Canoe Paddles Down River of Violent Games

January 29, 2010

Canadian website Canoe has doubled up on videogame violence stories posted to its site in recent days.

First up is a story with the banner “Man Wounded in Xbox Dispute,” which details the shooting of a 27-year old Winnipeg man by his 16-year old brother. While “it was unclear whether the dispute was over the possession of a video game or if it broke out while the pair was playing a video game,” videogames were central enough to the crime that they were utilized in the headline.

The shooting victim, thankfully, was upgraded to stable condition in the hours following the incident.

Canoe also took the time to produce a slideshow entitled “Video Games Linked With Crime,” which dredges up fifteen game-related or influenced crimes, including a supposed trend among graffiti artists to replicate Tetris patterns in their illegal works.


Thanks Allen and Trencher!

Image via Wooster Collective

Comments

Re: Canoe Paddles Down River of Violent Games

Submitted by Inimical on Mon, 02/01/2010 - 01:18.

It's Canoe. Did anyone really expect anything less?

Re: Canoe Paddles Down River of Violent Games

Submitted by Zerodash on Sun, 01/31/2010 - 08:51.

FAIL.  They are reporting the long-debunked murder "caused" by Manhunt.

Re: Canoe Paddles Down River of Violent Games

Submitted by Kajex on Sat, 01/30/2010 - 04:41.

Onoez- Tetris-based graffiti. Surely the entry-level beginnings of a hard-core killer, or worse- terrorist. I can see it now- score a Tetris and watch the bottom 4 floors 'splode.

Re: Canoe Paddles Down River of Violent Games

Submitted by Vake Xeacons on Mon, 02/01/2010 - 14:51.

Oh come on, I think it's kinda pretty! The makings of a true artist! Besides, all the best painters were psycho anyways.

Re: Canoe Paddles Down River of Violent Games

Submitted by Ryoshi on Fri, 01/29/2010 - 17:14.

Hahaha, I love the attempt to demonize something as innocent as Tetris.  "OH NO, THE COMMIES ARE TURNING OUR YOUNGSTERS INTO GANGSTERS THROUGH PUZZLE GAMES!!!"

Re: Canoe Paddles Down River of Violent Games

Submitted by GoodRobotUs on Fri, 01/29/2010 - 16:55.

Seems like somebody forgot the paddle...

Re: Canoe Paddles Down River of Violent Games

Submitted by SeanB on Fri, 01/29/2010 - 16:02.

HOLY SHIT!

In case #5, the child (9 years) was playing his playstation at 3:30am, when a family member came into the room and stabbed him.

I guess that means if i'm eating ice-cream in the park when i get stabbed, the ice cream is to blame.

The word "allegedly" is used so many times in these articles it's distasteful. They know it's bullshit.

And the icing on the cake

Game systems: Various.
Crime: Stealing. According to the FBI, theft of games systems jumped 285 per cent from 2007 to 2009. (Nintendo/AP/Handout/MICROSOFT)

Re: Canoe Paddles Down River of Violent Games

Submitted by Austin_Lewis on Sat, 01/30/2010 - 09:38.

Sounds like MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) may have helped compile these statistics. 

But seriously, this isn't an uncommon thing when arguing weak points.  It has been done for DECADES by all sorts of organizations, from the 'Brady Campaign' to the CDC to MADD.  For an easy and common example, MADD will call all deaths from any event where alcohol was present alcohol related.  Let us assume, for example, that I am a sober individual driving with my 3 friends in my SUV.  One of the friends in the back has a BAC of .03 (well under the legal limit of .08 in the US).  Now, let us assume that a jackass on a bicycle, completely sober, darts out in front of my car traveling 45 MPH, and I slam into a building trying to avoid hitting the aforementioned jackass cyclist.  MADD will claim that the WHOLE THING was caused by alcohol, meaning that if all four people in my car AND the cyclist die, they claim another 5 people died due to alcohol, even though alcohol played no part in the events.

Re: Canoe Paddles Down River of Violent Games

Submitted by Father Time on Fri, 01/29/2010 - 17:01.

Wow they've got a lot of nerve to try to pass of theft of consoles as video games' fault.

I mean it's not like people ever steal things of value so they can sell them instead of using them. All those jewelry thieves are just people with a gold fetish that's all.

----------------------------------------------------

Debates are like merry go rounds. Two people take their positions then they go through the same points over and over and over again. Then when it's over they have the same positions they started in.

---------------------------------------------------- Debates are like merry go rounds. Two people take their positions then they go through the same points over and over and over again. Then when it's over they have the same positions they started in.

Re: Canoe Paddles Down River of Violent Games

Submitted by Austin_Lewis on Sat, 01/30/2010 - 09:40.

MY GOD!  People steal things that are expensive and easily transported?  Watch out, there may be a revolution in crime on the way! 

 

Re: Canoe Paddles Down River of Violent Games

Submitted by Jag on Fri, 01/29/2010 - 15:42.

I think it's about time that someone creates a website showing the amount of violence that doesn't involve video games.

Then we can do a statistical comparison on the impact with and without video games.

Who knows, maybe playing video games actually reduces the amount of violence. :)

 

Re: Canoe Paddles Down River of Violent Games

Submitted by Lost Question on Sun, 01/31/2010 - 02:29.

There's a thing called Darwin Awards and many of the "winners" perrish via stupid

I wonder if you looked back in the darwin awards archives and used the oldest canoe story as a ref and compared darwin awards to canoe's crime storys would one come up with a stat on how many stupid deaths happen before a vg crime?

I think I'll go back to lurking

Re: Canoe Paddles Down River of Violent Games

Submitted by lordlundar on Sun, 01/31/2010 - 23:47.

There's a thing called Darwin Awards and all of the "winners" perrish via stupid

Fixed that for you. It's actually a requirement for it to be done by incredible stupidity.

Re: Canoe Paddles Down River of Violent Games

Submitted by SeanB on Mon, 02/01/2010 - 11:34.

No, you were wrong, and it's worse because you were wrong while trying to correct someone who was already right.

To be eligible for a darwin award, you need only remove your genes from the gene pool. You can either kill yourself, loose your testicals, or even do something that results in the death of on of your children.

All qualify. While sometimes entertaining, it's a rahter ghastly 'award'

Re: Canoe Paddles Down River of Violent Games

Submitted by Vinzent on Fri, 01/29/2010 - 20:56.

How about a study regarding violent criminals and wether or not they consumed milk as a child? I'm betting you'll find a near 100% correlation. It's the milk I tell you!

Re: Canoe Paddles Down River of Violent Games

Submitted by Beacon80 on Mon, 02/01/2010 - 11:43.

I've had it up to here with your repeated attempts to confuse the issue.  It's the water drinkers, or as I like to call them, hydroantes!  Forget "near 100% correlation", every single criminal drinks water! I promise you, if everybody in the world stopped drinking water completely, in a couple of weeks, there would be a very sharp decline in criminal behavior.

Re: Canoe Paddles Down River of Violent Games

Submitted by Vinzent on Mon, 02/01/2010 - 19:37.

Your flawed studies betray your liberal bias, and your sad devotion to that ancient religion has not helped conjure up the stolen data tapes!

Re: Canoe Paddles Down River of Violent Games

Submitted by SeanB on Fri, 01/29/2010 - 15:54.

howabout the number of people who die while under the influence of alcohol every year, or playing/watching sports?

How many people die every year in completely random acts of violence? or influenced by religion?

Even if you took every single "supposed" case of video game related violence over the past 25 years, it wouldn't come close to the number of people who die for completely stupid and preventable reasons.

Re: Canoe Paddles Down River of Violent Games

Submitted by Neeneko on Fri, 01/29/2010 - 16:52.

Or football.  That is always a fun one to compare.

Re: Canoe Paddles Down River of Violent Games

Submitted by whiston532 on Fri, 01/29/2010 - 15:28.

Theyre from Winnipeg. Why wouldnt they shoot eachother ? Its not like they have anyting better to do ? ( other than games apparently )

Just some friendly jabs from your Edmontonian brother

Re: Canoe Paddles Down River of Violent Games

Submitted by SeanB on Fri, 01/29/2010 - 15:52.

Hey, i'm from Brandon..... and your comment was entirely truthful

 
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