As much as it pains me to admit it, I think there is credibility to claims that violent video games have some place in all this. Though I know opponents to this idea will be quick to point out there is no collaborating evidence. I think this, because when I grew up, the only mass shootings I ever heard about, where "drive-by's" done by gang bangers, and there was no visually realistic interactive media.
As i said, when i was growing up, there was no such thing as games like Call of Duty. I can recall in my earlier 20's playing on LAN parties the very first First person shooters. I played ALL the dooms and expansions, I remember Duke Nukem 3d, Quake, etc. In terms of Quake or DN3, it was more like the First person shooter as competative sport, or in place of the friday beer and card game with the guys. There wasn't this big strive for realism, it was just all good fun between friends. Today we have the "Modern FPS". I never had that in my "formative years". Now, I've been gaming on PC's since the earliest beginnings, I hate having my games censored, and even I am surprised at some of what makes it into modern FPS's.
A couple examples:
I was surprised at that level of personal violence.
The classic example,
I was amazed this even made it past a storyboard stage in design.
Now, I realize that video games this day and age are not just for kids. In fact, ill be the first one to say so. I love my games and I don't want them under the congressional axe. The problem i think is not enough parents realize this, and allow their kids to play this stuff when they may not be mature enough to handle it.
As movies go, I'm not so sure movies are as much as part of the problem as video games might be, because movies are NOT INTERACTIVE. Movies, do not make illustrate it as "this is you, you are there, and this is what your doing, you pull the trigger" illustration. In movies, your just watching a story unfold.
Now having said all that, I have always found it amusing that in our society, we have all manner of violence in video games, movies, televison, etc. In this country I can watch on national TV an autopsy of someone who was brutally murdered in all it's gory detail, and yet, a showing a woman's breasts is strictly taboo. I also find amusing how far behind the times MR LaPierre is in the examples of games and movies he cited. My thought was, "seriously dude? that was ages ago, I can come up with far better examples then that".
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