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Russert of NBC's "Meet the Press" suggests video games made Cho do it

Posted Apr 22, 2007 at 9:35PM EST by Mabie A.

Listed in: Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, PC Gaming Tags: NBC

Tim Russert joins Jack Thompson and Dr. Phil's club - Image 1

Jack Thompson and Dr. Phil have obviously found an ally in the person of NBC's Meet the Press">Tim Russert, host of NBC's "Meet the Press" talk show. In the show's episode yesterday, Russert pointedly suggested that the Virginia Tech massacre could have been an offshoot of the growing violent video games culture.

Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, a guest in the show, gamely (no pun intended) asserted that "we do have evidence that children... exposed to violent television and video games, that that certainly does net out in more violent behavior." As to what those evidences are, she never really did expound on.

But Russert wasn't content with merely getting a nod from Secretary Spellings. He then turns to Mike Leavitt, Secretary of Health and Human Services, and asks, "Any thought of looking into video games and the impact they may have on young children?" While certainly not being impressionable, Leavitt also wasn't exactly forthcoming, stating that "we have to look at a lot of things."

And this might actually be the better answer between the two guests. After all, it's rather foolhardy to outright believe that video games are indeed responsible for the macabre act Cho Seung-Hui launched against his schoolmates. In fact, the so-called "Counter-Strike theory" is just as good as stale meat on a shiny silver plate. The policemen have already searched through Cho's room in campus, and they have yet to find any evidence that he was a video game player, much more, of violent ones at that. Even if they did, this will do little in tangibly proving that it was the "Counter-Strike demons" in Cho's head that prodded him to carry out his deadly deed.

At the end of the day, while the rest of the nation is busy looking under rocks trying to find off-tangential answers to questions that are shaking up our system, and while there are some who are spectacularly trying to spin their blame-game, there remains 33 families waiting for justice and mourning for the loss of their loved ones who will never be coming home.

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I'm getting sick and tired of people suggesting computer games produce killers.

The content in many movies is much worse than in any game ever created. Yet EVERYBODY watches movies, so they wouldn't dare say movies create killers. They have even stated on the news channels, that Cho idolised some of the characters in movies, and he took photographs of himself portraying their image. So why say games create killers? If anything, games give people the opportunity to do things which they would probably never do in life; drive an F1 car, fight in WWII, fly a plane, and create a business empire. Yes, some games do allow you to kill people, but it can't train people to kill in life.

Concluding, this whole talk is stupid, and I'm sure you all concur.

P.S, if the US government wants to cut down of killings, try getting the guns off the streets, getting rid of the gun stores, and making it illegal to own a gun. This is what we have here in England, and gun crime is VERY small.

# hmmm... — Guest 2007-04-23 01:40

How can games produce or train killers? I have never heard of anyone being injured by a mouse, keyboard or console controller.... except for tv's being injured by those damn wii remotes!!!!

# Wii Remotes — Guest 2007-04-23 01:50

Ha ha! True..!

# email — Guest 2007-04-23 02:21

I emailed the morons, because this kind of excuse for behavior needs to stop

"I think it is ridiculous that your show is promoting the “video games-made-me-do-it” theory as to a cause for the tragedy at VT. This man was a deeply confused and upset individual, and video games could not have caused him to want to go and kill 32 innocent people. As for your guest saying that they have evidence that video games lead children to become more violent, they have just as much evidence that it does not cause those behaviors in non-violent children. This horrible series of events can never be changed, but we can learn from it by finding out what the real causes were, and how to help people like him who are clearly in need. The least your show could’ve done would have been to make it a debate, instead of a one-sided finger-pointing contest."

# That's good — Guest 2007-04-23 02:51

I like how you kept your cool and didn't insult the *****. It shows that gamers aren't a bunch of violent psychopaths. The kind of people that do things like this will do it regardless of video games. There's tons of violence in movies and even network TV. But for some reason the blame always goes to video games. This is BS.

# well... — Guest 2007-04-23 03:33

It's been said time and time again that video games improve your hand - eye coordination, so someone that's played video games all their life is going to be better at wielding something than someone else in the same situation -video games. theoretically.

If someone you have games where the point is to kill others, couterstrike, halo, resistance.... mario... then you're going to learn from doing that. You're going to develop strategies to use in real life. "If I hide behind this box, then they won't see me." rather than... "I can walk down the middle of the hall and no one'll see me."

and the BIGGEST thing is... a movie is... you're watching someone else do it. a game is..... you're doing it. you can watch billions of people get murdered in a movie, and you're like "that's terrible. I'D never do that." but then you go play a game, and you have to shoot someone. it's a completely different effect. It's like riding in the passenger's seat of a car, and driving. They seem to be pretty close, but they're quite a bit different.

That said, I don't think that there's enough evidence to support that video games make people violent, I was just....... being the devil's advocate. O:)

# -_- — B4H4M00T 2007-04-23 08:37

AMEN TO THAT

# video games are not the problem — Guest 2007-04-23 09:51

too be honest i'm sick of this. Too suggest a form of entertainment is responsible for an atrocity like this is absurd. People who suggest this tend to be from an older generation who don't understand the idea of video games is to relax people after a long hard time. Too suggest that violence is linked to video games, like lung cancer is to smoking. Almost 100% of healthy sane people can tell the difference between pressing a button to execute a script of code and pulling a trigger to end someones life. Video games are an escape goat in the USA, when poor gun control is a MUCH MUCH MUCH bigger problem. Over 10 000 people in the USA alone die from guns, yet a form of digital media is being blamed. Someone needs to grow a spine and point blame where blame is deserved: poor gun regulation in the US. However strong gun support exists in congress thus even just stronger regulation (eg Australia) cannot exist.

I think until people recognize that computer games are not too blame, rather the 200 million guns in America alone. Atrocities like this will continue. Murders happened prior to video games.

With that said, my deepest sympathies go out to the individuals effected by this event and i pray nothing like this ever occurs again.

# jack tompson — Guest 2007-04-23 09:55

Jack started all of this bs and he has nothing to back it up except "i think violent videogames are the problem" do any of us sound like killers? I honestly think that jack was and still is pissed at everything and everyone that plays videogames because he couldn't figure out to play pong

# OMG... — Guest 2007-04-23 12:40

I've heard people wanting to ban violent videogames which is horrible. They don't give a hoot (lol... hoot...) about wth we as gamers like. By the way, for people comparing Grand Theft Auto to real life murderers, quit watching videos about the game and get off your lazy butts and try it out for yourself. These opinions on TV and other media are completely biased and only show the bad things about the game. Remember the quote, "a game where you get points for killing people?" That's a biased, non-experienced statement with no true evidence! Also, most GOOD games contain some form of violence, it's UNAVOIDABLE! DO SOME RESEARCH, YOU BIASED PEOPLE!!!

# Blame the killer, not an inanimate object — Guest 2007-04-23 13:44

Guns laws must stop crime. After all, look how well Prohibition worked! Criminals disregard laws against rape, murder and robbery but damn it they WILL obey gun laws, right? After all, no one has EVER obtained a gun illegally. How ironic.

"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." - Sigmund Freud

# People with half a brain don't pay any mind to these kinds of people — Guest 2007-04-23 13:47

That's also the reason these shows are so popular, because most people nowadays don't have half a brain. Any semi-intelligent person should be able to see these men and women (people like Russert, Nancy Grace) are just talking heads who don't have a clue as to what they're talking about, and really know nothing more than some random person on the streets.

# Idiots! — Guest 2007-04-23 13:49

Poor regulation? WTF? Guns are one of the most heavily regulated industries in the US! get your facts straight. You people disgust me! You're no different than Thompson and his ilk. The only thing different is that you blame a different object!

# especially ironic — GrayWolf323 2007-04-23 14:29

since as someone else already pointed out, the killer never played video games

oops, *passes around some eggs to throw at Jack Thompson, Dr. Phil, and Tim Russert's faces*

# Amen — Barakku 2007-04-24 11:02

Thanks for thinking about the gun thing logically.

I LOVE the idea that somehow, someone that is willing to commit a felony (murder) but they'll be deterred by a misdemeanor charge (violation of gun laws)

To be fair, I do support some restrictions on guns such as a cool off period (which we have) and maybe a psychiatric evaluation before allowing a purchase, but outright banning them is moronic.

Next time I drive to a Bankt to rob it, I'll be sure not to park in a no parking zone too.

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