Video Games- Do they Help or Hinder 2A?

[NinjaFeint]

An interest in guns is not the same as knowing how to use one.

An interest is a start, we were all interested but not knowledgeable at some point.

 

[Guncollector1982]

I think that WWII games intrigue kids to want to shoot a M1 or whatever but at the same time i dissaprove of the amount of time most kids spend in front of the TV playing them. But overall i think they do give spark to the gun flame.....Or they wouldnt wanna playem. Its kinda the similar to same people that said that coyote and roadrunner droppin acme anvils on each others heads created violent kids though ive never seen a kid that could lift a anvil let alone carry it uphill to a cliff. Id say video games are good encouragers of firearms but i believe in there moderation to kids should be chasing cars or somethin outside

 

[NinjaFeint]

If games are ever truly used as a method of Second Amendment slander, then this would be a truly pathetic, desperate cause indeed.

I think video games and responsible gun ownership are attacked by the same people who are citing the same reason, violence. They blame both for violence in different ways. The video games get blamed for giving them the idea and the guns for giving them the means.

Neither is true and I think supporters of guns and video games counter with the same argument, responsibility and common sense.

 

[opie4386]

UGH im so fed up with people and the ".50cal" i always tell people about the .338 lapua mag and other large cal's. BUT as a matter of fact im taking my friend shooting for the first time this friday THANKS to video game's i think the ANTI-everything people just get there hands on everything they can get. Wait till the army gets the SCAR's and it will be "THE EVIL TAN RIFLES" and no one will know what a m-16 is anymore

 

[Cosmoline]

Although games tend to open the mind of the user towards firearms, it often leaves them completely ignorant of the function, types, proper terminology, and proper use of firearms.

This used to be the case, but it's slowly getting better. The days of the pump action that can fire both barrels at once seem to be over.

Take for example one game that spans several generations of computer games. Castle Wolfenstein.

The first game featured only crude pixel tossers in 2d

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uTBVapjyYA&feature=related

The second version in the early 90's featured slightly less crude weapons in very early 3d

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C00n4rDUMNo

The third version featured an array of both real and fanciful WWII era weapons. Not exactly range-realistic, but a lot closer than the earlier versions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZokNe4I27zg

And there are also some exceptionally realistic games that don't even give you aimpoints. Here's Red Orchestra gameplay:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o646L2QzYmw&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sk6URooj9W0

Kind of like asking if Hollywood helps or hinders the 2nd amendment, don't you think?

No, not at all. The folks who design computer games are a very different bunch from a very different background than the folks who write, produce and direct motion pictures. Game designers are *much* younger and tend to be far less devoted to any particular political view. They're geeks, to be blunt about it. And so are we, to be blunt about it.

 

[Cap'n Jack Burntbeard]

They're geeks, to be blunt about it. And so are we, to be blunt about it.

Truer words were never spoken.

The days of the pump action that can fire both barrels at once seem to be over.

Us gamers can only wish for deer hunter's Remington 1740.

 

[inSight-NEO]

An interest is a start, we were all interested but not knowledgeable at some point.

True. But, being interested means nothing without initiative and guidance. In terms of a child, it becomes the parents responsibility to guide [with care] such an interest and initiative. If such guidance is ignored, then who is truly to blame? The game developer? Not a chance. The parent? Well.....

If one cannot separate reality from fiction, then it is either due to lack of responsible guidance or some type of mental shortcoming. Many variables exist here.

I grew up on the likes of DOOM...a very "violent" and weapon oriented game. Yes, I learned to to put the reticle on the opponent and blast away until bloody guts spewed forth. Guess what? Did this make me a better shooter in life? No way. Did this make me want to grab my dads handgun and go blast humans? Not a chance. Did this harbor a lust [within me] for violence? Nope. Were there guns in the home? Yes.

Why "no" to all of this? I had parents whom I respected and who led by positive example; who made me aware of truth and consequences...fact from fiction. Also, I was of "sound" mind...so I knew that when I grabbed that controller, it was a GAME!!!

Anyone who claims that video game violence is the cause of a violent youth is doing nothing more than buying in to political, anti-gun mentality propaganda. Should we then begin blaming, for instance, the "hunter dad" who takes pride in teaching his kid how to effectively kill [animals] with a gun?

 

[Cosmoline]

inSIght, I don't know if you're aware of this (because I wasn't until recently), but the market for action-oriented games is NOT children but 20 and 30 somethings. It's precisely the market the real gun makers need to rely on for the next generation of sales.

 

[inSight-NEO]

inSIght, I don't know if you're aware of this (because I wasn't until recently), but the market for action-oriented games is NOT children but 20 and 30 somethings. It's precisely the market the real gun makers need to rely on for the next generation of sales.

Yes. I have know this for quite a while. Still, the "violent" games of today seem to be used as a tool to [help] explain youthful tendencies towards violence.

After all, do you honestly think that politicians (who would use such an argument) truly care about which "target age groups" are established by those who market such games? Violence in games happens to be a great propaganda tool. Regardless of us who may be "in the know," many still consider video games to be primarily the domain of youth..even though this in no longer necessarily the case.

Regardless, children could still end up being "exposed" to such games, and for many who are against such a thing, this is enough reason to raise a stink. Sad, but true.

Now, I am also aware that "juvenile" crime has dropped steadily over the years. However, while not necessarily a "juvenile" issue, the Virginia Tech massacre, as a fairly recent example, was blamed (thanks to the usual suspects) on the influence of video games. So, while the argument may be old and somewhat "debunked," it is still there.

 

[BHP FAN]

My son has just about every WWII game made. Want to guess what his first purchase was as soon as he hit 18? An M1 Garand. Take that, anti gamers.

 

[ddtaylor]

I grew up playing fps I remember cod3 and socom on ps2 when I was in highschool. I bought a mosin as my 1st firearm because of them and it is all a poor highschool kid can get. My grandfather was the only one I remember even shooting a gun my dad had a shotgun but it stayed in his closet for 20 something years until I wanted to try skeet shooting So I didn't grow up in a gun friendly house my mom still gets upset if I buy another gun and say "That is the biggest waste of money" .I'm moving up to bigger and more expensive firearms now but it all started with a 90 dollar rifle I used in call of duty when I was 14 but I still need to get me sword like the one cloud used in final fantasy 7.

 

[RhinoDefense]

Correlation doesn't mean causation.

 

[Cosmoline]

We're talking about inspiration.

 

[RhinoDefense]

Video games never inspired me to do anything.

 

[Ashcons]

Being both a “gamer” and a firearms enthusiast, I feel like video games are similar to guns themselves in this political arena. Alarmists like Jack Thompson and his allies in the political and media world will cherry pick from evidence to build their own version of the truth: violent video games have a direct correlation to violent crime.

Remember that, through nature and nurturing, people in general are flawed in many ways. There will always be predators in our society – violent, sexual, or other and there will always be people looking for ways to explain or excuse away the fact that there are things that go bump in the night in our civilization.

I am 29 and grew up enjoying video games from my first taste of Mario Brothers. My dad was a hunter and I have “owned” my own guns since I was in 6th grade; however, I never really enjoyed hunting and firearms were never connected with a sense of enjoyment or even importance to me until more recently in life. I can confidently say that I believe video games had no influence on my interest in firearms, although they do now (Red Dead Redemption influenced my latest purchasing decision in that I obtaining a Winchester model 1894 in .30-.30).

 

[NMGonzo]

I was playing WII with the rifle controls and the 20 year old daughter of a buddy of mine was leading the targets better than I do.

 

[NMGonzo]

Truer words were never spoken.



Us gamers can only wish for deer hunter's Remington 1740.

And fish with it.

 

[Nausea]

My forty-two year uncle and I played the first modern warfare, and then a few months later he took me to his cabin and let me fire his .357 mag a few times. I had fired an autoloader of his about five years earlier, but after becoming a fan of the "shooters" I had paid much more attention to everything I did. I will agree that video games (first person shooters) are excellent catalysts for young shooters. Being a seattlite I wouldn't normally had that much experience with a firearm, and after having that experience I'm significantly more patriotic and proud of my country. On the negative, I will say that in the newest Modern Warfare there are a few blatant marijuana references you can assign to your character, among others. I personally know a twelve year old who plays, and even though it's a 17+ game (or 18?) I am sure there are millions more who are exposed to this.

Edit: I'd like to add I'm a pacifist as well.

 

[Lightsped]

I would say videogames in general are pro 2A. I realize you always have the odd ball kid that ends up killing innocent people in real life... However, I feel that games such as Call of Duty, Battlefield Bad Company, Rainbow Six, etc.... at least give kids a basic knowledge as to the type of guns in the game and their calibers. I always like it when I hear kids talking about how well they did with their AR or AK in a video game, or how they saved the day using their Glock 18 or whatever.

I realize that no real person would enter into a gun fight using the tactics of a video game, but at least there is a firearms interest. That's better than the kids who think the word "gun" is a word or subject that shouldn't be brought up or discussed.

Also, there have been many many cases where I myself (big XBox gamer) have bought various firearms just because they were in a videogame I liked....

 

[speaksoftly]

I'd say pro 2A for sure. Also, you can learn (or at least be made aware) of some interesting concepts while playing games. I bought Modern Warfare 2 and it's been some serious fun to say the least. I play online with members of a team. We are all linked via headset and the performance of our games is directly related to the level of communication we have with each other. Not only do we have to be aware of our map, communicate vital information, and digest incoming information but being shot at by random opposing players means that you learn to do things like check corners, reload at appropriate times, take cover, shoot-n-scoot and other combat related techniques. I'm not saying that a game is anywhere near a combat situation or even a good simulation but it's at least a good mental exercise in that area.

 

[SSN Vet]

....its because youre a bad parent...period..

I strongly suspect that the folks who post such comments do not have children.

Hence, I'm not much interested in subscribing to their "parenting advice"

Nurture vs. Nature

The age old debate....

I say it's both... and I poor my heart out and bust my tail to raise my three kids, yet I'm far from perfect. None the less, in the final analysis, their going to stand on their own two feet and give an account for themselves. I suspect the ultimate judge isn't going to be to interested in "potty training" excuses.

 

[M-Cameron]

....its because youre a bad parent...period..

I strongly suspect that the folks who post such comments do not have children.

Hence, I'm not much interested in subscribing to their "parenting advice"

SSN vet.......am i wrong though?


i honestly have a hard time believing that the parents of kids who go on mass shootings are parent of the year award material.

 

[otcconan]

I think games are great if they pique the interest of someone and get them to try something new...be it shooting, playing football, or playing guitar.

That being said, I must offer this caveat (as a real-life badass guitar player):

Being good at Call of Duty does not make one Vasili Zaitsev
Being good at Madden does not make one Peyton Manning.
Being good at Guitar Hero does not make one Eddie Van Halen.

...oh, and being good at MS Flight Simulator doesn't make you Chuck Yeager.

All that being said, it's still great fun and if people get into these things because of it, it's a great thing. I've got a lot of students just from people who played Guitar Hero or Rock Band. Thanks for the business, guys.

 

[Zoogster]

Video games are the new movies, only unlike movies they are interactive and get the viewer participating.

How many people first wanted some gun because of a movie or show?


Movies in general have less money put into them today (adjust for inflation.) Video games as a market have grown to match what movies once were.
They also can actually insure payment in a day of rampant piracy.
Music is routinely pirated today, movies are pirated, but most games require a unique serial number, and online games must have a proper serial number.
This makes online video games one of the safest products to produce (and invest millions in), because people will be forced to actually buy the thing to use it.



Any older people can think of movies they watched, whether westerns, military films, or various cop shows as a youngster.
Now imagine if instead of just watching you could have actually participated. How much more interesting would it have been?
There was decent movies and horrible ones, and there is horrible games and some good ones too.
For young people without actual experience with firearms, especially in urban environments, it is probably the first interest in firearms many have.




As far as good games:

The best one out right now by far has got to be this one:
http://www.realitymod.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TUrwljskNg
It is a mod (modification) for Battlefield 2 (a horrible game without the mod) that requires downloading: http://www.realitymod.com/downloads.html.
It blows all current games out of the water, including Modern Warfare 2.
It requires downloading about 4 gig of content for the mod, and purchasing Battlefield 2 ($10 new now as it is a 2005 game) and updating it to the latest patch before applying the mod (another 2.5 gig download in 2 required patches)
It is nothing like Battlefield 2, the graphics are also improved so the requirements are higher, and while there is some games with better graphics now, none have better game play.
A microphone is pretty standard, and helps communicate with your squad, but is not required.

They are really good about attention to detail for most of the small arms.
64 people playing together at once, all opponents are players too. It is only limited by who you play with, as it is a very team oriented game.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SB1vocqKPgo

It was featured in "SOLDIER" magazine in the UK in 2008, the official magazine of the British Army, and so got a good boost with the British population. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soldier_Magazine

It is of course still a game, and the vehicles are not simulations by any means. The factions are on more equal footing than reality so it is still fun.
But the infantry side is well done, and the best in the gaming world IMHO.

So if you have time for games, be sure to check it out. It still gets updated with new content every few months.

 

[NMGonzo]

Zoogs ... I love old movies (I grew up with them) so I have a taste (but not the money) for old looking guns.