I REALLY did not want to have to talk about this. It’s the kind of retarded shit that should not get attention and be forgotten. But when a fellow blogger I read posted based on their findings at Polygon, and this morning I found an article about it on PC Gamer, it’s only a matter of time till this shit hits Reddit and every other major online publication. Me keeping silent won’t make a difference.
Yesterday, the Game Overthinker posted about an event scheduled to happen in Connecticut which is obviously a reaction to the school shooting that happened just before Christmas. It seems that there are no sides who can push “X is evil and here is proof” that isn’t ready to jump on this mass-murder. We all expected the “guns are evil, ban them now” crowd to go nuts. I mean, that is the emotional response when a shooting happens, especially one this senseless, horrifying, and just in time for the holidays.
And while I am not convinced bans or more laws are the answer, I was also not happy to see the NRA’s response, which basically boiled down to “We need another scapegoat! Blame violent video games and music!” I can almost see where they are coming from to do that. People are emotional idiots and kneejerk to do something “right now” and “feel better” so God help you if you are the one they blame. But by pointing to another scapegoat, you are not helping. All you are doing is making things worse.
We are now seeing actions that suggest people are taking the non-link to movies, music, and games seriously. That event I mentioned is an organized “violent media burning.” Seriously, the town is offering $25 gift certificates for turned in games that they are admitting will most likely be incinerated. And why? Well, they don’t want to say these games cause this, likely because of the backlash that would come from a country that loves them, but they certainly are ok with claiming “ample evidence of a link” between violence and the games that feature it.
Umm… no… Sorry, but this is just wrong. It is not supporting anything but the destruction of media someone disagrees with. It is not supporting the community who just lost so many innocent children like they seem to want to say, either. If it was, they would at LEAST be offering the price of those certificates as donations TO THAT COMMUNITY, not to the morons they convince to “turn in violent games” to them. And as a nice effect, they get to show the world that people agree with them and these games are harmful and should be destroyed.
My fellow blogger wants us to respond civilly. And I agree with him, but I also think we have another choice we needed to make… ignore or condemn this. Since a quick online search of SouthingtonSOS will produce MANY articles on this, most of which are on well-known video game sites, the choice is made. I'm asking anyone who reads this to pass it along, write it up in your own blogs, or anything else to pass the message of how wrong and frankly stupid this is. If you want to write them, please do, but we need to show this for what it is. Just please, as the Game Overthinker has said, this needs to be done CIVILLY. If all we get are posts that sound like they could have been a squeaker (children who’s voices haven't dropped yet online) who hasn’t yet figured out that swearing does not make them cool or sound more mature, all it will prove to those who believe this is that they are right… since the violent language you use will be their evidence.
Thank you, and may our next article be something more fun and not so serious.
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