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Police in Germany have pointed out that 19 year old gunman Robert Steinhaeuser was an avid player of violent videogames.
The teenage gunman responsible for the deaths of 16 people at his former school in Germany on Friday, reportedly played computer games with "intensive weapons usage" according to Erfurt police. Chief Rainer Grube said that Robert Steinhaesuer regularly enjoyed playing violent videogames, and specific titles like Counter-Strike were were mentioned. Counter-Strike, a game in which you play as an anti-terrorist organisation, is one of the most popular shooting games on the internet.
The 19 year old opened fire on his former classmates after he had been expelled from the school, and killed 13 teachers, 2 students and a police officer, before turning the gun on himself. The finger very quickly came round to violent videogames (as it often does in these situations), although the fact that he was a member of a gun club may have had slightly more to do with it. Bizarrely, a picture of Posh Spice on the killer's wall was also mentioned in The Sun's report, although what relevance this nobody knows.
This claim comes soon after a court ruled that violent games were not the cause of the Columbine shootings in 2000, after a lawsuit was brought against major corporations including Sony, Nintendo and Activision by the families of the victims. Similarly to that case, violent music has also been mentioned, and many newspapers have picked up on the fact that Steinhaeuser listened to rock band Slipknot. A lyric in one Slipknot song reads: "Shoot your naughty teachers with a pump gun." But can inciteful music or videogames really drive someone to acts of violence such as these?
As games get more realistic, the controversy factor gets higher, and while the Daily Mail etc. may rant about violent videogames, the violence content of games has definitely increased over the last few years. Games like Grand Theft Auto 3 and State of Emergency have caused concern among parents due to their violent content, and first-person shooters are now the most popular form of videogame. But haven't we been through all of this before? Doesn't this happen every time a tragic event occurs? If someone has the access to guns and ammo, and has the will to carry out acts like young Steinhaeuser did, surely a mere videogame isn't to blame? The picture of Posh Spice could have equally been the cause. It's blatant finger pointing, drawing away attention to the fact he had access to weapons and ammunition, and yet again, computer games are the first to blamed.
So, do you think violent videogames can really incite people to perform violent acts? Are games like Counter-Strike partly responsible for these tragedies?
The teenage gunman responsible for the deaths of 16 people at his former school in Germany on Friday, reportedly played computer games with "intensive weapons usage" according to Erfurt police. Chief Rainer Grube said that Robert Steinhaesuer regularly enjoyed playing violent videogames, and specific titles like Counter-Strike were were mentioned. Counter-Strike, a game in which you play as an anti-terrorist organisation, is one of the most popular shooting games on the internet.
The 19 year old opened fire on his former classmates after he had been expelled from the school, and killed 13 teachers, 2 students and a police officer, before turning the gun on himself. The finger very quickly came round to violent videogames (as it often does in these situations), although the fact that he was a member of a gun club may have had slightly more to do with it. Bizarrely, a picture of Posh Spice on the killer's wall was also mentioned in The Sun's report, although what relevance this nobody knows.
This claim comes soon after a court ruled that violent games were not the cause of the Columbine shootings in 2000, after a lawsuit was brought against major corporations including Sony, Nintendo and Activision by the families of the victims. Similarly to that case, violent music has also been mentioned, and many newspapers have picked up on the fact that Steinhaeuser listened to rock band Slipknot. A lyric in one Slipknot song reads: "Shoot your naughty teachers with a pump gun." But can inciteful music or videogames really drive someone to acts of violence such as these?
As games get more realistic, the controversy factor gets higher, and while the Daily Mail etc. may rant about violent videogames, the violence content of games has definitely increased over the last few years. Games like Grand Theft Auto 3 and State of Emergency have caused concern among parents due to their violent content, and first-person shooters are now the most popular form of videogame. But haven't we been through all of this before? Doesn't this happen every time a tragic event occurs? If someone has the access to guns and ammo, and has the will to carry out acts like young Steinhaeuser did, surely a mere videogame isn't to blame? The picture of Posh Spice could have equally been the cause. It's blatant finger pointing, drawing away attention to the fact he had access to weapons and ammunition, and yet again, computer games are the first to blamed.
So, do you think violent videogames can really incite people to perform violent acts? Are games like Counter-Strike partly responsible for these tragedies?
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We had topics like this after the Columbian High School masacre, and September 11th. The truth is, video games will always be used as societys scapegoat. Sad that we have to blame inanimate objects for the flaws of animate ones!
I read the story in the Telegraph, and in there, there wasn't any reference to videogames, but it just sed he wanted revenge for being expelled and not being able to do the A-Level equivalent. I don't understand the logic though. Take MGS. There, to kill a bloke you grab him round the neck and squeeze it ten times. Reloading a weapon requires you to only use up the ammo and wait half a second, or tapping R1 twice. I've been playing computer games for a large amount of my life and probably couldn't just pick up a gun and kill 17 people at school with no practice!
It is proven that the people that do these kind of shootings tend to be highly clever middle class children. Perhaps there more of a connection there, than there is with computer games.
Counterstrike, a game you play by clicking a mouse, and pressing buttons on a keyboard. Likely relevance to case in question: Probably cause.
Being a member of a gun club, and owning a rifle (or whatever) oh, that's a harmless pursuit, and could in no way be related to the shootings.
Eh?
I'm not sure which school of logic these people go to, but I don't understand it.
Playing Counterstrike could not have taught him how to load and fire real fire-arms, it's completely ridiculous.
Hey, maybe when he turned the gun on himself he expected to find himself back at the school gates, ready to start the 'level' again. Or maybe, just maybe, something other than games have caused him to do this. Life, perhaps?
Being a member of a gun club, and owning a rifle (or whatever) oh, that's a harmless pursuit, and could in no way be related to the shootings.
Eh?
I'm not sure which school of logic these people go to, but I don't understand it.
Playing Counterstrike could not have taught him how to load and fire real fire-arms, it's completely ridiculous.
Hey, maybe when he turned the gun on himself he expected to find himself back at the school gates, ready to start the 'level' again. Or maybe, just maybe, something other than games have caused him to do this. Life, perhaps?
In the seventies, in texas a bloke hid himself on a college tower and shoot dead 17 people. This was before computer games. It's just the media looking for a scape goat.
humans have aways been violent and always will be.
humans have aways been violent and always will be.
I'm already arguing with people over the media's knee-jerk reaction to this particular topic. Daily Mail, for example. Headline reads "Boy who killed obsessed with sick video games" or something along those lines. When you read the article, the quote reads "He played brutal video games through the night".
Brutal is not neccesarrily(sp) sick. People need to realise this. Computer games do not teach you how to go round killing people. Movies do a far better job of it. There are books available telling you how to shoot your teacher and get away with it.
The media blames computer games automatically, and this makes me angry enough to go round and shoot each one of those reporters individually.
Brutal is not neccesarrily(sp) sick. People need to realise this. Computer games do not teach you how to go round killing people. Movies do a far better job of it. There are books available telling you how to shoot your teacher and get away with it.
The media blames computer games automatically, and this makes me angry enough to go round and shoot each one of those reporters individually.
Police in Germany have pointed out that 19 year old gunman Robert Steinhaeuser was an avid player of violent videogames.
The teenage gunman responsible for the deaths of 16 people at his former school in Germany on Friday, reportedly played computer games with "intensive weapons usage" according to Erfurt police. Chief Rainer Grube said that Robert Steinhaesuer regularly enjoyed playing violent videogames, and specific titles like Counter-Strike were were mentioned. Counter-Strike, a game in which you play as an anti-terrorist organisation, is one of the most popular shooting games on the internet.
The 19 year old opened fire on his former classmates after he had been expelled from the school, and killed 13 teachers, 2 students and a police officer, before turning the gun on himself. The finger very quickly came round to violent videogames (as it often does in these situations), although the fact that he was a member of a gun club may have had slightly more to do with it. Bizarrely, a picture of Posh Spice on the killer's wall was also mentioned in The Sun's report, although what relevance this nobody knows.
This claim comes soon after a court ruled that violent games were not the cause of the Columbine shootings in 2000, after a lawsuit was brought against major corporations including Sony, Nintendo and Activision by the families of the victims. Similarly to that case, violent music has also been mentioned, and many newspapers have picked up on the fact that Steinhaeuser listened to rock band Slipknot. A lyric in one Slipknot song reads: "Shoot your naughty teachers with a pump gun." But can inciteful music or videogames really drive someone to acts of violence such as these?
As games get more realistic, the controversy factor gets higher, and while the Daily Mail etc. may rant about violent videogames, the violence content of games has definitely increased over the last few years. Games like Grand Theft Auto 3 and State of Emergency have caused concern among parents due to their violent content, and first-person shooters are now the most popular form of videogame. But haven't we been through all of this before? Doesn't this happen every time a tragic event occurs? If someone has the access to guns and ammo, and has the will to carry out acts like young Steinhaeuser did, surely a mere videogame isn't to blame? The picture of Posh Spice could have equally been the cause. It's blatant finger pointing, drawing away attention to the fact he had access to weapons and ammunition, and yet again, computer games are the first to blamed.
So, do you think violent videogames can really incite people to perform violent acts? Are games like Counter-Strike partly responsible for these tragedies?
The teenage gunman responsible for the deaths of 16 people at his former school in Germany on Friday, reportedly played computer games with "intensive weapons usage" according to Erfurt police. Chief Rainer Grube said that Robert Steinhaesuer regularly enjoyed playing violent videogames, and specific titles like Counter-Strike were were mentioned. Counter-Strike, a game in which you play as an anti-terrorist organisation, is one of the most popular shooting games on the internet.
The 19 year old opened fire on his former classmates after he had been expelled from the school, and killed 13 teachers, 2 students and a police officer, before turning the gun on himself. The finger very quickly came round to violent videogames (as it often does in these situations), although the fact that he was a member of a gun club may have had slightly more to do with it. Bizarrely, a picture of Posh Spice on the killer's wall was also mentioned in The Sun's report, although what relevance this nobody knows.
This claim comes soon after a court ruled that violent games were not the cause of the Columbine shootings in 2000, after a lawsuit was brought against major corporations including Sony, Nintendo and Activision by the families of the victims. Similarly to that case, violent music has also been mentioned, and many newspapers have picked up on the fact that Steinhaeuser listened to rock band Slipknot. A lyric in one Slipknot song reads: "Shoot your naughty teachers with a pump gun." But can inciteful music or videogames really drive someone to acts of violence such as these?
As games get more realistic, the controversy factor gets higher, and while the Daily Mail etc. may rant about violent videogames, the violence content of games has definitely increased over the last few years. Games like Grand Theft Auto 3 and State of Emergency have caused concern among parents due to their violent content, and first-person shooters are now the most popular form of videogame. But haven't we been through all of this before? Doesn't this happen every time a tragic event occurs? If someone has the access to guns and ammo, and has the will to carry out acts like young Steinhaeuser did, surely a mere videogame isn't to blame? The picture of Posh Spice could have equally been the cause. It's blatant finger pointing, drawing away attention to the fact he had access to weapons and ammunition, and yet again, computer games are the first to blamed.
So, do you think violent videogames can really incite people to perform violent acts? Are games like Counter-Strike partly responsible for these tragedies?
Page: