Some people would point the finger at video games as the cause of the violent school shootings that have taken place in the US in recent years. Gun control advocate Paul Helmke, however, begs to differ. According to him, video games aren't to blame for school killings - guns are. More on his alternative perspective after the jump.

With all the concerns circulating violent video games, horror author Stephen King joins in on the discussion. Writing novels for more than four decades, he's one of those credible enough to speak about the matter. Instead of writing down what he believes in, King chooses to speak up his mind. Find out what he said in the full article.

Jack Thompson is at it again, and this time he has his eye on the recent shoot out that occurred at North Illinois University earlier today. In an interview with Fox News, he presented the same arguments as with previous campus massacres and other violent incidents, pinning the blame once again on violent video games. You can read more about what Jack Thompson had to say, as well as the video interview in the full article after the jump.

If you haven't heard yet, another student from Virginia Tech died recently, and once again discussions began to rear their ugly heads at gaming. World of Warcraft was the game pinned to the wall this time around. Though other disputes rose later as details were unveiled, people are looking back once again to the tragic shooting back in April 2007.

Is the US Department of Defense collaborating with the games industry to create an entire generation of perfect soldiers who crave for war like it's something good? The latest statement coming from activist lawyer Jack Thompson seems to indicate that. He also linked this theory to recent shooting incidents in Columbine and Virginia Tech. Does that sound similar to something characters went through in a Metal Gear Solid game? Read on and tell us what you think.

The latest report released by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) reveal that the video game industry grew four times faster than the U.S. economy in 2003 to 2006. After seeing 17% annual growth, gaming left the national economy's 4% in the dust.

More interesting findings await at the full article.

 

While the world was still reeling from the shock of the horrible tragedy that is the V-Tech shootings, a formal investigation into the murderer's background - as well as what could have been done, and what should be done to prevent anything like this from happening again - was launched, and has recently concluded. Its findings, which should provide at the very least, solace to the bereaved, also provide an answer to a question that the videogame community (as well as the rest of the world) had been asking: was violence in videogames a factor in Seung Hui Cho's outburst?

The answer is a resounding 'no'.

This comes directly from the full report of the Virginia Tech Review Panel, spearheaded by none other than Governor of Virginia, Tim Kaine, with the actual material hosted on his official website. Excerpts that best convey this affirmation presented as is:

Sun and her parents recall that Cho seemed to be doing better. He was enrolled in a Tae Kwon Do program for awhile, watched TV, and played video games like Sonic the Hedgehog. None of the video games were war games or had violent themes. He liked basketball and had a collection of figurines and remote controlled cars.

Years later when he was in high school, Cho was asked to write about his hobbies and interests. He wrote:

I like to listen to talk shows and alternative stations, and I like action movies…My favorite movie is X-Men, favorite actor is Nicolas Cage, favorite book is Night Over Water, favorite band is U2, favorite sport is basketball, favorite team is Portland Trailblazers, favorite food is pizza, and favorite color is green.

Cho’s roommate never saw him play video games. He would get movies from the library and watch them on his laptop. The roommate never saw what they were, but they always seemed dark.

With various critics of videogames such as Dr. Phil and Jack Thompson pointing to videogames as a major influence in the V-tech killings before the findings themselves were published, it's certainly interesting to find out just what the reaction of the masses will be, now that these results have come to the public light. We'll be here to update you on developments as they happen, and you can let us know what you think by your comments below.

The New York State Senate has just passed new legislation that seeks to (once again) curb video game violence. Bill S.5888, sponsored by Senator Andrew Lanza, was introduced just last Thursday (May 17) and was subsequently passed Tuesday of this week (May 21).

According to the press wire that's in circulation, this bill's agenda is to first create the Advisory Council on Interactive Media and Youth Violence, a board that's designed to review the current Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB).

The two other provisions of this bill include a requirement for all New York State retailers to place rating labels on their games, and to establish a Parent-Teacher Anti-Violence Awareness Program.

What I find counter-intuitive (and a little absurd) is that while the bill's provisions seem sensible, Lanza added this statement in the press release in order to make it seem more imperative to pass the bill into law:

The recent release of 'V-Tech Massacre,' a sick game which exploits the Virginia Tech University tragedy, is a painful reminder of the culture of violence which has severe consequences on our youth and society.

We assume he means V-Tech Rampage, Ryan Lambourn's highly controversial Flash game, which Mr. Lanza also attempted to parallel to Rockstar's upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV.

Indeed, while I agree with the legislation's movements for increased awareness, it's unsettling to know that the primary motivations for this legislation appear to be a knee-jerk reaction to the Virginia Tech incident and a game not affiliated with the large-scale video game industry. Of course, that's just my two cents on the matter - time will tell what revisions will play out as this bill goes through its paces.

What about you, QJ readers - what's your take on this new bill? We've posted a read link for the original press wire which details the bill's full mechanics. Read up on that and feel free to post a reply.

We feel sorry for the victims that lost relatives and loved ones during the V-Tech incident. However, it's hard not to feel the same towards the video game industry that takes all the blame.

Recently, a Virginia Tech Review Panel was held and it was suggested that violent video games should be banned like heroin. Why? Panelist Don Phau not only mentioned Jack Thompson's allegations against Counter-Strike motivating Cho Heung-Sui, he also claims that the game is related to the Erfurt school shooting in Germany.

According to this Thompson-wannabe, FPS games were made after the Vietnam War by the industry to make money. He also stated that Microsoft developed Counter-Strike. What's next? Mario's mushrooms are actually drugs?

"These games, I propose, should be banned. The same way you cannot buy heroin; the same way you cannot be a 16-year-old and buy pornography," said Phau. He would've been correct, if we lived a few years ago before the law against selling video games to minors have been passed.

This man is obviously uninformed though, so cut him some slack. He even gave figures: 82% of kids can buy M-rated games. His report is pretty much seven years old, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

Several hours ago, it will be remembered that independent programmer Ryan Lambourn (aka PiGPEN) created the highly controversial V-Tech Rampage flash game, which was based on the Virginia Tech shooting incident that took place last April 16, 2007.

The shooting left 33 people dead  (including the shooter, Seung-Hui Cho), and an industry under fire due to early suspicions that Cho had trained on video games to prepare for his shooting spree. This allegation was promptly disproved as more evidence emerged.

V-Tech Rampage drew heavy criticism from the gaming community for its portrayal of the actual shooting incident, with many protesting its removal from the Newgrounds - its current host site. But while the game and its creator have already been drawing heavy flak, the author stated that he will pull the game down... if people payed him. Here reads the statement at his home site (Googumproduce):

ATTENTION ANGRY PEOPLE:
I will take this game down from newgrounds if the donation amount reaches $1000 US, i'll take it down from [my home site] if it reaches $2000 US, and i will apologize if it reaches $3000 US.

It goes without saying that the above statement garnered plenty of angry reactions from the community. A few hours later, PiGPEN stated that the whole money charge was a joke:

...the donation thing is there as a joke against all the people commanding me to take my game down. I didn't think anyone would donate money to it and so far my paypal account has proven me right.

 
If that was a joke, I'm not laughing. While controversial games like this are bound to pop up following tragedies like those at V-tech, it's saddening to see how people are quick to pounce on the opportunity to get their moments of fame on the net. What makes this minefield-of-a-topic all the more sensitive is that (and this is just me thinking out loud here) violent gaming is already under the scrutiny of the non-gaming community, and (a rather misinformed) congress.

Sure, similarly hot-button games like Super Columbine Massacre RPG were created not too long ago, but games like these at least demanded serious thought and reflection - it challenged player to take a few steps back, and try to understand the reasons for tragedies like this. Guys who've tried V-Tech Rampage generally thought it was anything but.    

With that said, I ask the readers this: What is your take on the whole matter?