Dr. Phil Blames Video Games for Virginia Tech Shooting
Along with Jack Thompson is another person that is pinning the blame of the Virginia Tech shooting to video games. Phillip Calvin “Dr. Phil” McGraw, Ph.D. said the following speaking on Larry King Live on CNN.
“The problem is we are programming these people as a society. You cannot tell me – common sense tells you – that if these people are playing video games where they’re on a mass killing spree in a video game, it’s glamorized on the big screen, it’s become part of the fiber of our society. You take that and mix it with a psychopath, a sociopath, or someone suffering from mental illness, add in a dose of rage, the suggestibility is just too high. And we’re going to have to start dealing with that. We’re going to have to start addressing those issues and recognizing that the mass murderers of tomorrow are the children of today that are being programmed with this massive violence overdose.”
The identity of the shooter was just recently revealed, but there was no information regarding his intention. Officials said that he was looking for his girlfriend, but he had no real relationship with any of the victims. Wouldn’t it be better if for now we can try to heal the pain and sorrow that has afflicted a nation, and let the investigators try to figure out the root of the problem instead of assuming that Cho Seung-hui was an avid gamer that simulated his whole killing spree as a first person shooter?
Read (GameStooge)
April 17th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
The problem is the lack of parental responsibility. If parents would get off their ass and raise their kids properly then there would be no problem, it’s simply that they are growing dependant on the government to do their job for them.
April 17th, 2007 at 10:55 pm
Not so long ago I read that it was a proven fact that video games actually decrease violence, because most people can take it out on a Video game instead of real life. Whether you have Video Games or not, there will pretty much still be the same number of mass murderers in the world. A demented person will probably only want to murder more people if they can’t take it out on their video games.
April 18th, 2007 at 7:23 am
Holy shit i might be a killer I have a shit-ton of FPS’s and I think there training me to shoot in RL… WTF
perhaps the “You take that and mix it with a psychopath, a sociopath, or someone suffering from mental illness”
might have a bit more to do with.
April 18th, 2007 at 8:47 am
I have read that as well. I’ve played games for nearly 15 years, and I don’t have a violent bone in my body. The problem is that everyone wants something to blame, so that they can get off of the hook. I think parents should be held responsible for the acts that their children do.
If the kid (this goes to everyone who blames videogames) was playing videogames (violent ones), and they knew he had mental problems, they really should’ve put a stop to it early on. By letting him/her play these things without supervision or even a regard to the ratings panel, the parent is just as responsible for the deaths of all those people as the one who pulled the trigger.
April 18th, 2007 at 9:01 am
Since the early 90’s and the rise of home console videogames, violent crime around youth is at an all time LOW in this country. This isn’t the case of videogames being a problem. Heck, there’s no MENTION of videogames in this guy’s possession (otehr than what Jacko is saying) This isn’t even a case for bad parenting. This is a sociopath having access to guns and doing what psychos do best. People in the media spotlight need to stop picking on videogames just because they’re the new medium on the block. In the 50’s, it was Rock & Roll and Elvis’s swingin’ hips. Then it was Comics books. Then Heavy Metal. People simply fear what they don’t truly understand and it’s easier to generlyze and stereotype.
April 18th, 2007 at 9:07 am
Having recently worked in a residential school for adolescent males I saw that for many of them violence was a way of life, how they expressed their emotions and solved problems. This additude continued throughout their stay at the center, despite the fact that they weren’t allowed to play any video games more violent than pokemon games. Most of these kids were neglected or abused during their childhoods. I know plenty of people who were raised on Doom, Quake, Goldeneye, Halo and every other violent video game you can think of who’ve never even been in a real fight. So tell me: is it a problem with video games or with the breakdown of families and good parenting in our society that’s causing this problem?
April 18th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
Probably like musterbation, people can fine relieve by experience simulating activity, jerk off for one, and might me shooting people you hate for one. Dr. Phil has to admit that he has to jerk off sometime, otherwise I bet he will turn to be a rapist.
And just for the record, Kids aint computer that can be program mr. Phil, I grew up in the time when half-life was booming and people just start using internet for playing game, I know that all this shooting shit that been happened in verginia tech or Columbine ain’t caused by games, but were causeby people and environment surround those people.
April 18th, 2007 at 9:15 pm
u no what fuck dr. phil
April 19th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
dr.phil probably played with dolls when he was a kid..
the hell is he talking about??? I can only tolerate M-rated games to beging with. but i must admit after playing God of War 2 i can vividly see myself sticking that Sword of Olypus right up dr.phil’s ass!
April 20th, 2007 at 7:42 am
Dr Phil is a dope! If video games are so bad, then why aren’t more kids shooting others in this fashion? If that’s the case, then TV is a bad influence also! Maybe we should take tv off also! THat would be good so we don’t have to see this {BAG OF AIR} anymore on tv! He should change your name to DR FULL, becasue he’s full of
S_ _ T!!!!!!!!
April 21st, 2007 at 12:47 am
seriously, dr.phil needs to stop blaming the media and recoginize that cho is fully to blame, the video games are made for entertainment, it doesnt take a rocket scientist to know that going on mass shooting sprees isnt ethical, its no one elses fault for this massacre other than cho.
April 21st, 2007 at 1:41 am
[...] very similar news, Jack Thompson’s gay lover, Dr. Phil, also happens to blame video games for the Virginia Tech shooting. This is what probably happened, I’ll make it as detailed as possible to give you the inside [...]
April 22nd, 2007 at 8:19 pm
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August 15th, 2007 at 9:06 am
[...] to addressing the violence in video games. You may recall Dr.Phil, along with Jack Thompson, blamed violent video games for the Virginia Tech shooting. “The problem is we are programming these [...]
May 2nd, 2008 at 2:10 pm
This message is so inconsistent with Dr. Phil’s usual overblown antics. You can’t blame school shootings on any one factor. Some kids just lose it, just like adults lose it. Maybe kids do these things because supposed role models the media claims have all the answers are just as full of crap as everyone else.
May 14th, 2008 at 10:18 am
Video Games are not the cause of these shootings a recent study shows that people who play violent video games are less violent the people who play not violent games The problem lies in the schools The shooter was bullied to the point of insanity. The shooting was a way of revenge against the bullys and people who neglected to help him or tell someone. If schools put more effort into anti-bullying none of this would have happend.
June 5th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
dr phil can go get lost!! this is simply a fall back for parents if they’re kids are fucked up when they grow up… ohh it must have been all the video games pffffft games are proven to reduce stress as anger can be expelled though them GAMER 4 LIFE
June 24th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
hello people of the world i believe we need more eggs in our day to day life which will enhance these gaming addicts brain capactity hence making them un violent
thanu
February 17th, 2009 at 1:24 am
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