February 15, 2008
This just in from Entertainment Consumers Association president Hal Halpin:We'd like to extend our condolences to the families, friends and classmates of those who were affected in the school shooting at Northern Illinois University.
Separately, we are disgusted, but no longer shocked, to find that anti-game activists are again rushing to conclusions about what drove Stephen Kazmierczak, the clearly disturbed 27-year-old who police say was responsible for this tragedy, to commit such an act.
Blaming video games for the behavior of the mentally-challenged is vile on many levels. And, as Generations X and Y mature, it is extremely likely that just about all of us have played at least one video game at some point in our lives.
Drawing a parallel between games and violence without any substantive proof is sensationalism for its own sake. This is a sad event, made worse by the irresponsible actions of attention-seekers and the media that has given them a platform for their reckless venom.
Full Disclosure Dept: The ECA is the parent company of GamePolitics.
Comments
That's how I feel right now, too. You can almost assure that a massacre is going to be chased by anti-game activists nowadays. Are Americans even shocked by school shootings anymore? This is what are generation has now become used to seeing.
My opinion, though rather cold, is just "figures".
To use an example, when someone gets drunk, and goes off and crashes their car, no one says, "Oh, it was something else, the car makers should of done something!" No, people say it was the alcohol's fault. But it's never the gun's fault, or how easy it is to get guns with no regard to any sort of medical history.
This may be crass, but if you can stop the mentally unbalanced people from walking into a store and buying a few guns, then we may make some progress.
" TO fox news.
We, the Esa, representing the publishers and distributors of Digitial entertianment software worldwide, Demand from fox news the Following.
1. An immediate apology for placing Jack THompson, a Lawyer known for and currently under investigation by the florida bar for multiple ethics violations in cases he has brought against video game publishers for the sole purpose of furthering a personal vendetta. Since no game industry or other offical was allowed counterpoint, Fox new will be held responsible for any inacuracies he has spoken that are brought to light in the near future. If no apology is given and the industry not offered a chance for counter point, Fox news will face Legal ACTION.
2. If the subject of video games is brought up AT ALL in regards to this shooting, the INdustry will be given equal time to debunk the falsehood fox has spread about this industry, as was seen in Mass Effect debacle that recently occured.
If these demands are not met withing 48 hours, then the industry will Seek imediate legal action against FOX news for allowing a man currently under ethics investigation to speak without counterpoint about a subject he has been proven to lie and slander about on a regular basis. "
THats what they should do, not statements, not vauge promises. Solid legal Threats.
The problem is likely to remain with us for at least the next 10 years, until the current generation of hack journalists, lawyers, psychologists and psychiatrists are pushed out by the younger generations who grew up with Gaming as an inherent part of their lives. Until then well just have to suffer the idiocy and rhetoric of fools who know little and say far more.