[someguy113]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...hours-day.html

So, playing computer games all day does teach you real life skills then? Apart from turning you into a mass-murdering psycho that is.

[PinkyPurply]

If Breivik knitted for 16 hours a day, would the daily wail post about that?

[Carecup]

Cause call of duty is a very realistic shooter.

All them 360 no scopes soldiers do in Afghan.

[alexmagpie]

I think it's doubtful that the video games made him like that. I think the video games were preparation, and he says, and an outlet for desires that were already there.

[PatrickD]

They said on the news earlier that it was World of Warcraft, not that it makes any difference.

Whether he is found to be insane or not, he's never going to be free again and that can only be a good thing.

[Roger Mexico]

It's the classic 'mistaking correlation for causation' fallacy that publications so often resort to in matters regarding video games. It's ****ty journalism and scaremongering, and there's no excuse

[xDave-]

I hope he was playing CoD4, because the rest are ****. I'd probably go on a killing spree if I played MW3 all day.

[Ms.LastMinute.com]

yeah basically they saying dat the violence of the game, made it easwier for him to kill the lil uns. cos its like desensitisation init.

[coffeepirate]

Not that I'm justifying what he did at all, obviously, but I'm pretty sure it was actually WoW, and he said himself that it had no influence on what he did.
His motivation was predominantly political, and also psychological. Some people genuinely believe that what they're doing is for the good of mankind, or that they are prophets chosen to spread the "good word". There was a crazy homeless guy in Hastings last week who thought he was the next Jesus, and was going around shouting "YOU WILL NOT BE SAVED" and "DEATH" at random people (including my Catholic mother), insisting that God had told him so.

[thunder_chunky]

Another attempt to blame video games no doubt

[illusionz]

Since when was the Daily Mail a good source of information about anything?

[NDGAARONDI]

Lazy journalism. To be expected from the Daily Mail. Read a proper newspaper like the FT.

[SillyRodent]

Its ludicrous that playing COD gives you real life skills as a marksman. You're just twiddling around on a joystick.

'In a chilling admission regarding the efficacy of the controversial computer game he added: ' You could give it your grandmother and she would be able to become a super marksman!'

What a bunch of rhubarb.

Hah, this bit as well:

'Breivik also admitted visiting an Oslo pistol club 25 time to hone his handgun shooting skills but said the game was a great help to him.'

Hmm maybe the real life experience might have been a bit of a factor but still- although he is possibly insane and everything he says is completely out of touch with reality we shall trust him that playing games is useful in committing mass murder.

[Carecup]

I've been played FPSs for around 10 years now.

If you gave me a gun I'm certain I'd struggle to hit a barn door at point blanc range.

But of course this bull**** is going to lead to games being banned and/or restricted even though there is no evidence linking video game violence and real life violence.

[Aphotic Cosmos]

By this logic, playing Halo makes you more likely to become a space marine. Playing CoD does not make you a mass murderer: sitting on your arse twiddling joysticks and blowing up/knifing/shooting representations of other people or manifestations of AI code will not arm you with the skills to go out and kill over seventy people of an opposing political persuasion.

What is more likely, that a game played by millions of people produced one insane psychopath, or that one psychopath happened to play a game also played by millions of others?

[g_star_raw_1989]

It hardly teaches you real life skills, however, research has shown that violent video games and violent T.V can desensitise you to violence. Although, you would have to play them from quite an earlier age and through adolescence and play them a lot for them to seriously desensitise you. Its like that 14yr old Corrie killer and those kids that killed James Bulger.

In Breiviks case, I don't think this was the case, considering all the other factors involved.

[rich2606]

Wellllllll I went clay pigeon shooting recently and I have to admit that playing COD did help a bit, particularly knowing how to aim down the sights. Stuff like adopting the correct stance, being able to deal with recoil and leading your target you'd have to be taught though.

[bishbash72]

I think it's somewhat more likely that the 200 page manifesto that he wrote explaining why he killed all those teenagers is a better explanation than the fact that he plays a game that millions of other people also play.

[Brutal Honesty]

(Original post by Aphotic Cosmos)
By this logic, playing Halo makes you more likely to become a space marine. Playing CoD does not make you a mass murderer: sitting on your arse twiddling joysticks and blowing up/knifing/shooting representations of other people or manifestations of AI code will not arm you with the skills to go out and kill over seventy people of an opposing political persuasion.

What is more likely, that a game played by millions of people produced one insane psychopath, or that one psychopath happened to play a game also played by millions of others?

He was a violent psychopath who enjoyed going on shooting sprees so obviously COD would be right up his alley. In the same way someone who wants to be a doctor would probably spend a lot of time playing Operation as a child.

[Shabalala]

It was World Of Warcraft he played according to my Radio, never played it tbh so I dunno how that has taught him anything