEO GAMES! ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2018, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correlation-between-mass-shootings-and-video-games/810221/23 "2018-03-08T18:59:52Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > I strongly suspect there is a higher percentage of school shooters who played violent video games than Eagle Scouts who do, I wouldn’t be so sure of that. My son is 26. Roughly 14 years ago he loved playing video games, the more violent the better.\* But so did all of his friends, every last one of them. They’re all grown ups now, with jobs, mortgages, families, etc. ETA \*I know this in part because he would ask me to stand in line to buy some of his games. I was shocked the first time we played GSA together. Too violent for me. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2018, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correlation-between-mass-shootings-and-video-games/810221/24 "2018-03-08T19:43:54Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I was shocked the first time we played GSA together. Too violent for me. I think you mean _GTA_, unless the game you were playing was about a bloodthirsty gang war between rival cookie mobs earning merit badges for each kill. I would play the _hell_ out of that game, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2018, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correlation-between-mass-shootings-and-video-games/810221/25 "2018-03-08T20:00:24Z")
^Yes! Grand Theft Auto. IIRC he was shooting pool and out of nowhere decided to break his cue over the other guy’s head. ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2018, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correlation-between-mass-shootings-and-video-games/810221/26 "2018-03-08T20:08:30Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > He’s wasting your tax money for no good reason. Gee, is it Thursday already? ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2018, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correlation-between-mass-shootings-and-video-games/810221/27 "2018-03-08T20:11:34Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > I think you mean _GTA_, unless the game you were playing was about a bloodthirsty gang war between rival cookie mobs earning merit badges for each kill. I think it’s about a bunch of Federal Agents on a quest to buy office supplies at the lowest possible price. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2018, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correlation-between-mass-shootings-and-video-games/810221/28 "2018-03-08T20:23:31Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > I think you mean _GTA_, unless the game you were playing was about a bloodthirsty gang war between rival cookie mobs earning merit badges for each kill. Did you realize that frozen Thin Mints can double as shurikens? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2018, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correlation-between-mass-shootings-and-video-games/810221/29 "2018-03-08T22:26:47Z")
> [@Grey](#): > > God South Korea must be a blood bath. :rolleyes: When the shooting at Virginia Tech by Seung-Hoi Cho occurred in 2007, Jack Thompson was still “relevant” as he was still actively campaigning against video games. One of the black humor responses online was to wonder how Thompson was going to attack StarCraft. Checking Wikipedia, I see the other detail I forgot, which is that Thompson claimed Cho played a ton of Counter-Strike. Cho’s dorm room contained no video games at all. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correlation-between-mass-shootings-and-video-games/810221/30 "2018-03-09T01:12:11Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > I would play the _hell_ out of that game, by the way. _waves money at the gaming industry_😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correlation-between-mass-shootings-and-video-games/810221/31 "2018-03-09T06:12:17Z")
At least it’s \*marginally \*less ridiculous than last time. I remember street fighter 2 being specifically called out. Cos’ yeah, the girtty realism of a game where you throw blue fireballs from your hands, levitate around in various ways and stretch your limbs out to several times normal length really gives you an urge to go commit a sexual assault or mugging. This time around it’s true that many games present a relatively realistic view of how a mass shooting might look. And I know of at least one game that included a (bonus) level where you were a terrorist shooting innocent civilians. So I can see how some parents might be concerned. And certainly they should take minimum age limits on games seriously. But the data is not there to suggest any kind of correlation, indeed if anything it appears to be the opposite. Perhaps such games can be an outlet for the small number of people who might otherwise want to commit such acts in the real world, and harmless entertainment for the rest of us. ---
**Author:** ![anomalous1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@anomalous1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anomalous1)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correlation-between-mass-shootings-and-video-games/810221/32 "2018-03-09T06:34:37Z")
Anyone remember the game Postal 2? Yeah\* that\* game, Gun fights with Gary Coleman, Krotchy (the scrotum-like mascot), playing soccer with severed heads, ability to open fly and piss on people, shoving a shotgun up cats asses to use them as projectiles? Using rotting cow heads to poison people, the insane amount of racism in it and enough political incorrectness to orbit Arianna Huffington. That game was solely created to piss off the people who tried to censor games, well lets be honest, to piss off everybody. It was a terrible game though, in every aspect. But it was made for a purpose. Here is an example on youtube, NSFW. Honestly the guy narrating the video is much more disturbing that the game, check it out [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/XWwxRcnPnlo/maxresdefault.jpg "Postal 2 - SO MUCH FUNNY") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWwxRcnPnlo) ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2018, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correlation-between-mass-shootings-and-video-games/810221/33 "2018-03-09T14:07:45Z")
By all accounts, yesterday’s meeting was a nothing burger. They watched some YouTube clips of game violence and talked about voluntary moves the industry could take. > [@](#): > > Attendees said there was little serious talk of government restrictions on content (which would present significant legal challenges), and the conversation focused on more robust age restrictions or voluntary measures that could be undertaken by the industry itself. “The president encouraged [game developers] to explore things they can do on their own to make things healthier in society,” said Media Research Center President Brent Bozell, “and that’s where it was left.” > **[The White House meeting on video game violence was unproductive and bizarre](https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/8/17098230/trumps-video-game-violence-meeting-esa)** > > ‘There is some programming that contains just absolute mind-boggling violence’ So rather than a serious attempt to go after video games, it was a sop to those who want to do anything but meaningful action on gun violence. Trump is playing everybody. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2018, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correlation-between-mass-shootings-and-video-games/810221/34 "2018-03-15T05:47:36Z")
Yup, stupid foreign countries, providing all those counterexamples to our deeply held stereotypes and just-so theories. They’re just awash with gun violence in every developed country other than the US. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![WillReadmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/6f9a4e/32.png) [@WillReadmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillReadmore)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2018, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correlation-between-mass-shootings-and-video-games/810221/35 "2018-03-15T21:01:51Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > By all accounts, yesterday’s meeting was a nothing burger. They watched some YouTube clips of game violence and talked about voluntary moves the industry could take. > > [White House meeting on video game violence was unproductive and bizarre | The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/8/17098230/trumps-video-game-violence-meeting-esa) > > So rather than a serious attempt to go after video games, it was a sop to those who want to do anything but meaningful action on gun violence. Trump is playing everybody. Absolutely. They’re desperately searching for deflections to hype. They haven’t even found a correlation, let alone validating it as having causation. People in the age range of these school shootings are all playing these games. They might as well look for correlations based on shoe styles and hair dos. OR maybe we can start doing something about the actual problem while DQing the NRA from taking any part in the discussion. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2018, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correlation-between-mass-shootings-and-video-games/810221/36 "2018-03-16T12:02:22Z")
I am so curious what the NRA said to Trump in their private meeting. Before the NRA meeting Trump seemed to have a little backbone, calling out others for being afraid of the NRA, and how he wasn’t controlled by them. Then the NRA meeting and suddenly its video games and movies and arming teachers. What did the NRA say? Threatening a massive single issue vote against his re-election probably sounds like throwing him a fucking life-jacket now, so I doubt it was that. Some of my guesses: (a) “Do you want to be the president that caused our second civil war”? (b) “Do you want to be the president that weakened our country against invasion”? © “We know about you and [redacted]. This could come to public attention.” ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2018, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correlation-between-mass-shootings-and-video-games/810221/37 "2018-03-16T15:13:02Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > I am so curious what the NRA said to Trump in their private meeting. Before the NRA meeting Trump seemed to have a little backbone, calling out others for being afraid of the NRA, and how he wasn’t controlled by them. Then the NRA meeting and suddenly its video games and movies and arming teachers. What did the NRA say? Threatening a massive single issue vote against his re-election probably sounds like throwing him a fucking life-jacket now, so I doubt it was that. > > Some of my guesses: > > (a) “Do you want to be the president that caused our second civil war”? > (b) “Do you want to be the president that weakened our country against invasion”? > (c) “We know about you and [redacted]. This could come to public attention.” (c) and a little note passed on by one of Putin’s Russian NRA contacts. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correlation-between-mass-shootings-and-video-games/810221/38 "2018-03-22T03:28:45Z")
If killing people for hours and hours a day is just good clean fun on a computer then shouldn’t we be giving rape games to kids? It’s not like anyone dies from being raped. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correlation-between-mass-shootings-and-video-games/810221/39 "2018-03-22T04:16:23Z")
Nice deflection and as expected misses much of the point. It ignores the fact that the vast majority of violent video games typically involve killing non-human monsters/fictional creatures or enemies in the context of war or decided criminals (mafia figures, drug cartels, etc) and not random people on the street. You won’t find a triple-A title that involves entering a school and shooting it up. Or picking off random civilians from a tall tower. And for good reason - most people don’t like morally black/gray killing even in their video games except perhaps in the cases they are so ridiculously over the top they no longer resemble reality and represent pure satire. Not so a would-be rape fantasy game. There’s pretty much no context in which a normal person would consider rape a potentially ethically good action, unlike going around shooting up an invading alien horde or Nazis. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correlation-between-mass-shootings-and-video-games/810221/40 "2018-03-22T05:05:50Z")
If anything, violent video games may help reduce violent crime by giving aggressive people a way to vent their aggression and anger-steam. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correlation-between-mass-shootings-and-video-games/810221.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correlation-between-mass-shootings-and-video-games/810221.md?page=3)