while I completly agree with what you are saying, we will eventually be the older generation and we might see our younger generation's past-times to be harmful to themselves/others. The question is can we learn from histories mistakes and approach a changing society with an open mind. So far we haven't from book burning to video game slander; yet out of the two, book burning is the only one seen as wrong.

If you ask me, getting enjoyment of watching something like that is far worse than what happens in most games.

I personally find people paying to watch special effects to be designed like realistic gore and waiting for a fictional character to get hurt/die more disturbing than playing the content of most videogames.
You get more chance to watch in detail how something is done more than anything in videogames (without the exception of Manhunt, which personally was a step too far).

I find Doom and CounterStrike being related to mass killings ridiculous and utter coincidence, GTA ironically has now become a 'get out of jail for free card' for any laywer and client.

This is from a guy that plays Postal 2 occasionally for laughs but won't watch a modern day slasher/torture porn flick because of the extreme level of detail put into them these days.

I personally feel they didn't go to far with Manhunt, however i do agree that it shouldn't be played by anyone under the age of 18 or anyone who is heavily influenced by media.

I completely agree with you. I hate when parents (adults) have the nerve to blame videogames. Do they research on videogames? No they just choose to assume that videogames are to blame.

-bu... bu... but it's violent and my kid loved playing it so the videogame is to blame.-

anybody whose mentioned that line or said something that is similar to it is ignorant and pathetic since videogames are not to blame it's the parents that let their kids play Grand Theft Auto 4 or the adults like Martha MacCallum that assume that Mass Effect showed full porn instead of just researching on the game and noticing that there are many other shows that show more sexually explicit material. It's sad that these same people that are attacking the gaming industry are those that choose not to understand or even use common sense. Next thing you know we'll be seeing 14 yr old boy plays GTA5 and kills classmates, and when that headline comes I'll have my question prepared as it has always been. How the hell did that teen get to play an 18 and above game?

Now majority I have mentioned are focused towards the youth so just to be fair I'm going to tackle the older suspects. So these guys are old enough to play games that are for mature audiences, my questions are simple and is fueled by the way media portrays videogames.

1. Is this guy the stereotypical nerd gamer the one that is afraid to socialize because the media say they're fat and unpopular?
2. Is this the same guy that also loves violent games aside from any other activity?
3. Is this the same guy that says they were influenced by the medias double standard?

1. Yes it could be that guy that was chosen to be the social outcast just because he enjoys doing something and he just wanted the world to realize he wasn't going to take it anymore, because he couldn't take it anymore.
2. Yes it's probably the guy who likes violent videogames but shouldn't the professionals see if he liked violent movies or the like? Shouldn't they check the recent events in that persons life as well as events of his distant past? Do these professionals go into his apartment and see a GTA game and say "he played GTA that must be the reason he's a killer"?
3. What I meant by that was do these people tell the truth or has videogames become a mainstream scapegoat for criminals as such?

/vent

just venting my frustrations again you know the drill I'm sorry if I wasted anybodies time and to those who might point out a flaw in my post let me clarify myself as a person who just typed that whilst venting therefore some parts might not be correct, accurate, and or sensible.