Endless Paradigm

Quote:A footnote in the video game violence debate has been sentenced to die by an Oklahoma jury.

As reported by the Associated Press, jurors deliberated for eight hours before passing a death sentence on Kevin Underwood, 28. The same jury had earlier found Underwood guilty of first-degree murder in the horrific 2006 killing of 10-year-old Jamie Rose Bolin.

So what is Underwood’s connection to the game violence debate?

In a 2006 hearing before the Louisiana Legislature, Rep. Roy Burrell cited Underwood’s heinous crime as an example of the supposed negative effects of violent video games. Burrell was, at the time, attempting to persuade his colleagues to pass Louisiana’s Jack Thompson-authored video game bill. He succeeded, although the law was later ruled unconstitutional. As I wrote for Joystiq at the time:

   " Burrell related [to his colleagues] the story of an Oklahoma man accused of the horrendous murder of a child. Why he chose this example… remains unclear, since the 26-year-old suspect was no kid, and the “violent” game he played, Kingdom of Loathing, is a non-retail, non-industry, online product in which stick figures – stick figures! – battle one another… His bill would have no impact on the very example he raised to support it. "

A defense psychiatrist who argued that Underwood’s life should be spared testified that the killer had cannibalism fantasies, “gave up on being normal,” and suffered from deviant sexual disorders, deep depression, a socially isolating personality disorder, and bipolar disorder.

But, probably it was the video games…

source: http://gamepolitics.com/2008/03/13/kingd...-to-death/

You know, I can see the validity of this argument because whenever I play hangman with friends, it is all I can do to stop from going out and committing suicide via hanging at the sight of that stick figure.

Wait, is there a short stickman game that even an idiot could finish in 60 seconds where the aim is to kill Jack Thompson?

Retardation of America - no offense to our US visitors, but this truly is absolutely ridiculous.

i wouldnt blame the game,
I'd blame the guy for being mental

Anyythingg too doo with deeeeth is my forte.

Senseito Sakura Wrote:Retardation of America - no offense to our US visitors, but this truly is absolutely ridiculous.

You are absolutely correct.  I live in the US and this really is becoming a whole new kind of dumb.  God forbid wee say the parents might have done a bad job raising their kids or maybe wee say the guy should just take full responsibility. No no, what are his hobbies? What? He listens to Marilyn Manson? He plays VIDEO GAMES? THAT'S THE PROBLEM!!!  Maybe if the parents actually instilled a sense of morality or they SPANKED their child when he or she did something extremely bad or was disrespectful some of the stupid issues that are occurring nowadays would cease to exist.  Notice how everything was a lot better back when everything was done that way?  Suddenly, wee stopped spanking our children, stopped disciplining them, ignore anything wee should be teaching them, hoping it'll be taught in school, stopped making rules and just hope the child finds his or her way, began looking for a scapegoat (music or video games or "bullies" or "racism"), and wee get the 90s - present.  I really think this is going to ruin American society.

Hellgiver Wrote:

Senseito Sakura Wrote:Retardation of America - no offense to our US visitors, but this truly is absolutely ridiculous.

You are absolutely correct.  I live in the US and this really is becoming a whole new kind of dumb.  God forbid wee say the parents might have done a bad job raising their kids or maybe wee say the guy should just take full responsibility. No no, what are his hobbies? What? He listens to Marilyn Manson? He plays VIDEO GAMES? THAT'S THE PROBLEM!!!  Maybe if the parents actually instilled a sense of morality or they SPANKED their child when he or she did something extremely bad or was disrespectful some of the stupid issues that are occurring nowadays would cease to exist.  Notice how everything was a lot better back when everything was done that way?  Suddenly, wee stopped spanking our children, stopped disciplining them, ignore anything wee should be teaching them, hoping it'll be taught in school, stopped making rules and just hope the child finds his or her way, began looking for a scapegoat (music or video games or "bullies" or "racism"), and wee get the 90s - present.  I really think this is going to ruin American society.

Well said Hellgiver.

Talk about Parental responsibility. All this spoon on the news about kids going missing - I can honestly say from what I've heard about most of the publicized kidnappings is that the Parents weren't taking responsibility for their own children.

For a number of times now I've seen parents meters away from their young children and the only thought that goes through my mind is "Its no surprise kids are getting kidnapped - their parents are making it easy for them".

Its Pathetic.

I'd be ashamed to know anyone who cared for their kids THAT much..... it disgusts me.

I can't say much about in the US, but I'd probably say that a little over generalisation...  All families I know have rules in place for their children, and thus, they have some disciplinary action.  Yes, there may be some families which do not, but I really do not think that is a majority.

Spanking is not necessarily the solution.  If the family doesn't even have rules in place, well then spanking is going to have no effect.
On the other hand, I don't believe in spanking as a means of discipline - it incites more "fear" rather than "compliance".  I've seen many other approaches which are successful without the need for physical "torture".

As for parents staying away from children, its more typical for teenagers.
Really, the reason is that kidnapping isn't that often anyway.  Being metres away is typically enough to see if someone is trying to grab your child.

But in the end, it's the media IMO...

But yeah, that's my opinion :P

Yeah well come on it is sooo obvious the guy is just mental.....