mmnin said:
People use what information they have. If the only information you have about going on a killing spree is from a violent video game and you want to go on a killing spree, then you are probably going to use that game for reference unless you do months of other research. Also, if someone is truly angry enough to do something as drastic as going on a killing spree, in most cases they wouldn't have the care to do a lot of research if they already have a game that shows them acceptable methods.
The comments at the end are pretty accurate. The problem isn't with the violence in the game, it is in the person's want to commit the act. However, the detail with which a game goes into loading and positioning animations might be a bit too realistic for the goal of the game. Sure, information like that can be found for free, but when putting it readily into the hands of developing minds and replaying it for them time and again in a form of entertainment that is engaging and can create emotion, then it might not be such a good idea to make it point for point accurate.
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This, and the vast majority of games like it, has a label on the cover that says "18". It is meant for people of ages 18 and up and not young teenagers or kids. The developer cannot be held responsible for retailers and parents not abiding by the law, that'd be like blaming Ford for some dude in a Mustang crossing the speedlimit and crashing into something. Cutlery can also be used to murder someone but that doesn't mean we should charge the producer of knives and forks for manslaughter.
If and when games such as Far Cry 2 ever become a psychosocial issue, the problem will lie in retailers and parents' inability (or unwillingness) to comply with laws and regulations rather than the games themselves. They are not made for kids and should not be played by kids. I can see how easy it is to blame something like videogames, games have been the black sheep of the entertainment industry for a couple of decades now and are largely percieved as the most unnecessary of pasttimes among adults (i.e; parents).
"No, my son did not have psychological issues, it was the videogames fault." Too simple and just not true.
