He wasn't blaming the games as much as the 'weak minds'. And yes, it starts and ends with parenting.

I'm an avid gamer. I've always loved them, despite my inability to be great at any of them. I've played them all growing up, even when I was banned from Mortal Kombat, Doom, and the such.

Whether we like it or not, video games DO have an influence on us as humans. That's a fact. It starts with parents to restrict and moderate the use of games.. Too much of anything is a bad thing.

---

What Formo said.
And it DOES matter. It has alot to do with parenting, but if that parenting is NOT there for a kid when he/she needs it, what do they turn to?
I'm sorry if you don't understand, but "garbage in, garbage out" is the way i look at it.
Music, movies, video games. If your pouring in garbage into your brain, it WILL affect how you see things.
"Helter Skelter" and Charlie Manson. He used the Beatles music to "whip up" his "family" to commit horrible crimes. His "family" was weak minded, just like that woman that killed her kid.
I'm not saying ONLY the game made her do it. Not saying that at all. But it WAS her being interupted from the game that made her snap.
Of course Zero, someone like you, who loves his kids and cherishes them can't comprehend a stupid game causing you to kill one of them. But you are a very intellegent person.

---

I think the GIGO argument is entirely too simplistic. I just got done watching Saw 6 a few minutes ago. I will never come close to replicating any of the acts in that movie. Part of human intelligence is the ability to differentiate fact from fiction.

---

Exactly and I believe it's upon the parents responsibility to instill such understanding.

---

I couldn't agree with you more.

---

While you won't put human's through that crap that Jigsaw does, the 'GIGO' viewpoint is VERY valid.

I don't swear very often. At all. But put me at work with the foul mouthed guys I work with and by Friday I'm cussing like a sailor. Yes, it boils down to me ultimately having control (or lack thereof) of my actions, but stuff still flies out of my mouth that I rarely, if ever, have come out prior to my working with said group of guys. That's just the simplistic version of this. Now put a kid in front of the tv with nothing but GTA games, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies for an extended period of time, and I guarantee you that kid is going to have some serious misconceptions of reality.

Yes, it boils down to parents. Not just to teach the differences between fiction and non-fiction but to moderate that intake of 'garbage' and set up boundaries. Yes, I admit the boundaries didn't stop me (I purposefully bypassed said boundaries) but they helped in the moderation. The fact I had them made a difference I believe.

I guess I'm saying it's a combination of a lot of factors, the two big ones are the 'GIGO' mindset and parenting.

---

True. My parents instilled morals in me, and that there are consequences for your actions. Too many times people use TV, computers, and games to "baby sit" their kids.
So then, where do they get their "values" from?
It's hard for those that have a good upbringing to comprehend that there are WAY too many people that don't raise their children.

---