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Subject: Halo gets blamed for Sniping of 2002... do you believe this?
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Hey all,

I figured you guys could give me some insight as to what you think. Being an avid gamer, I found this shocking and it sort of made me sick that false accusations go around like this. There is this guy named Jack Thompson who lives near my house. He is actually a video game censor, and he is trying to ban video games that are violent, such as Halo 2, GTA, and Doom 3 off the shelves of game stores, primarily Wal-Mart and GameStop.

The reason is because of this kid named Devon Moore, who shot three officers all in the head, and they are blaming GTA. But what I found shocking was that they are blaming a video game.

Here is part of Jack Thompson’s website. He actually believes this… I find it baffling.
Right off www.stopkill.com, Jack Thompsons website: Dateline NBC reported Friday, December 13, 2002, that the Beltway Sniper, John Lee Malvo, was compelled by John Muhammad to train on the sniper video game, Halo, switched to sniper-mode or God-mode, to suppress his inhibition to kill." Jack Thompson predicted, in an interview by Matt Lauer on NBC's Today show three weeks before the Beltway Snipers were apprehended, that one of the snipers "might very well be a video gamer as young as 15 trained on a game switched to sniper-mode or God-mode."

When has Halo ever been a sniping game? And i know this is off topic, but can someone please send me a message as to what GTA is about? Like the story line and such. Thompson says it's primarily a cop killing game, but when I witnessed my friend play it, he never shot a cop once in the missions. So please, just give me a little insight. Thanks guys, and keep on Haloing it up.

- C1ock

P.S. I sent Thompson and e-mail he he sent one back saying, "go disappoint your parents, and stop bothering me."

  • 03.17.2005 10:36 AM PDT
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GTA is primarily a gang war and underground politics game. Cops are just an obstacle put int he game to make it more challenging and realistic.

  • 03.17.2005 11:23 AM PDT
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wow he actually sent u an email back saying that, the nerve. Anyways the whole issue of people going insane and killing people after playing too many video games is just ridiculous. Obviously these people already have something wrong with them and they just play video games because it's like real to them, yet only crazy people would think that. I'm sick of critics saying if these teenagers play to much videogames they'll think it's real. I play Halo PC at leat 2 hours a day and im okay. As long as u have any sense of what reality is you'll be fine. So these peeople who go ahead and shoot people cause' they think it's a videogame obviously have something wrong with them.

  • 03.17.2005 12:32 PM PDT
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Morpheus says, "What -is- real? How do you define real? If by real you mean what you can feel, taste, touch, smell, and hear then 'real' is simply electrical signals being transmitted to your brain."

  • 03.17.2005 12:51 PM PDT
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reality is what applies to us in interaction with our environment. People, animals, nature, objects, etc. We all have a complex system of connection that defines our reality. Video games have been labeled as a form of "escapism". If u will, a 3rd party of reality. Something that removes us from our normal perceptions and connections. Video games cannot be a true reality. We are on the outside whereas the game is being played out by itself, yes even though u are the one beating the missions, and watching the cutscenes, the game is already there in full, u are not changing it's reality, the game is in fact locked in a box of a false reality meant to be viewed from the outside. These people who commit these horrendous acts of murder have trouble forming their own connections, they are easily molded by outside sources and connections. In the case of video games, thse peoples' conscience is molded by a removed reality, that they take as their own. Just because video games provide this interaction for mentally unstable people does not mean they are at fault, this whole argument is getting really philosophical so let's just turn it down a notch.

  • 03.17.2005 1:04 PM PDT
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WHo gives a care about the cops they think that its all the games fault no therees hundreds of other games that that kid followed. Anyway do they have proof taht that kid even saw tht game or play it!

  • 03.17.2005 2:14 PM PDT

-S

Posted by: Elite Master101
WHo gives a care about the cops they think that its all the games fault no therees hundreds of other games that that kid followed.


We care, and so should you.

  • 03.17.2005 2:50 PM PDT
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Did anyone notice that on his website several small facts about video games are biased and changed to his point of view. In vicecity running over prostituted to get your money back does not make you win the game faster by anymeans it just some idiot thinking hes cool. And as we all know halo is not a sniper game

  • 03.17.2005 4:46 PM PDT
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Posted by: Elite Master101
WHo gives a care about the cops they think that its all the games fault no therees hundreds of other games that that kid followed. Anyway do they have proof taht that kid even saw tht game or play it!


Use punctuation when you type; it makes you look cooler.

And yeah, Shishka's right, you should care. Sure, you can't totally blame the kid's actions on video games, but don't disregard a massacre just because the man's bringin' you down.

And secondly, do YOU have proof that the kid DIDN'T train with those games?

You see my point?

[Edited on 3/17/2005 5:24:07 PM]

  • 03.17.2005 5:23 PM PDT
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Posted by: C1ock
Hey all,

I figured you guys could give me some insight as to what you think. Being an avid gamer, I found this shocking and it sort of made me sick that false accusations go around like this. There is this guy named Jack Thompson who lives near my house. He is actually a video game censor, and he is trying to ban video games that are violent, such as Halo 2, GTA, and Doom 3 off the shelves of game stores, primarily Wal-Mart and GameStop.

The reason is because of this kid named Devon Moore, who shot three officers all in the head, and they are blaming GTA. But what I found shocking was that they are blaming a video game.

Here is part of Jack Thompson’s website. He actually believes this… I find it baffling.
Right off www.stopkill.com, Jack Thompsons website: Dateline NBC reported Friday, December 13, 2002, that the Beltway Sniper, John Lee Malvo, was compelled by John Muhammad to train on the sniper video game, Halo, switched to sniper-mode or God-mode, to suppress his inhibition to kill." Jack Thompson predicted, in an interview by Matt Lauer on NBC's Today show three weeks before the Beltway Snipers were apprehended, that one of the snipers "might very well be a video gamer as young as 15 trained on a game switched to sniper-mode or God-mode."

When has Halo ever been a sniping game? And i know this is off topic, but can someone please send me a message as to what GTA is about? Like the story line and such. Thompson says it's primarily a cop killing game, but when I witnessed my friend play it, he never shot a cop once in the missions. So please, just give me a little insight. Thanks guys, and keep on Haloing it up.

- C1ock

P.S. I sent Thompson and e-mail he he sent one back saying, "go disappoint your parents, and stop bothering me."

I sent him an email and he only sent one back to me saying "hello" :-\

  • 03.17.2005 5:27 PM PDT
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Posted by: HighHat314
Morpheus says, "What -is- real? How do you define real? If by real you mean what you can feel, taste, touch, smell, and hear then 'real' is simply electrical signals being transmitted to your brain."

Btw, it's "interpreted by your brain."
Just wanted to metion that...

  • 03.20.2005 4:16 PM PDT

*I sense a disturbance in the forum*
Jaws on Zanzibar?
Sniper 's Ed 101
my myspace
teh explosion
purchase a leaf blower at any Sears store
After kim saying pc gamers are more mature:
Posted by:ImSpartacus
we r?

I hate it when they blame games. I can't train with guns off of a video game. Also, I broke my wrist, and I messed up my collarbone, I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. Games MAY give you hand-eye coordination, but it doesn't make you a sharpshooter.

Here's a link to ship master yayp's link in his profile:
here

  • 03.20.2005 10:37 PM PDT
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Posted by: HighHat314
Posted by: Elite Master101
WHo gives a care about the cops they think that its all the games fault no therees hundreds of other games that that kid followed. Anyway do they have proof taht that kid even saw tht game or play it!


Use punctuation when you type; it makes you look cooler.

And yeah, Shishka's right, you should care. Sure, you can't totally blame the kid's actions on video games, but don't disregard a massacre just because the man's bringin' you down.

And secondly, do YOU have proof that the kid DIDN'T train with those games?

You see my point?

I hate to shoot down your point, but you can't train yourself to shoot a weapon by playing a video game. ESPECIALLY a video game set in the future. There is a HUGE difference between shooting a gun in real life and moving a joystick and pressing a button. That's the proof.

You're right though, people should care when stuff like this happens, but don't try to use scapegoats to turn blame away from those actually at fault.

  • 03.21.2005 10:37 AM PDT
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Thats harsh, I think I read about that. It is possible that you could learn stuff from video games like hand-eye-coordination. But it is very unlikey that Halo, being as it is, is more unlikely to be a canidate cause its so farfetched. GTA is just a game that pits you against everything (i hate that game). Doom 3, come on that game is clearly fiction and is meant to scare the *bleep* outta people. Plus these games are rated M for a reason. If a 15 year old kid got it then someone would've had to buy it for them. So that would make it the parenst/guardians fault. To add onto the halo "sniping" in question, that guy needs to find out more before he starts making radical explaniations and pointing fingers at people. Those kids could'nt learn the basics of sniper rifle managment from those said games.



[Edited on 5/26/2005]

  • 05.24.2005 3:00 PM PDT
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Wait, is there a GOD mode in Halo??

  • 05.24.2005 3:04 PM PDT
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thats sad he said halo as sniper mode god mode oh that and i'm 10 i play 3 hours a day AND I"M FINE the snipper was a idoit to kill people this is not a game soure i have a hp bar on my head sure whatever m.r Stop halo and m.r kill with snipper riffle on 2002 >.> ..... stuped tenngagers thicking reallife is a game

  • 05.24.2005 4:58 PM PDT
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Since when is there a god mode? And since when has Halo been a sniping game?

My guess: Someone doesn't know what the hell he's talking about.

  • 05.25.2005 6:48 PM PDT
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Posted by: sumfartieguitar
Posted by: HighHat314
Posted by: Elite Master101
WHo gives a care about the cops they think that its all the games fault no therees hundreds of other games that that kid followed. Anyway do they have proof taht that kid even saw tht game or play it!


Use punctuation when you type; it makes you look cooler.

And yeah, Shishka's right, you should care. Sure, you can't totally blame the kid's actions on video games, but don't disregard a massacre just because the man's bringin' you down.

And secondly, do YOU have proof that the kid DIDN'T train with those games?

You see my point?

I hate to shoot down your point, but you can't train yourself to shoot a weapon by playing a video game. ESPECIALLY a video game set in the future. There is a HUGE difference between shooting a gun in real life and moving a joystick and pressing a button. That's the proof.

You're right though, people should care when stuff like this happens, but don't try to use scapegoats to turn blame away from those actually at fault.

Yes. Did he use a XBox controller to kill them?

Playing a game doesn't help teach someone how to shoot a gun.

  • 05.25.2005 6:50 PM PDT
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Nor does it make someone want to kill. People blame video games because they want SOME kind of explanation. "Oh they think its real blah blah blah." Thats bullcrap. Thats either a cop-out some insane kid used in court, or just some soccer-mom speaking for the kids. What that dude said about the game already being enclosed, simply playing out, imitating real life in a box was good.

  • 05.26.2005 12:36 PM PDT
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well we have covered the fact that games can't teach you how to shoot or use any weapon. they do increase hand eye coordination and possibly timing making you a better shot if you can use a gun well.

the blame has to go to the parents when kids and teens do this stuff. the ESRB was created for a reason and it has to be used. it if is not used it defeats the purpose of the ratings.

off topic though GTA is the most open ended game ever you can play anyway you want if you don't follow the story. you can obey the law which is a fun experience for a while and is also challenging.

  • 05.26.2005 1:40 PM PDT
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what was this kids motivation for this act? was he doing sumthing at that time where he thought he needed to kill the officers? Most likly he was mentaly unstable if he wasnt brain washed or had no athority figure telling him to do such an act.

  • 05.27.2005 6:38 PM PDT

I'm not that active, but never dead.

Maybe if you hooked the gun up on a turret, hooked that up to an xbox, and hooked that up to a Xbox Contoller...

Then you could Halo Trained him for sniping!

  • 05.27.2005 7:52 PM PDT
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no listen people use video games as an excuse and if they are true about them givin ya brain messages then you dont disserve to live in a nut house neva mind a rural town

  • 05.27.2005 10:59 PM PDT
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The main problem with alot of games....ESPECIALLY first person shooters is these idiots that are against them cant understand that its a bunch of pixels and not people. I use videogames as a stress relief but ...our own military is messing up our fun. Full spectrum warrior was a training tool developed for the us military. a TOOL a mod of the first wolfenstein 3d game was one of the very first ....VIRTUAL training tools used by the US military.the problem is sacks of stunted growth not knowing that entertainment is just that, Entertainment are bring pressur on the video game world...in my opinion you cant blame video games...blame that persons guardian for not drilling it into the persons head that its only a game and to not do that in reality. Video games CAN train...SLEIGHTLY.... there needs to be more to reaqlly train someone but yeah just look at the Recruiting tool US army. there ya go

  • 05.28.2005 4:27 AM PDT

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