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Some myths have more lives than cats and Mario combined. That’s the way plenty of us feel whenever we see someone blaming video games for every new armed atrocity that shocks the world. Look, we get it, computer games are an easy target. It’s far easier to blame them for somebody acting violently than it is to confront the tangled, messy, complex web of interrelated reasons and crappy gun control policies that’s actually at fault. But it doesn’t mean that we should power down our critical thinking, just because we want easy answers.
Donald Trump, the President of the United States, and other politicians recently used video games as a scapegoat to (at least in part) explain the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton. However, the internet quickly reacted with a whole slew of gaming memes that hit back against this idea.
Bored Panda collected the best of the best, the crème de la crème, of the best memes showing how even the most violent games don't cause actual violence. Upvote the ones you love the most and leave a comment to let everyone know what you thought of the memes. Keep on scrolling, because the memes at the very bottom of the post get lonely sometimes (just don’t feed them after midnight)!
Professor Andrew Przybylski of the Oxford Internet Institute told Bored Panda that “the idea that violent video games cause real-world aggression has been with us for more than four decades but in this time there has been no convincing evidence that supports it.”
“I’d observe that video games with combat, crime, and war are quite popular in Japan, South Korea, Germany, and the U.K., and these countries do not have the same problems with large numbers of shootings,” noted Przybylski, who is an experimental psychologist and Director of Research at the Oxford Internet Institute. His work is concerned with applying psychological models of motivation and health to study how people interact with virtual environments.
When asked by Bored Panda why he thinks video games keep getting blamed for violence, Przybylski answered that “research indicates that about half of the adult U.S. population plays games, I suspect that as this number rises (i.e., gamers age) this excuse will hold less water.”
The professor also mentioned that video games “might” desensitize people to violence, “but the effects are likely smaller and more nuanced than many assume.”
“I think that games are a complex form of play and that gaming companies should share their data with independent researchers; not because games cause violence, but because they are now an essential part of our lives. It’s their responsibility to our society as good corporate citizens,” Professor Przybylski added.
Image credits: realDonaldTrump
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#2
On the 5th of August, Trump condemned “racism, bigotry and white supremacy”, as well as video games for the most recent deadly shootings in the US.
“We must stop the glorification of violence in our society. This includes the gruesome and grisly video games that are now commonplace,” said Trump. “It is too easy today for troubled youth to surround themselves with a culture that celebrates violence." The 3rd and 4th of August were bloody days for the US: a gunman killed 22 people in El Paso, Texas on Saturday; while another attacker killed nine people in Dayton, Ohio, on Sunday.
#3
Leo Domitrix 5 years ago
Intolerance and ignorance, of course, have nothing to do with violence... *headdesk*
Trump wasn’t the only one stating that video games had something to do with the shootings, however. House Minority Leader and California Republican Kevin McCarthy shared similar thoughts: “But the idea of these video games that dehumanize individuals to have a game of shooting individuals and others — I've always felt that is a problem for future generations and others. We've watched from studies shown before of what it does to individuals. When you look at these photos of how it took place, you can see the actions within video games and others."
McCarthy may have a point about people getting slightly desensitized to violence through consuming media, but it’s unclear what specific studies McCarthy referred to. The general consensus among the academic community is that there is no established link between playing video games and acting violently.
#6
Oathbraker 5 years ago
Just be glad it didn't make you a middle aged man from the Balkans with a dark past.
Furthermore, video games are played all across the globe, and yet, it’s only the United States that has so many instances of gun violence. In 2018 alone, there were 340 mass shootings in the country. 340! 3-4-0!!!
According to CNN, the US also has 57 times more school shootings than “other major industrialized” countries do, combined. Since 2009, the US has had more than 288 school shootings; Mexico is in second place with 8. Clearly, some other factors are to blame for American shootings, not Call of Duty. Hence, why the internet’s very best meme-engineers started working overtime to satirize the very notion that Game Boys and PlayStations create murderers.
#7
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M O'Connell 5 years ago
Never mind the text, the apple really does not fall far from the tree.
#24
Wil Vanderheijden 5 years ago (edited)
Fake news and alternate facts from the enemies of the people. Next they'll be saying it's because of politicians yelling about how immigrants invade the country and how gay people and videogamers incite to violence./S ( Oops nearly forgot the /S)
#34
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#40
Scott Lloyd 5 years ago
The hell you can use VR stuff when every other person is using controllers?
#43
#44
Carol Anne Benoit 5 years ago
My 14 year old son uses 'Boomer' as a pejorative. Thankfully, he's talking about my older brother and not me.
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What do you think ?
Daria B 5 years ago
Koreans are literally world top pro-gaming champions and they have 0 shootings. Also, gamers are too busy staying at home playing video games to be bothered for a shooting spree.
Monday 5 years ago
Not to mention too broke from spending money on games to afford a gun and all that ammo.
Load More Replies...
Falcon 5 years ago
I would laugh at these, but at this point I'm so tired of this c**p. It's the same old "let's blame video games so we don't have to do anything about the real reasons like mental heath or gun accessibility". It's complete stupidity from people you'd think would be smart. 😑
Monika Rhodes 5 years ago
I get the point but the newest gunman's don't seem to want 'fame', they just go for the kill nowadays because they can- kind of thing. Before they'd boast about being famous etc but now it seems like hate and kill as many as possible.. Sad.
Load More Replies...
CP 5 years ago
The only thing that bothers me about this thread is that when people say media they really should be specifying Foxnews. I haven't seen the other channels or websites really pushing the video games nonsense. Also politicians means Republican politicians that one is obvious, but again should be specified. It's as if people are playing the bothsides card on this issue.
Wil Vanderheijden 5 years ago
Breitbart is a heavy supporter of this nonsense too. And there are more rightwing channels blaming everything except the easy availibility of guns for the shootings.
Load More Replies...
Teresa McGrath 5 years ago
Hey!! #26 is offensive to me (said sarcastically). I am a middle aged white woman who plays video games (i.e, assassin's creed, crysis).
Wil Vanderheijden 5 years ago
Ok, so the FBI now has declared you a future mass shooter. Don't you go walkling into Wal Mart in camo-dress and in body armor and armed with an assault gun. /S
Load More Replies...
Miklós Nagy 5 years ago
It's still double-standard, that you can be a mass murderer in video games withut problems, but if there is any nudity in your game you got AO rating and no one will sell it.
Alex Bailey 5 years ago
One aspect probably progresses the game and the other... is irrelevant.
Load More Replies... Oathbraker 5 years ago
Well they do cause violence. So far for around 20 years my victims are a few mice and a lagging wireless router. And the mice died of old age.
Virgil Blue 5 years ago
I killed a few controllers out of sheer rage while playing dark souls.
Load More Replies...
Filipe Vieira 5 years ago
If video games are affecting US citizens the most, someone should create a game called "World Without Guns Simulator" for them.
Mad Haberdasheress 5 years ago
For those of us old enough for this: remember when all of our parents were terrified of Dungeons and Dragons because it would make us "devil worshipping killers with no grip on reality"? Good times. It should, however, leap to mind when we see this kind of unmitigated pig $#!÷ applied to video games. Take a deep breath, because this is a deep dive: in mentally stable people, heavy metal music does not cause killings (mass hysteria largely began in the 60's and still around today), fantasy role playing games do not loosen our grip on reality and cause us to kill, and violence in movies and video games do not cause violence in real life. Mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse and institutionalized support of extremism and idiocy, however, absolutely does cause all of these things. Stop blaming things that are easy to target and start doing the hard work it will take to truly address the real causes. I know, not going to happen, but I like to live in hope while I build my newest D&D character. :-)
Moo Moo Futch 5 years ago
I'm a 37 year old female (I had to double check my age as I swore I was 34) and I play Battlefield 4 DAILY for 45 mins while I relax in the evening. I'm yet to pick up a gun and shoot up a night club, shopping mall, public transit terminal etc etc but according to moron republicans it's possible that I will.... makes sense.... NOT NO
TheExtremeSmell 5 years ago
I feel like the GOP has been so strongly supported by older people in the past they’re missing that their new younger voters smoke pot, play video games and aren’t very religious lol
Lachlan Steininger 5 years ago
If anything video games are a stress relief so they dont kill people in real life
Bukky Olaneye 5 years ago
If as an outsider am dreading hearing about another deadly shout out,I wonder how people living over there will feel.
selioraxemaia 5 years ago
A few years ago I bought a PS4-VR system. It came with 5 free games and four of them were fps type games. I was frustrated at how difficult it was to find something for my PS4-VR that didn't involve stalking, maiming or killing things and running for you life. I came to the conclusion; Video games don't make you violent but they certainly are a stunningly good training ground for people who are psychopaths and violent to begin with and that have ready access of handy resources.
Xavier Evans 5 years ago
I have an excellent idea, instead of blaming videogames, BAN AUTOMATIC WEAPONS, I know Americans like their weapons, but is it really worth it? Is being able to use automatic weapons worth LIVES?
Lemon Garnished Potato 5 years ago
Them: video games cause violence me: *is on minecraft, farming and building another room for the house while my brother mines for resources*
Aaron Pie 5 years ago
The media and Trump are actually being quite clever with all this. They know full well that there is no link between video games and mass shootings but just uttering that there is has now diverted all attention away from the real problem. Political spin city in action folks. 😒
Valerie Lessard 5 years ago
I think what most people misunderstand, and get their gamerboy knickers in a knot because of it, is that this isn't just a "video game" issue. It's not that video games "cause" violence, as in they don't directly turn someone into a zombie and compel them to kill, it's the surrounding culture - it's the overall glorification of violence in American culture. It's celebrated in all forms of media INCLUDING but not EXCLUSIVE TO video games. And the comparisons to other countries is illogical, they have entirely different economic, value and cultural systems. Video games are not some sort of outlier, they're a multibillion dollar industry just like pornography, film and music, and shouldn't be exempt from the critical assessment of their value and affect on society - EVERYTHING has an impact on society. It's worth looking at what actually increases violent incidents and stop being so reductive and simplified from either end of the spectrum.
TheExtremeSmell 5 years ago
I feel like anyone over 40 is like omg video games are the devil!! I thought this was all crazy until I heard my dad and older co worker rambling about how they agree it’s bc of video games
Artemis 5 years ago
I guess that’s just the excuse their giving for people for being s****y parents, letting bullies get away with being d***s and severe mental health issues that could have been solved though some gold old fashioned therapy. But let’s continue to give these crazies guns because we need more shootings in America; it’ll build character.
M O'Connell 5 years ago
Saying violent video games cause violence is like saying Ms. Pacman causes sexism.
Ben Smith 5 years ago
There is no single cause but to think that the isolation created by playing video games all day isn’t a small part in at least some of these shootings is naïveté at its best. It’s not entirely a gun control issue, it’s not entirely a mental health issue, and it’s not entirely a video game issue either of course. It’s far more complicated than a single root cause.
Wil Vanderheijden 5 years ago
For the last time playing videogames doesn't make children violent. There's no scientific proof, all statistics show that there's no correlation between videogames and violent behavior. The only thing that does emerge time over time is that people in other countries don't have easy acces to guns AND that people with mental health problems get treated sooner and better. So instead of revoking laws that make it impossible for people that are mentally ill to get guns, it would be a better idea to start setting up a system to signal and treat potential mass shooters and to issue some very restrictive gunlaws. But I guess restrictve gunlaws mean castration for a lot of gunlovers.
Load More Replies...
Leo Domitrix 5 years ago
Whereas being raised in a society that worships gun-toting loners as heroes , and insists that the gun is the first resort, and is the world's number one arms dealer has no effect?
Wil Vanderheijden 5 years ago (edited)
Your statements are bold and untrue. The American society as a whole isn't happy either with the way the 2nd amendment got totally out of hand and how the NRA is blocking all efforts to put stricter gunlaws in place. As far as I know "the gun is the first resort" has never been a motto for the general American people. Perhaps you found it on some shady website like 8chan but their audience is not representative for how the majority of Americans think. America being the world greatest arms dealer has just as much influence on the number of shootings as videogames have.
Load More Replies... selioraxemaia 5 years ago
A few years ago I bought a PS4-VR system. It came with 5 free games and four of them were fps type games. I was frustrated at how difficult it was to find something for my PS4-VR that didn't involve stalking, maiming or killing things and running for you life. I came to the conclusion; Video games don't make you violent but they certainly are a stunningly good training ground for people who are psychopaths and violent to begin with and that have ready access of handy resources.
Wil Vanderheijden 5 years ago
Sure. Population of Norway 5,328,212 Population of America 327,167,434. Even if I killed 5,328,212 Americans I wouldn't have even killed 0,2 % of the American population. If I killed 5,328,212 Norwegians I would have killed 100% . But congrats on showing us how NRA propaganda is fabricated.
Load More Replies...
CP 5 years ago
Oh my goodness you brought up Switzerland. You should actually read about how guns are handled in Switzerland before posting. Hint: Guns are heavily regulated in Switzerland. Actually Jordan Peterson should be laughed at or, preferably, ignored.
Load More Replies...
Daria B 5 years ago
Koreans are literally world top pro-gaming champions and they have 0 shootings. Also, gamers are too busy staying at home playing video games to be bothered for a shooting spree.
Monday 5 years ago
Not to mention too broke from spending money on games to afford a gun and all that ammo.
Load More Replies... Falcon 5 years ago
I would laugh at these, but at this point I'm so tired of this c**p. It's the same old "let's blame video games so we don't have to do anything about the real reasons like mental heath or gun accessibility". It's complete stupidity from people you'd think would be smart. 😑
Monika Rhodes 5 years ago
I get the point but the newest gunman's don't seem to want 'fame', they just go for the kill nowadays because they can- kind of thing. Before they'd boast about being famous etc but now it seems like hate and kill as many as possible.. Sad.
Load More Replies... CP 5 years ago
The only thing that bothers me about this thread is that when people say media they really should be specifying Foxnews. I haven't seen the other channels or websites really pushing the video games nonsense. Also politicians means Republican politicians that one is obvious, but again should be specified. It's as if people are playing the bothsides card on this issue.
Wil Vanderheijden 5 years ago
Breitbart is a heavy supporter of this nonsense too. And there are more rightwing channels blaming everything except the easy availibility of guns for the shootings.
Load More Replies... Teresa McGrath 5 years ago
Hey!! #26 is offensive to me (said sarcastically). I am a middle aged white woman who plays video games (i.e, assassin's creed, crysis).
Wil Vanderheijden 5 years ago
Ok, so the FBI now has declared you a future mass shooter. Don't you go walkling into Wal Mart in camo-dress and in body armor and armed with an assault gun. /S
Load More Replies... Miklós Nagy 5 years ago
It's still double-standard, that you can be a mass murderer in video games withut problems, but if there is any nudity in your game you got AO rating and no one will sell it.
Alex Bailey 5 years ago
One aspect probably progresses the game and the other... is irrelevant.
Load More Replies... Oathbraker 5 years ago
Well they do cause violence. So far for around 20 years my victims are a few mice and a lagging wireless router. And the mice died of old age.
Virgil Blue 5 years ago
I killed a few controllers out of sheer rage while playing dark souls.
Load More Replies... Filipe Vieira 5 years ago
If video games are affecting US citizens the most, someone should create a game called "World Without Guns Simulator" for them.
Mad Haberdasheress 5 years ago
For those of us old enough for this: remember when all of our parents were terrified of Dungeons and Dragons because it would make us "devil worshipping killers with no grip on reality"? Good times. It should, however, leap to mind when we see this kind of unmitigated pig $#!÷ applied to video games. Take a deep breath, because this is a deep dive: in mentally stable people, heavy metal music does not cause killings (mass hysteria largely began in the 60's and still around today), fantasy role playing games do not loosen our grip on reality and cause us to kill, and violence in movies and video games do not cause violence in real life. Mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse and institutionalized support of extremism and idiocy, however, absolutely does cause all of these things. Stop blaming things that are easy to target and start doing the hard work it will take to truly address the real causes. I know, not going to happen, but I like to live in hope while I build my newest D&D character. :-)
Moo Moo Futch 5 years ago
I'm a 37 year old female (I had to double check my age as I swore I was 34) and I play Battlefield 4 DAILY for 45 mins while I relax in the evening. I'm yet to pick up a gun and shoot up a night club, shopping mall, public transit terminal etc etc but according to moron republicans it's possible that I will.... makes sense.... NOT NO
TheExtremeSmell 5 years ago
I feel like the GOP has been so strongly supported by older people in the past they’re missing that their new younger voters smoke pot, play video games and aren’t very religious lol
Lachlan Steininger 5 years ago
If anything video games are a stress relief so they dont kill people in real life
Bukky Olaneye 5 years ago
If as an outsider am dreading hearing about another deadly shout out,I wonder how people living over there will feel.
selioraxemaia 5 years ago
A few years ago I bought a PS4-VR system. It came with 5 free games and four of them were fps type games. I was frustrated at how difficult it was to find something for my PS4-VR that didn't involve stalking, maiming or killing things and running for you life. I came to the conclusion; Video games don't make you violent but they certainly are a stunningly good training ground for people who are psychopaths and violent to begin with and that have ready access of handy resources.
Xavier Evans 5 years ago
I have an excellent idea, instead of blaming videogames, BAN AUTOMATIC WEAPONS, I know Americans like their weapons, but is it really worth it? Is being able to use automatic weapons worth LIVES?
Lemon Garnished Potato 5 years ago
Them: video games cause violence me: *is on minecraft, farming and building another room for the house while my brother mines for resources*
Aaron Pie 5 years ago
The media and Trump are actually being quite clever with all this. They know full well that there is no link between video games and mass shootings but just uttering that there is has now diverted all attention away from the real problem. Political spin city in action folks. 😒
Valerie Lessard 5 years ago
I think what most people misunderstand, and get their gamerboy knickers in a knot because of it, is that this isn't just a "video game" issue. It's not that video games "cause" violence, as in they don't directly turn someone into a zombie and compel them to kill, it's the surrounding culture - it's the overall glorification of violence in American culture. It's celebrated in all forms of media INCLUDING but not EXCLUSIVE TO video games. And the comparisons to other countries is illogical, they have entirely different economic, value and cultural systems. Video games are not some sort of outlier, they're a multibillion dollar industry just like pornography, film and music, and shouldn't be exempt from the critical assessment of their value and affect on society - EVERYTHING has an impact on society. It's worth looking at what actually increases violent incidents and stop being so reductive and simplified from either end of the spectrum.
TheExtremeSmell 5 years ago
I feel like anyone over 40 is like omg video games are the devil!! I thought this was all crazy until I heard my dad and older co worker rambling about how they agree it’s bc of video games
Artemis 5 years ago
I guess that’s just the excuse their giving for people for being s****y parents, letting bullies get away with being d***s and severe mental health issues that could have been solved though some gold old fashioned therapy. But let’s continue to give these crazies guns because we need more shootings in America; it’ll build character.
M O'Connell 5 years ago
Saying violent video games cause violence is like saying Ms. Pacman causes sexism.
Ben Smith 5 years ago
There is no single cause but to think that the isolation created by playing video games all day isn’t a small part in at least some of these shootings is naïveté at its best. It’s not entirely a gun control issue, it’s not entirely a mental health issue, and it’s not entirely a video game issue either of course. It’s far more complicated than a single root cause.
Wil Vanderheijden 5 years ago
For the last time playing videogames doesn't make children violent. There's no scientific proof, all statistics show that there's no correlation between videogames and violent behavior. The only thing that does emerge time over time is that people in other countries don't have easy acces to guns AND that people with mental health problems get treated sooner and better. So instead of revoking laws that make it impossible for people that are mentally ill to get guns, it would be a better idea to start setting up a system to signal and treat potential mass shooters and to issue some very restrictive gunlaws. But I guess restrictve gunlaws mean castration for a lot of gunlovers.
Load More Replies... Leo Domitrix 5 years ago
Whereas being raised in a society that worships gun-toting loners as heroes , and insists that the gun is the first resort, and is the world's number one arms dealer has no effect?
Wil Vanderheijden 5 years ago (edited)
Your statements are bold and untrue. The American society as a whole isn't happy either with the way the 2nd amendment got totally out of hand and how the NRA is blocking all efforts to put stricter gunlaws in place. As far as I know "the gun is the first resort" has never been a motto for the general American people. Perhaps you found it on some shady website like 8chan but their audience is not representative for how the majority of Americans think. America being the world greatest arms dealer has just as much influence on the number of shootings as videogames have.
Load More Replies... selioraxemaia 5 years ago
A few years ago I bought a PS4-VR system. It came with 5 free games and four of them were fps type games. I was frustrated at how difficult it was to find something for my PS4-VR that didn't involve stalking, maiming or killing things and running for you life. I came to the conclusion; Video games don't make you violent but they certainly are a stunningly good training ground for people who are psychopaths and violent to begin with and that have ready access of handy resources.
Wil Vanderheijden 5 years ago
Sure. Population of Norway 5,328,212 Population of America 327,167,434. Even if I killed 5,328,212 Americans I wouldn't have even killed 0,2 % of the American population. If I killed 5,328,212 Norwegians I would have killed 100% . But congrats on showing us how NRA propaganda is fabricated.
Load More Replies... CP 5 years ago
Oh my goodness you brought up Switzerland. You should actually read about how guns are handled in Switzerland before posting. Hint: Guns are heavily regulated in Switzerland. Actually Jordan Peterson should be laughed at or, preferably, ignored.
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