Allow me to begin by stating the inspiration for this particular writing. Monday (Dec 20, 1999), on Zophar's Domain, there was a link posted to a story on ZDNet in regards to a shooting in Brazil. This particular post was a followup to one last week about Brazil banning certain games for violent content. If you wish to read the full article on ZDNet, point your browser to this page.

Over the course of this last year, it has become increasingly common, following acts of violence, for various forms of media to be painted as scapegoa ts to the true problem - the criminal. We saw it during Columbine, and afterwards, during the rash of copycat shootings across the United States and Canada. Now, we see it again, but this time, farther from home - in Brazil. For those of you who are unawa re of this recent development, allow me to summarize:

In Sao Paulo, Brazil, this past November 3rd, a man by the name of Mateus de Costa Meira entered a movie theatre, and gunned down a dozen people, leaving three dead, and eight others injured. It was later discovered, through police investigation, that he was under the influence of cocaine when he emptied the fifty round magazine from an automatic handgun.

Now, what I find disturbing about this situation, aside from the loss of human life, is that the news media, in its infinite irresponsibility, finds it necessary to lay blame upon violent video games such as Duke Nukem, Doom, and the like. Certainly this man could not have committed such an act out of a drug induced anger. Nor could he h ave killed three innocent people by his own accord, as a result of stress, or simply snapping. It obviously could not have been a pre-existing mental condition, either. A video game is the reason why three people were murdered, and eight others shot.
< br>To that, I have only this to say: Ridiculous.

Admittedly, Mr. Meira did act out a scene from Duke Nukem, according to police reports, in his choice of weapon, and in firing position. However, I believe that to say the game influenced him to comm it these acts is an unfounded statement, based solely upon a dislike for the aforementioned game and its brethren. Where is the logic in that arguement? Where is the scientific proof to justify placing blame upon a video game, of all things? Have we truly sunk so deep into the pit of media vulturism that we can no longer think for ourselves?

Some time ago, just after the Columbine shootings, as I recall, an Air Force Colonel went on a rather unusual rant that caught my attention, as well as that of the media. He suggested that games such as Lethal Enforcers, Virtua Cop, and other such games were effectively "combat simulations" which trained the player to kill without considering the ramifications of such beforehand. While I realize that such train ing is standard in the military, I fail to see how a game can provide military-quality training. Though on an interesting note, I did see an interview with a half dozen military personnel, in which one mentioned that during fire training, recruits were ta ught to shoot and kill the enemy on instinct alone.

Why is it that people can be turned into killing machines by certified instructors, yet a person who plays a video game is guilty of a capitol crime? The answer to this is simple: the military is a far more socially accepted organization. As is the news media. How many complaints do you see in regards to televised news stories about war, murders, or other violent matters? Very few, in comparison. In fact, hardly any at all. Those that do arise are quietly shuffled beneath the rug. Yet in one hour of a televised new cast, one can view the same level of violence as one might find in even the most macabre of video games. The sickening part, to me, is that whereas bodies in video games are merely pixe ls on a screen, bodies on a newscast are real people. People whose lives have been ended by another. Families who must deal with the grief of losing a loved one. And still, the media seems to be more concerned with painting the evil of violent video games across the airwaves and the Internet.

All too often, we see an anchor on television report on a murder, only to proceed to the next headline with a bright smile. Video games are not what desensitize us - the news media itself is. In their lack of concern, the media presents only what it wishes to, and in many cases, that is not the entire truth. It focuses upon the side of "good", rather than the side of "right". What is right is not always good, and yet what is good is not always right. The media has become completely irresponsible over the last few years, and if present trends continue, it shall keep doing so. How is it that the killings at Columbine drew nearly ten days of exclusive coverage on CNN, while the World Trade Organization riots were hardly mentioned?

It must have been the games.

In any case, I've been longwinded enough as it is. I'll bring this article to a graceful close with a shameless plug: If you've enjoyed this, or any other article I've written for ZD, feel free to toss me a line, and I'd be happy to write something for your site. I'd be happy to contribute freelance writing to anyone who wants it. (Mind you, if I was getting paid, I'd be more likely to be a permenant fixture :)

-Shamanix

PS: Feel free to send feedback to shadowcourt@home.com. Intelligent conversation is greatly preferred to those of you who consider flaming a useful venture. Flaming is a waste of my time and yours, as yo ur email will simply be ignored. Thank you.