Do you think violent videogames played any kind of role in the Sandy Hook shooting?
Adam Lanza May Have Been 'Recreating' Violent Video Games in Sandy Hook Shooting
Police have reportedly found thousands of dollars worth of violent video games belonging to Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooter Adam Lanza in the home he shared with his mother. And police say they will never even know the full extent of his violent video game obsession because he destroyed his computer's hard drive before his horrific murder spree. But reportedly police believe he may have been "reenacting" some of the scenes from the video games he loved so much when he burst into the Newtown, Connecticut elementary school and killed 20 students and six adults.
I personally do not believe violent video games -- or movies or song lyrics or anything else -- can cause anyone to kill. Not in and of themselves. It takes a variety of causes and elements to interact in the mind to cause someone to kill -- especially to get to the point where you are mass killing complete strangers who did nothing to you.
Reportedly Adam Lanza was on the austism spectrum and may have had Asperger's Syndrome, which experts say doesn't predispose anyone to violence. (He also reportedly had "sensory integration disorder"
and could only tolerate being touched by his mother.) However, combine
whatever mental illness Adam may or may not have had with a obsessive
fantasy world wherein killing is the order of the day, and it could tip
someone over into a dark realm where killing becomes something that not only the person is desensitized to, but is glorified.
Plenty of studies have shown that images of violence make children act out in more hostile and aggressive ways -- at least in the short term. Hell, do your own experiment. Watch a violent movie or video game and then walk outside. How do you feel about the people around you? How aggressive is your driving? Now meditate for half an hour or take a bubble bath while listening to soft music and do the same thing.
Let's say you're in a room a disturbed person who has a gun. And you have to sit in a room with this person for a week. Would you prefer that person play violent video games or listen to soothing classical music and watch uplifting, inspirational images on a computer. You get to choose. How many of you are going to choose the first? In fact, how many murderous young men have we heard of who who were obsessed with Mozart, Buddha, rescuing animals and watching light romantic comedies? What do soldiers listen to when they are at war? It's not Handel or Celine Dion.
Violent games may not cause violence, but a mind does. And what goes into that mind is of extreme importance. Think about that when you decide what goes into the mind of your children.
Do you think violent videogames played any kind of role here?
There are decent 'arguments' on both sides of issues like this.
I can't answer, with certainty. As far as I see this type of situation, is it based more on the individual.
I know of people who play some pretty nasty, crazy games. Some are perfectly normal and others, those games play too large of a role in their lives.
Depends on the minds of the individuals and how they process and react to things.
I have no doubt there are those out there who, playing such games, has an impact on their minds, their actions, etc. Others, not at all.
Doing any thing in excess cannot be that great for any one.
No, I think mental illness and negligent storage of guns on a property where a mentally ill individual lives played a role
This.
Quoting romanceparty4u:No, I think mental illness and negligent storage of guns on a property where a mentally ill individual lives played a role
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If they enforced bank regulations like they do park rules, we wouldn't be in this mess
I have been saying to people how in my mind its not gun control we really need to focus on but the mental health crisis we are facing. most of the criminals that have done the shooting had mental health issues and were either denied help or pushed through and so on..
sorry i went into a lil tangent.
Quoting FromAtoZ:I guess I was speaking more in general terms versus Sandy Hook.
No, I don't think this played a part in the tragedy. The kid was mentally ill and that illness was not handled properly.
who knows but i don't see them as a problem. not that i let my son or nephew play them but i suspect that i will when they are teenagers.
No, I do not.
Mental illness is not caused by games.
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