Current Events > Kentucky governor blames violent video games for shootings

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https://kotaku.com/kentucky-governor-blames-violent-video-games-for-shooti-1823075688

During an interview yesterday on a talk radio program, Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin said violent video games are partly responsible for mass shootings like this weeks in Parkland, Florida which killed 17 people and wounded 14 more.

Guns are not the problem; we have a cultural problem in America, Bevin said on the Leland Conway show Thursday morning, as noted by Ars Technca. The Governor went on to cite other factors he believed to be responsible for the dramatic increase in mass shootings, including mental illness and side-effects of prescribed medications. He also pointed to American society having lost its moral compass before arriving at violent video games and the culture of death he believes they help celebrate.

There are video games that, yes, are listed for mature audiences, but kids play them and everybody knows it, and theres nothing to prevent the child from playing them, he said. They celebrate the slaughtering of people. There are games that literally replicate and give people the ability to score points for doing the very same thing that these students are doing inside of schools, where you get extra points for finishing someone off whos lying there begging for their life.

These are quote-unquote video games, and theyre forced down our throats under the guise of protected speech. Its garbage. Its the same as pornography. They have desensitized people to the value of human life, to the dignity of women, to the dignity of human decency.

Conway, the host, followed up by asking if the governor was calling for a ban on violent video games or just urging parents to pay more attention. I think we need to start by having an honest question about what value any of these things have, Bevin said.

Why do we need a video game, for example, that encourages people to kill people? Whether its lyrics, whether its TV shows, whether its movies, Im asking the producers of these products, these video games and these movies, ask yourselves what redemptive value, other than shock value, other than the hope youll make a couple of bucks off it. At what price? At what price?

His rationale for blaming violent video games and other media was that guns havent changed while our culture has. The gun is not the problem, Bevin said at the beginning of his interview. When we were young people after Christmas would bring their guns to school and show it off to their friends. He mentioned shotguns and .22 Long Rifles specifically, both of which are much different than the AR-15-style rifle Nikolas Cruz used to massacre students.

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I am curious whether the shooter was on medication.
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Here we go.
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He was close, it is all the sexism and toxic masculinity in games that Anita Sarkeesian pointed out that lead to violence though
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What was the last game he played that he thinks games still have a points system?
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Dr_Agon posted...

Here we go.

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I thought blaming video games for mass shootings went away when Jack Thompson got disbarred.
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@Darklit_Minuet eat your heart out
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Of course its da Vidya gamez not the easy access to guns and Assault Rifles
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBQEji4_SIg
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score points

Ah, my favorite.
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Since video games and rap music destroys the minds of children, when are parents going to stop taking the kids to see movies like Hunger Games, or sports like hockey and football. All that violence can't be good for them.
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I rather blow away a bunch of people in GTA to relieve some stress than to do it in real life.
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Oh good, that talking point again. Yay.
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Ah, it never fails. When in doubt, blame those damn video games.
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BudDupree48 posted...

I rather blow away a bunch of people in GTA to relieve some stress than to do it in real life.

This is what normal people do, and they get on with their lives never harming anyone.
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Actually, if this leads to government investigation and potential regulation of games I'd probably be for it. God knows the industry refuses to regulate itself.
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EverDownward posted...

Actually, if this leads to government investigation and potential regulation of games I'd probably be for it. God knows the industry refuses to regulate itself.

get the fuck outta here we dont live in communist china
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CADE FOSTER posted...

EverDownward posted...

Actually, if this leads to government investigation and potential regulation of games I'd probably be for it. God knows the industry refuses to regulate itself.

get the fuck outta here

Make me, homeslice. Until some real change happens to the industry it's just going to get worse and worse.
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i don't know much about american politics, but i can easily guess what party this governor from.
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why do y'all vote for these shit head Republicans?
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What a fucking idiot. I remember hillary pushing that bullshit narrative years and years ago. I hate that sort of attitude.
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someone call jack thompson
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coolboy11 posted...

why do y'all vote for these shit head Republicans?

uneducated
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CADE FOSTER posted...

coolboy11 posted...

why do y'all vote for these shit head Republicans?

uneducated

not even mad people vote for the GOP, but folks vote for the absolute worst elements of the GOP consistently, like y'all can find smarter people in the Right leaning segment of the general population?
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EverDownward posted...

CADE FOSTER posted...

EverDownward posted...

Actually, if this leads to government investigation and potential regulation of games I'd probably be for it. God knows the industry refuses to regulate itself.

get the fuck outta here

Make me, homeslice. Until some real change happens to the industry it's just going to get worse and worse.

Is this supposed to make fun of how the governor is behind the times? We have a regulator for games. It's called the ESRB and other similar rating systems in other countries.
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coolboy11 posted...

why do y'all vote for these shit head Republicans?

Hmm, I believe a Democrat was in office during columbine and that was the beginning of the whole blaming video games and entertainment nonsense.

Hmm. Republicans are just trying to be like yall.
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gatorsPENSbucs posted...

coolboy11 posted...

why do y'all vote for these shit head Republicans?

Hmm, I believe a Democrat was in office during columbine and that was the beginning of the whole blaming video games and entertainment nonsense.

Hmm. Republicans are just trying to be like yall.

Since trump got elected you have become worse than codmons hard to do
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Violent video games isn't to blame here. You should blame that hardcore gangster rap and death metal music.
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gatorsPENSbucs posted...

coolboy11 posted...

why do y'all vote for these shit head Republicans?

Hmm, I believe a Democrat was in office during columbine and that was the beginning of the whole blaming video games and entertainment nonsense.

Hmm. Republicans are just trying to be like y?all.

Yeah, this is true. The anti video game garbage has been something both sides have been guilty of. As I mentioned before, hillary has been part of it as well.
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Antifar posted...

There are games that literally replicate and give people the ability to score points for doing the very same thing that these students are doing inside of schools,

I have never played a game where I was able to shoot up a school full of children.
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Banjo2553 posted...

EverDownward posted...

CADE FOSTER posted...

EverDownward posted...

Actually, if this leads to government investigation and potential regulation of games I'd probably be for it. God knows the industry refuses to regulate itself.

get the fuck outta here

Make me, homeslice. Until some real change happens to the industry it's just going to get worse and worse.

Is this supposed to make fun of how the governor is behind the times? We have a regulator for games. It's called the ESRB and other similar rating systems in other countries.

That's not what I'm talking about. Increasing monetization and unrestrained practices dedicated to draining the consumer of his money while providing a mediocre product is unethical. Unless some outside force comes in and forcibly changes the industry, it will not change itself. It's too easy to make a subpar product and then charge out the ass for a Season Pass, microtransactions, and gacha style incentives tacked on. Games are becoming more and more of a "service" these days.

Bottom line, I don't trust the industry to regulate itself. So fuck them, I hope it all burns to the ground.
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Here we go again. Its Night Trap all over again.
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Antifar posted...

where you get extra points for finishing someone off whos lying there begging for their life.

Which game is this?
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I know Hatred can let you finish people off for health, but I don't know if it operates under a point system.

You've got games like Bulletstorm that uses points that also operate as currency if I remember, but I don't think anyone begs for their life and there are certainly no children you can kill. Hell, games in general avoid the rewarding of harming or killing children precisely to avoid this kind of controversy, but it doesn't stop ignorant politicians from assuming the worst of them.
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Why don't we ban FPS games? At best this will end school shootings, at worst at least that garbage will be banned