Town Holds Violent Videogame Buyback Program Pages PREV 1 2 3 4 NEXT | |
I see the Escapist trend of ambiguous, frightening headlines to draw in pageviews is still working. "Town Holds Violent-Videogame Buyback Program" sounds like there was a riot where a mob demanded people turn over violent games for monetary compensation, not a casual suggestion of a voucher. | |
Well more accuratly the big issue is the USA having an out of control media. We pretty much let the media sensationaalize just about anything they want to, and broadcast it internationally. Since everyone cares about the USA (whatever they might claim) everyone also tunes right in to hear about it, and it stays in the news longer. When people attempt to cause mass casualties in other countries it's a relative foot note. For example in China some guy went berserk in a school with a knife before being taken down, like the day before "Sandy Hook". It didn't get one tenth the press coverage, and honestly, it's amazing we even heard about it to the extent we did because most countries try and keep their dirty laundry like that in the country and compartmentalized instead of broadcasting it everywhere. The thing is that when you look at murder sprees and such in general, the US isn't so bad, but it takes more digging, and also the desire to remember them. Also there is a tendency among everyone in the world to value what happens elsewhere less, because the USA is pretty much the most dominant and enlightened culture, and sets a standard, it's nice to take a chunk out of us once in a while, and while everyone agrees we're more or less "tops", they tend to think of anyone other than us and themselves as comparitively barbaric. Do a search for something called "Three Guys One Hammer" (Encyclopedia Dramatica used to have links to the video, but I believe they took it down), it's fairly old right now, but the bottom line was that it was a bunch of kids in Russia (I believe) torturing and killing this dude for fun while recording it on their cell phone. It's been a while, but the bottom line is that this only got it's 15 minutes of fame because it made it on the internet as a shock video. The apprehension of the guys that did it was barely a footnote comparitively speaking. Nobody much cares or remembers it now, or thinks of it in cases like this, because it's not the USA, and pretty much anyone else around the world probably to some degree think "the people there are animals, so it's expected", which was in part what you heard when this video was "new". Someone sets off a nail bomb in a school in Poland or whatever, and you might hear about it for five minutes, but globally speaking nobody cares, and neither does the media. In part because the Polish authorities will probably be far more assertive in dealing with the media to prevent it from being turned into this kind of a circus (which gets into other issues like relative "Freedom of the Press" as well... globally speaking, not just about Poland). ... and yes, part of the reason why you hear about it is because people want to point fingers at the USA and say "The USA sucks" which is part of "caring". As I said, a tradgedy elsewhere tends to just be "duh, expected". - Also as a side note I'll say that the problems we're looking at aren't exactly recent either. The US, like most countries, has had non-stop dark moments since it was formed, it's just that the media wasn't in a position to distribute the information on a large scale. Some horror writers have pointed out that while doing research for books all they need to do is go into archival newspaper footage, and they will find something truely, beyond the pale, F@cked up, in the history of pretty much any town you can think of, and a grain of truth behind just about any "local" or "urban" legend. This is what inspires so many writers to have characters in their works do "research" in town archives and such to find why hauntings and such occur, because it's remotely plausible, since everywhere has See, if someone went into a school in a relatively small town with a Tommy Gun and iced 30 or so kids in the 1930s, the odds of anyone outside of the area knowing about it were prety much non-existant. There was no internet, radio was comparitively crude, and newspapers could only be distributed as far as trucks could carry them and few people cared about what happened outside of their area (except for big, federal, headlines). Also to be fair shock journalism has always been around, but it's only been fairly recent (within a few decades) where it's become the bread and butter of reporting. That's my thoughts at any rate. Consider that one of the things that made Hoover so famous in his gangster hunts and such is that he was able to get media coverage, and was one of the very first people to use the media so heavily for crimes. He did a lot to get people's pictures, stories, etc... out there. Even as late as the 1960s you had criminal gangs (like bikers) virtually taking over towns because everything was so compartmentalized and it was hard for people to tell what was goin on where, or mount effective responses, and as many people will point out even when things sucked here the USA was pretty bloody well off compared to the rest of the world. It's not that things have changed, you just hear about it more, indeed things are probably the best they have ever been for the first world, but increasing information gathering and distribution technology means that we're simply more aware so it seems like the opposite is true. | |
... I wonder how much I can make from this scheme. | |
I can't wait for the NRA to get on board with this. Get a free gun for every video game you turn in! Staying indoors is creepy, go outside and shoot something with real bullets like a true American! On topic for treating the symptoms but not the disease; http://www.leaderpost.com/life/fashion-beauty/Bulletproof+gear+kids/7766916/story.html Yup, bulletproof school gear for kids. Which only means that your average psycho will need to pony up for armor-piercing rounds. Hmmmm so psychos will need better guns and ammo, concerned parents are shelling out for body armor for their kids... that's a win/win for the NRA when you think about it. Well played NRA. | |
are you kidding?..."stupid people being stupid" is one of the most popular topics here
uhhh...no..not that I can see
..what?
its the same "mindset" that the games are so "harmful" that they actually go to such lengths as this (this whole thing is pretty rediculous when you think about) if not then what I said was slightly off topic, that the "ban media!" argument is stupid
I don't want to prevent people from handing over their games...they might get a nice deal out of, though I would disagree with them doing it because it would only encourage this dumbassery, as for the people running it...well I wouldn't ban it but I'm still going to say its stupid
like what I said earlyer, the fact they think the games are enough of a problem to want to actually get people to get rid of them seems pretty convincing to me, obviously they can't ban them so they take a more "mutually beneficial" aproach...stupid as it is, if not thease people then there are plenty more groups that would love to see them banned
"tantrum" oh how precious no, our "tantrum" is because people are beign stupid...you know what? I dont even deny there is a link between behaviour and games...I DO think taking a "DERP! BAN IT ALL" aproach is absolutly disgusting and only a few steps above book burnings, how the fuck is what they are doing suposed to have an impact?..AT ALL....the only impact is symbolic, banning what already exists is about as effective as pissing in the ocean | |
Whoa... what the crikey did that guy do to deserve that backlash? Granted, he may have overreacted, but most of the first page is overreactions. Why single out this guy?
It doesn't take much effort to check each persons post history, especially given how few there are... these guys are not the same person. So maybe think before you shoot your mouth off. It's even easier to do on the web because there are no time constraints on posting. Also, given the recency of the shootings and the obvious connotations of this buyback, it's perfectly reasonable to question "why not guns" under the current controversies. Those posts are well within the scope of the topic. Just because you don't like their viewpoint does not mean they are deliberately derailing the thread. Ironically, you are starting to derail the thread by venting your groundless suspicions. If you suspect dodgy accounts, report and move on. Though given that they haven't done anything against the forum rules, and at a glance don't appear to be the same person, it would be safer to just ignore and move on, as reprisals are to be expected from abusing the report function. | |
I never said it was a single person. I'm completely tired of every discussion board on the internet being invaded by people with no interest in the site itself, rather they just care about sparking a gun control debate and saying everyone is a gun-nut dumbass for not agreeing with them. Everywhere. Fucking game boards, sites dedicated to the preparation and consumption of rare shellfish, antique silverware discussion sites.... doesn't matter where. Wherever you go, there they are stinking up the whole room with their shit. | |
"Technicalities"? You think the fact that there's not evidence for a single one of Vault101's absurd claims is a "technicality"?
Yeah, and if there's one thing we don't see any more, it's PnP RPGs, music, or unregulated comic books- oh wait. Actually, the only one of those things that any moral panic ever successfully achieved regulation of was comic books. IN THE 1950s. And that regulation isn't just defunct, but laughably so. So I fail to see how this one event in Connecticut will snowball into a general regulation of video games, especially given that video games are already an enormous industry that is basically mainstream. One must remember that the slippery slope is a fallacy unless the person appealing to it actually has evidence for the chain of events they propose will happen.
Oh? What exactly are they "like"? It sounds to me like most people in this thread don't know a damn thing about what the residents of this town who are participating in the game buy-back are like. They've just jumped to conclusions, because you know, we're the game tribe, and they're apparently not the game tribe, so they must be some implacable evil enemy who will stop at nothing to destroy us. But it's funny you talk about letting them go unchecke [sic]. Because the only thing that needs to be checked in their little event is their unsupportable claims about video game violence. Too bad every time studying video game violence gets brought up in this forum people fly into absolute hysterics, with some members inventing vast conspiracy theories of secret shadow organizations dedicated to nothing other than inventing fraudulent studies to persecute gamers. Otherwise we might have some sensible information to defeat their misinformation with.
What a surprise. We're not even past page three and someone is passive-aggressively declaring they're not opposed to violence as a response to a non-violent game buy-back program. Gee, I wonder how posts like that will be interpreted by people who think violent video games may cause violence.
Would you please, please take a reality check here? Neither your freedom of speech nor the freedom of speech of any violent video game maker has been jeopardized one iota. In fact, by bringing up violence as a response, you're at risk of silencing the freedom of speech of the participants of this event. You know what this reminds me of? There's a certain strain of Christian fundamentalists who are so myopic in their view of the world that they invent fantasies of being oppressed by the rest of society, and believe in these fantasies so fervently that just as you've mentioned violence as a response, they would pre-emptively curtail the rights of non-Christians out of some delusional fear that their own rights are just moments away from being denied. Relax. Breathe. Put the railgun down. They aren't coming for you in the night just because you play video games. | |
Hm... While I hate the underlying hatred, fear and ignorance, I have to aknowledge that this is one of the most reasonable and mature ways to deal with it. Good on them for at least not all out calling for bans. | |
there is only one reason for PEGI rating - for stupid people to think certain things are inappropriate to certain people. as for the buyback, well, there will be people who can get rid of old games this way, more power to them. actually id love a place where i could trade in my old books, sadly no such exist in my country.... | |
While this is beyond stupid, I would actually suggest people do this. Not your brand new games, but go to them with your old PS2 games and what not that your never going to play/too scratched up to play/you have a digital copy, but gamestop will not pay a dime for, partly so you get money, partly so you can point it out later and laugh in their faces about. I know this happened at gun buy back programs. | |
I think Marin County--the area just North of the Golden Gate bridge and San Fran--did something like this. EDIT: | |
actually, we do. and we get shouted at by the stupid people of "how wrong you are". | |
I slammed my desk when I read this these uneducated fools who keep claiming that because one person who liked video games (movies also) and then killed people means that all people who like video games will do the same, always continue to tire me and make me so frustrated | |
Yes, because playing Prototype makes me want to tear people asunder with my tentacle arms. So yeah, the violence in videogames is rarely imitable. Honestly, the only reason I'd take advantage of this is to get more than the standard trade in at Gamestop, but only if I actually go to the places they offer gift cards for. | |
Well, I do have a few of the more shit CoD games lying around and they can't possibly offer worse deals then Gamestop... So fuck it! I'm in! | |
Business is business, even if it involves death. In an equally strange but more depressing note, a local funeral home began to give us discounts because so many of our family members started dying one after the other in the past year. | |
This has been happening all over the nation recently in response to the shootings. But like I said in my other posts, most of these are junk that opportunistic collectors, retailers, and criminals want to get rid of. Many of the guns were inherited by family members who don't shoot or decided they have outgrown them, and are unlikely to end up on the streets or used in a massacre. | |
This story should make you weep. Once more the story has been skillfully shifted away from 'nutter has guns and kills bunch of kids' to 'man driven crazy by home entertainment, goes on killing spree' So why should this make you sad? Well its a great way for those in authority to stick the boot into the game and movie imdustry, which has some clout and avoid pissing off the NRA which has LOTS of clout and significant campaign contributions to the people who make these sorts of decisions. So cue several months/years of politicians and media pundits scoring cheap points of games/books/films while avoiding the real issues, until this happens again. Exactly how many kids need to die before anyone enacts real change? I should state now, I'm not against banning guns entirely, they have their uses in hunting, farming and sports, and i'm certain theres a large proportion of intelligent gun owners that keep their weapons secured properly and use them responsibly. All I would argue for is mandatory gun liscences that involve taking regular mental health check ups and police inspections to make sure the guns are being kept stored and used properly. Any criminal convictions or doubts over mental health then that person should lose all their guns (the number of guns should also be limited) Gun clubs should also be made a part of this as well, keeping regular records of their members and raising alerts if someone or something strikes them as odd. | |
Also ammo should be taxed heavily, and the amount someone can buy be limited. | |
I misread the thread name and for a long moment I thought Towns developers were doing this. I was almost prepared to hate on them. o_o Read twice people, it saves lives. | |
Seconded! those pieces of toxic filth are an offence to violent games everywhere. Seriously though, will these idiots ever stop flailing around for anyone and anything to blame except the real culprits (themselves, bad parenting, gun culture etc take your pick) | |
What the? Any criminal convictions and people should lose their guns? Strangers should come into your house regularly to make sure you're being a good boy? Increased ammo tax which only serves to hurt recreational shooters? PRIVATE clubs forced to track their members and report anything "odd"? This is too orwellian for me to take without hard justification. I'm surprised you didn't go full on insanity and suggest putting CCTV cameras in peoples houses like they do in Britain. | |
Wow... that's kinda convenient but extremely morbid. | |
You have to remember that Southington is another small town about a half-hour from Newtown, as is the town I live in. Almost everyone in the area knows someone affected by the shootings, or at least has a "friend of a friend" that was. When you have kids of your own, that's pretty scary stuff. I'm not saying what they're doing makes any sense. The shootings in Newtown would not have been stopped by any of the typical security measures now being put in place at elementary schools in my area; administrators just want to be seen as doing "something." But dismissing it as stupidity is a bit too simple. You're right that it's not worth getting mad over, though. | |
That's nice and all, but why then are you only rewarding people for turning in violent videogames? If you think all violent media is at the root of the problem why aren't you rewarding people for turning in violent movies or books? Because the people running this are liars (in this case at least) looking for a group to blame without thinking about all the variables that could have initiated the shooting. This is just stupid. You want to target the problem then see this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uwAo8lcAC4 | |
Videogames are interactive entertainment, you don't just sit back and watch you commit to the actions of the characters within the game world. | |
eh? There is no CCTV in my home nor in the homes of anyone i know. The UK may be tighter on these things that some other places but its not quite some sort of Orwellian nightmare world :P OT: The problem is not games, however if this was happening where i live i would clean out my old games and use the gift certificates to buy something nice and safe, like Homefront :P. If the certs could not be used for games i would sell them to someone at 50% discount, then use the money to buy Homefront. you only get about 50p per game for PS2 era games here anyway so it could hardly be worse than that. Cheers, Fim | |
I'm not so angry at this as I am curious. Everyone who owns a violent videogame already has their mind made up. | |
I get where they are coming from, and I respect the amount of publicity they are garnering towards their cause...however I feel that their focus is misplaced. The organization of this form of protest is a total mess, for starters. Providing an option for people to sell their violent games confuses their message and lends to the idea that these violent games have some form of value. So do the donations represent people dedicated to the cause, or simply trying to make money...or do they just humor the organization? I don't even want to guess what will happen to the donations (destruction would send a bad message of tolerance). Videogames being a cause of aggression is a topic that has recently come up due to new found evidence, and I feel that it may have merit, but so do arguments against the evidence. In the end, I still hold firm that bad guidance leads to violence (teaching developing minds to distinguish fact from fantasy, how to communicate with others, the punishment for violence...). However, a violent game could have malevolent effect on a person...especially young people with improper guidance. To that, I remind others of the ESRB rating system and why it's there (and still groan when I see parents buying it for young audiences. Seriously, protesters against violence in games need to address that issue before targeting the games themselves. They are trying to tackle a large issue without taking the small steps). The smart thing would have been not to mention the Sandy Hook incident at all, and only address it publicly should external audiences bring the incident up first. Exploiting a tragedy to further an agenda, even peripherally, undermines an argument's ethics. In the end, I enjoy all videogames...provided that they have a point beyond mindless violence. Then again, that is because I see value in games that employ violence to further a particular theme...others may not be able to, and that could be cause for concern. | |
Ah, so you don't think that a person already exposed to violent videogames is capable of changing their opinion of them? | |
I'll leave this here. | |
I saw the thread and gave it about four seconds. Wasn't off much 0.o Well, chances are the buyback gets better rates than Gamestop. Wonder if you had a decent label maker and some spare cases you could profit offa this... | |
Well at least someone will finally buy homefront. | |
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If they offer a good deal I'd do it. It'll probably suck on value you get though. When major companies are competing you with you, your little event is probably not going to do well.