Did Fallout 4 shoot up El Paso?

[Moksha8088]

I heard some people on TV talking about how video games such as Fallout 4 were responsible for mass shootings such as the recent occurrences in Gilroy, El Paso, and Dayton.

 

Any truth to these rumors or was this just a near mindless attempt to bypass the issue of gun control?

[Joj157]

no?

[PhanomGames]

Yep. I saw it on TV.

[geala]

The thought that the presentation and celebration of violence, mainly with guns, could be one cause or factor for real violence, maybe also mass shootings, is not as stupid as the thought that the cause has something to do with gun control or the access to special weapons (assault rifles). However the question is hotly debated among criminologists.

 

Criminology is a social science. As such it has several difficulties to decide such questions. One is that personal bias of the scientists has higher influence than in f.e. the natural sciences. But even for the most unbiased people it is very difficult to examine such complex problems. You cannot do blind studies for example. You find studies which state a certain influence of violence in media and studies with don't.

 

Fact is, mass shootings did increase in numbers when you compare it to the time before television. Fact is also that in the US the number of such shootings did not increase considerably since the late 1990s. The number of victims however did increase (such killers often analyse media and plan accordingly, so they get better). Fact is also that compared to the number of deaths by guns per year in the US the victims of mass shootings are very small in numbers. There is a strong distortion in public perception, a problem of modern media.

 

Generally, it is too complicated to discuss it here. :happy:

Edited August 9, 2019 by geala

[cossayos]

 

 

Any truth to these rumors or was this just a near mindless attempt to bypass the issue of gun control?

 

Of course it's the latter. And it always comes as surely as an amen at the end of a prayer whenever there's a mass shooting. On an international level. It's easier to blame games than to blame the availability of guns.

 

It also goes against science. Psychologists claim that there's no correlation between playing (violent) video games and real world violence. On the contrary, most hold the opinion that games have a cleansing effect on deep seated grudges. They're a vent to let of real life steam.

[DanteRedfield]

Men grabbing arms and doing horrible things didn't start because of videogames

[Mavkiel]

It's rather silly. You don't hear much about the recent knife attack in California, that killed 3 or 4 people.

 

Anyhow I sort of see it like this

Ban guns - they use knives

Ban knives - They use bombs

Ban bombs -(by making it harder to get materials) - then they get trucks

Ban Trucks - Good luck with that one.

 

In summery, bad people will find ways of doing bad things. If we have to point a finger at anyone (besides the idiots that commit the acts), I'd suggest the media is to blame. They get folks riled up and then they go right over the edge.

[Ech0Chamber]

Saw the title, and immediately thought "Yeah some dude in Power Armor started opening fire, and caused the Great War."

[Moksha8088]

Should we speculate on gun violence being traced back to the Atari game Pong?

[Moraelin]

Right. So I guess those kids playing Pac Man on their phone are popping pills in the dark while listening to repetitive music... Hmm... Waaait a minute... :wink: