Ian Bogost thinks videogames already lost the gun control debate: “The truth is, the games industry lost as soon as a meeting was conceived about stopping gun violence with games as a participating voice. It was a trap, and the only possible response to it is to expose it as such. Unfortunately, the result is already done: Once more, public opinion has been infected with the idea that video games have some predominant and necessary relationship to gun violence, rather than being a diverse and robust mass medium that is used for many different purposes, from leisure to exercise to business to education.”
Sobering.
This is despite many studies saying that virtual violence actually decreases the amount of real world violence. Maybe Belfast Rioters should be given Xbox 360s?
I can see how easily developers and journalists were baited into these talks though, the zeitgeist of this year’s game writing has shown a lot of queasiness over violence post-E3 and that introspection probably is making some question their responsibility regardless of studies.
We can hope the Obama administration’s move to commission the CDC to perform a study proves to be an impartial yardstick that will recalibrate the debate, but ultimately being civic-minded and engaging in these talks is probably a losing move to just playing the lobbying game and being litigious, which is a pity.
Yes, it was a trap. The gun-lobby here will do literally anything to prevent widespread gun availability to any drunken lunatic that wants one. From perverting semi-sacred historical documents to bribing politicians to squash funding to anything that might make a sensible case for gun control. You couldn’t believe the brazen, crookedness of it. It’s totally obscene.
Guns are a blight in the US. A blight. There are armed guards at many schools and still no-one is prepared to stand up and say “You know maybe having a lot of guns is actually the problem”. It’s like building a wall across a freeway and simply refusing to see it, as car after car piles into it. “What could be causing these car accidents? We need to drive a LOT faster”.
The pro-gun lobby and politicians are exactly the same as NI politicians, in the way they prey on the paranoia and ignorance of the less-advantanged population (and the stupid) to enflame their fears (A burglar will invade your home and rape you at any second! only an assault rifle can save you! also, Obama is probably Hitler re-incarnated, and will bring an army of zombies so we need a well-regulated militia whatever that is.).
The thing that really eludes me is: why? Is there really so much money to be made? Are the gun manufacturers and lobbyists and politicians REALLY so greedy that they really would rather have an extra house and accept thousands of children accidentally shooting themselves in the face every year as an acceptable trade-off? Are they REALLY that shitty? Or does this gun lust expose a fatal flaw in the American character of self-confidence and optimism? “Sure we’re great, sure we’re Number 1 – we’ve a fucking rifle!!”