have you ever noticed....

[Submerge]

That on the news, if violent computer games are a topic, about 95% of the time, the show a clip of Doom?

[spank]

Here in Portugal when they talk about violent games on TV they always show cartoony fighters because that's what kids like to play most.

[deadnail]

I remember a Dateline that was on pretty quickly after the Columbine massacre. They were showing some guy playing Ultimate Doom, Episode 4 (e4m4 or e4m5) on Doom95, windowed, and the guy was getting a remarkably shitty framerate. Then they showed a fullscreen of Quake 2 at a pretty damn playable framerate, but still software rendering and at a low resolution and far from 60 frames a second.

I remember the interview with Carmack.
"Grossman says that in these games all you do is kill people."
"Um, no. You're shooting a cartoon gun at a cartoon badguy in order to save the cartoon world."

Somewhere in the middle of it they questioned how the psycho kids got their classmates' faces on the Doom sprites, so apparantly one of the show's producers' kids was a Doom editor and they showed him messing with WinTex and a digital camera... and they did a pretty decent job of replacing the zombie guy sprite with the Newscaster's face.

Then they went back to Grossman who said that Doom doesn't really bother him, it's true 3D 'Murder Simulators' like the Quake games that bother him. Then they showed a little Quake 2 and a 3D VR simulation they use on soldiers.

Quake 2 looked so much more convincing. =)

Then the Newscaster said something like you can't blame this on music, movies, or videogames like most people are trying to do. Give me a break. He made a good argument that trying to pass off the responsibility makes you as bad as the lunatic that pulled the trigger or something along those lines.

In any case, I like that Give me a break. guy.

They still didn't mention that Doom has sold over 4,000,000 copies and less than 4 violent crimes have ever been linked to it.

It was still funny how they lambasted Rammstein, KMFDM, Mary Manson and of all bands the heavy flow day tampon of metal Metallica. For once I was actually like, "YEAH! Ban them now! They fucking suck!"

[IMJack]

I'd say something, but I like to confine my heavy-duty "the media couldn't tell their faces from their assholes on this issue" rant to the few weeks around April 20th. Remember: look for the 3rd annual "What Have We Learned? (Not Much)" in a Religion and Politics forum near you! :P

[Lüt]

the few weeks around April 20th.

What goes on then?

[IMJack]

the few weeks around April 20th.

What goes on then?

April 20th is the anniversary of Columbine. That's when all the news people try to show the world going in a downward spiral since then. *sigh*

[Lüt]

April 20th is the anniversary of Columbine.

Oh, I was just wondering about the "weeks around then", cuz that's my birthday and I was hoping something cool would happen on it :)

[Crendowing]

...but still software rendering and at a low resolution and far from 60 frames a second.

IS EVERYBODY A FUCKING PERFECTIONIST???????

[DooMBoy]

Doom used to be violent, waaaaaaay back in the day. Now it's more like a cartoon than anything else. They should of showed Soldier of Fortune instead of Doom, since that game's way more realistic and hyper-violent.

[Guest ZZ_TOPPER_X]

..that Give me a break. guy.

That would be John Stossel, I believe.

[Zaldron]

4,000,000 copies

4 violent crimes

That's 0.0001% of the cases.

Serious scientific studies discard anything below the 0.01% range.

[Zaldron]

IS EVERYBODY A FUCKING PERFECTIONIST???????[/b]

No, this is 2001. I don't see you calling Commodore 64 games "state of the art".

[deadnail]

...but still software rendering and at a low resolution and far from 60 frames a second.

IS EVERYBODY A FUCKING PERFECTIONIST???????

I was making a point numbnuts. Perhaps other people here saw it and the details I recall might help them remember.

If I remember properly he was on the third level, near the beginning, right under that spinning fan when the machinegunfag comes out at you.

The Doom95 windowed was on top of Excel... I'm pretty sure it was, which of course, made just about no sense whatsoever. =)

[Sephiroth]

well i have seen doom on the news but not for violence, the topic was software pirating. surprisinly it was one of those so called anti doom/ID shows right after columbine. but they now showed a clip of doom because it was one of the most pirated games out there

[Crendowing]

No, this is 2001. I don't see you calling Commodore 64 games "state of the art".

Heh, now THAT'S just pathetic if some calls Comm. 64 games "state of the art".

[Fredrik]

4,000,000 copies

4 violent crimes

That's 0.0001% of the cases.

Serious scientific studies discard anything below the 0.01% range.

Indeed so. Why not blame lemon tea as well?

Btw, here in Sweden they usually show either Q3A (understandable) or something like Super Mario Bros (rofl) on TV when they want to illustrate violent games.

[danarchist]

Super Mario Bros.? WTF?

It seems like they either show Q3A or UT on TV. It would be pointless to point out Doom as a reason behind shooting and stuff. Its an 8 year old game. How many people actually play it nowadays? :)

I think we should actualy point the finger at the real cause: BAD PARENTING!

[Fredrik]

Yeah, it's hilarious. I've seen more than once on TV that a Professor of Social science (or something like that) is speaking about how violent games affect people, and for the pictures they show a NES game with some pixel block jumping around.

[danarchist]

Huh. You might as well show Looney Toons and Three Stooges as examples of violent shows.

[Crendowing]

I've seen more than once on TV that a Professor of Social science (or something like that) is speaking about how violent games affect people...

Give me a fucking break! I did research on that subject, and the same type of scientist made the OPPOSITE argument; I quote him:

The media cannot override good parenting.

[magikal]

Yeah 'they' always seem to want to blame games for an increase in violent behavior or tendancies, whereas in reality I believe,as many must, that they have quite the opposite effect.How many peoples' frustrations and negative energies must have been 'grounded' or disapated as a result of a good session? Countless I'm SURE!I know many people who would otherwise be out and up to criminal activity and violence if they didn't have that release that computer games deliver.The only people who usually have a problem are the ignorant and bigoted who see an open mind and honesty as a threat to their own insecure and unbalanced reality.
0.0001%! that's gotta be lower than if you did sweet F.A.

[Crendowing]

The only people who usually have a problem are the ignorant and bigoted who see an open mind and honesty as a threat to their own insecure and unbalanced reality.

I guess everybody's telepathic too :)

Seriously, you guys are taking the words out of my mouth left and right!

[danarchist]

Speaking of which, I think I'm gonna play some Doom real soon. Haven't actualy done that in a while.

[Lüt]

Three Stooges as examples of violent shows.

Well, actually... :P

Three Stooges was obviously staged but it's still gotta be one of the most violent shows shown today. Just not gory.

[Sephiroth]

Also tom and jerry where for a long time considered too violent for children. they even went so far as to edit and remake several episodes. in the simpsons itchy and scratchy are poking fun at that and the people who said tom a jerry was too violent. Itchy and scratchy are just a parody of tom and jerry

[danarchist]

But nothing compares to the deranged twistedness of Ren and Stimpy.

[magikal]

Ah,Ren & Stimpy,beautiful stuff...

[Fredrik]

Well, a few years ago in Sweden, a commission was appointed to do research on the subject violent games and how they affect people.

They found out that people who play games (in general) and also, specifically games with action, get better concentration etc, so it might not only be a bad thing. They also reported that violence in games doesn't affect normal people to get violent.

[danarchist]

I think they should do a study to determine weather or not consoles turn normal people into fanboys.

[deadnail]

Shit, my parents wouldn't let me watch Tom & Jerry until I was an adolescent. Something about it being too violent. On the other hand, I never attacked the cat with a baseball bat either.

I saw them all when I was 12, back before they started censoring the extreme violence and the maid's voice. So she's black and talks southern... why is that racist?

...mammy... mwahahahaha. =)