When Racism and Stupid Fear of Video Games Collide
May 2, 2007
I’m not much of a gamer. So when I say that the mainstream take on video games as the root of all evil in teenage American life is deluded, don’t chalk it up to bias.
Yes, too much gaming makes kids fat. But it’s not the direct cause of school shootings. That’s why it’s unbelievably stupid that a student was severely disciplined for creating a map of his school as part of an online video game project.
This kid had no history of violence or bad behavior. The only two factors against him were that he created a gaming environment that looked like his school’s layout, and that he’s Asian.
Now, I know we’re all a bit touchy in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings. But it’s not an Asian thing or a gamer thing — must I remind you that Seung Cho didn’t even play video games? Shooting up schools is a violent, delusional, crazy thing to do. And delusional craziness doesn’t discriminate by skin color.
Couldn’t agree with you more. Everyone knows plenty of people who play violent video games, none of them have gone all killing sprees lately.
As far as creating levels based on your school, I think it’s natural when you start creating levels or anything else that you begin with what you know because at some point it is easier for you then trying to come up with something on your own. I think before ppl start going crazy and arresting anyone who makes up levels that look like “this” or look like “that”, they should take the time to look at other aspects of their life that would support taking such a drastic action.