Dark souls makes you kill people.

So I'm sure the UK members will be aware of the news story yesterday of a kid in Leeds stabbing his Spanish teacher to death.

Well the "fine" folks at the daily mail seem to think its because he liked Dark Souls.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2615694/Loner-schoolboy-murder-suspect-enjoyed-ultra-violent-video-games.html

I'm really not sure at this point if I should just laugh or cry everytime some half assed "journalist" links videogames to acts of violence.

Speaking of the Daily Mail, I saw a link of this and I just had to share it.

There's always people trying to use forms of media as scapegoats rather than ask the hard questions and think about what actual problems might have caused this. It's even more upsetting how many of these opinions tend to come from a lack of understanding of the specific medium. After reading the article he sounds a lot like I was when I was a teenager; listened to metal, played a lot of games, shy, etc. I've never killed anyone and never will, so maybe there's something else to it.

You also hit people with a huge sword in Child of Light

Well I'm off to go murder some people

It's the Daily Mail. They rip off Cracked articles. How much integrity do the really have?

This happened about a 100 yards from where I used to live. Now the daily mail is full of crap and racism, that's widely known here in the UK. The kid was probably from a broken home with scumbag parents, very typical of the area which is known as Halton moor. Look it up. I mean the day is not complete without a little murdering right right? Shame about the teacher looks like a lively lady

Well, of course. It's always the video games' fault.

I stopped caring at 'daily mail' :)

I wouldn't call Dark Souls super violent, at least I don't think it is.

Fuck Daily mail.

The Daily Mail makes me want to stab people. Fortunately I use video games as an outlet for my Daily Mail induced rage, and nobody gets stabbed.

Sigh...this again.

Daily Mail up ins.

Pretend they don't exist. It's the only right move.

Let's not give The Daily Mail any more attention to this site, please.

can i get daily mail through Stamps.com?

Well, "dude stabs teacher because of video games" is a much more interesting title than "suicidal drug addict with a penchant for Satan stabs teacher."

Fascinating post. I laughed, I cried, it was a journey.

I fucking hate that rag and how ridiculously popular it is in the UK. The Mail only prints anything if it makes you fearful, angry or includes the talent vacuums from reality TV. It pains me that my girlfriend's mother reads it.

Even the drug addict thing turns out to be he was taking anti-depressants to combat his mental health issues (unless you count paracetamol as serious drug habit). The whole story is twisted way beyond reality and seeks to make profit from a horrendous tragedy for everyone involved.

Not that surprising for such a loathsome publication but the whole thing makes my blood boil.

That must be an amazing website/newspaper/magazine/whatever to read.

Apparently he also liked Achievement Hunter. Rooster Teeth makes you kill people, too? Fuck.

I don't play Dark Souls, and guess what, I don't kill people.. So this must be true.

Think about that for a second.

My god you are right.

Ill stick to Manhunt then, No danger there.

@singingmenstrual: absence of evidence is evidence in absence. absence makes the heart fonder. or summat.

Good thing there aren't any fetus enemies in DS2. They surely would have mentioned that in the article.

@development: Well then I guess it's a good thing he isn't a fan of Dead Space.

I can't wait until some dog/cockfighting guy gets caught with a 3DS/Pokemon to see the news reports for that.

I haven't even played it yet, but all of the endless talk about Dark Souls II on this site kind of makes me want to stab people sometimes.

No one is safe.

@joshwent: Go right ahead. Get the people who use "bro" and say "fashion souls" first.

@development: On it.

I feel very badly for the victim.

I see the Daily mail is probably a garbage rag(we have ours) No, this is not the game that feeds the video-games killz ppl. movement. Unfortunately there are unbalanced ppl. out there, and excuses (and opinions) are like a**holes, everybody has one. I think the daily Mail needs some of that poo-pourri, also.

Let's all just move along, perhaps after expressing a brief lament for the victim. (Requiescat in pace), and not feed idiotic tripe that insults the victim and the disturbed killer. That would be better, yes?

@mister_v: These threads are garbage and go to show why internet forums are a rotten cesspool. Anyone trying to make the argument that violent videogames don't have negative effects on some people sounds far more ignorant than someone saying videogames are the only reason someone killed someone. Just take a step back and use some common sense. If a troubled kid feels like an outcast and is depressed, do you really think spending the majority of his time locked away playing violent videogames is going to have a positive affect on his disposition? Most of the time when videogames are brought up after something like this they are relevant.

So.... Praise the Sun?

Sunny D for everyone!

@hunkulese: While I totally understand where your coming from, It's not really about whether videogames have any affect in these cases, blaming videogames is just scapegoating. The real problem is the treatment (or lack there of) for mental health issues, diverting attention to anything else for page clicks/sales is at best unhelpful and at worst downright disgusting. Two families lives have been destroyed by this incident and a lot of very young lives will have been scarred as a result of witnessing this attack is all that should matter here. That video games appear so often in these case is because it's commonplace for most young men to play games, they are now firmly part of popular culture and is therefore totally irrelevant.

@hunkulese: I believe violent video games can be hurtful for people, especially disturbed individuals, in the same way most violent media can be a negative influence. This only applies to people with serious real life mental problems though, most people won't take any damage from playing violent video games because they're more or less stable individuals. That's just my opinion though, the science on this is still pretty shaky.

That said, you statemet "Most of the time when videogames are brought up after something like this they are relevant." is plainly wrong. It's clear that video games suffer from the new media syndrome, in that every form of new media gets blamed for horrible shit by people who don't understand it. Tabloids like Daily Mail are only too happy to jump on that bandwagon with no proof at all, other than a person who killed someone also playing video games. I'd say that even if you're of the opinion that violent media can have a negative effect on a certain kind of individual, the media's search for easy answers makes sure that stuff like video games gets blamed without there being any merit to it all the time.

Also, the "These threads are garbage and go to show why internet forums are a rotten cesspool" statement is fucking dumb. How did this thread warrant such a response? Just because people disagree with you all internet foums are a rotten cesspool? Jesus Christ, talk about an overreaction.

99% of all people who killed people have milk in their fridge! Milk is the true culprit. Ban milk. Also newspapers and internet and tv and books and music. I say people cause people to kill people. For some reason some people can't stand people and can't stop themselves from killing people. Ban people. Or something.

That said. It's a tradegy, and this kind of stuff shouldn't happen. There's simply no way of preventing all tradegy. However, not trying isn't an option either. That said, there are better and more constructive ways of trying to prevent tragedy than banning videogames. Like free love for everyone. Now if only all the hotties weren't so selfish with their goods, the world would be a better place.

Is that the right answer? If it is, write your councilman in support of the hotties-do-freebies-for-world-peace-duty initiative.

Maybe 15 is a little too young for games like DS and GTA. Anyway I don't think video games made him do it, but there seems to be something about violent video games that attracts mentally ill people, young males in particular, which are the perpetrators of nearly all recent mass shootings. Maybe it has to do with acting out fantasies or something like that. Obsessive playing of violent video games should be taken as one of many warning signs that a mentally disturbed person may be dangerous.

@vuud said:

Is it really? It's not like Dark Souls is a particularly vulgar or gorey game at all, certainly not more than most dark fantasy out there that's available in spades, and certainly not in comparison to GTA. Hell, Dark Souls II was even rated T here. The series has nothing all that creepy about it aside from the name.

@amyggen: So if videogames are hurtful for disturbed individuals how is it not relevant when they're brought up when a disturbed individual who played a lot of videogame murders someone? It's not new media syndrome. If someone watched torture porn four hours a day then goes and tortures someone, it's going to be brought up. If someone listens to death metal nonstop, it's going to be brought up. If someone dresses up like a vampire it's going to be brought up. All are influential towards someone's disposition.

Maybe you missed his sensationalist title but I don't see how you can call it anything but garbage. Especially when he's trying to condemn a site for publishing sensationalist articles. It's an ignorant stance to take because someone is being overly defensive and thinks all negative press towards videogames is going to lead for a call to ban videogames.

Was probably on a run following the tradition of murdering all NPCs prior to NG+. Disappointed to find no equivalent of royal helm.

Aye I saw the covers of some newspapers in the supermarket this afternoon. I'm pretty sure The Times was trying to take a similar 'blame video games' slant on the front cover. Sigh, agendas.

The Daily Mail is a poisonous shitrag, best avoided.

It was only later I found out this took place in Leeds. I live in Leeds, incidentally.

@hunkulese: The reason I created this thread was to poke fun at a terrible article written by a terrible trashy news publication. Anything else you are getting from my post is on you. I just find it sad that everytime somthing like this happens certain sections of the media jump on the "video games are evil" bandwagon to pander to the brain dead scumbags who willingly read this trash.

I don't for one second think that this will lead to games being banned so there is nothing for me to defend. videogames are just the easy target at the moment for the media to blame any random act of violence on. Give it a few years and they will move onto somthing else. it doesn't mean we can't poke fun at bad reporting until they do though.

@hunkulese: I reacted to you calling every internet forum garbage because of this mostly civil discussion more than anything. This headline doesn't make all internet disucssion garbage.

But anyways, disturbed individuals will kill people for a variety of reasons. Did video games contribute here? I have no idea, but I doubt Dark Souls did. This person was probably mentally disturbed and any number of factors could've set him of. My point with the new media thing is that you see time and time again that newer media gets blamed more for this kind of stuff than older media largely because it's poorly understood by the media. Witness how afraid the mainstream has been of aggressive music over the years (not new media, but new genres). While some people might be negativly influenced by violent media I think the discussion is largely a distraction: The real problem is, and will probably always be, poor understanding of mental health issues and a lack of focus on those issues because of their complexity.

I think that's the reason why gamers in general react so badly to tabloids directly or indirectly blaming games in situations like this one (in general, this article only really mentioned that he played games). If video games are a factor in some of these murders they're at most a minor factor, while the mental health issues, the person's upbringing and other real life issues are the real cause. I think people have seen a few too many old white men in the media and in politics point fingers at video games when they're at most one of many potentially unhealthy influences on a highly disturbed individual. Witness some of the articles about Breivik in Norway that focussed so much on him playing CoD and WoW(!), when that clearly had little to nothing to do with what he did.

Even if something is going to be brought up because it's easy to say that 2+2=5 in these kinds of situations doesn't mean that it's correct. I think everyone understand that it's gonna be brought up, what people don't agree with is the immense focus games often get in these kinds of situations. Just because you play Manhunt or listen to Darkthrone, doesn't mean that any of that had anything to do with you murdering the people you decided to murder.

I've never been to the UK and even I know the daily mail is a pile of dog shit.

You Defeated

Remember when everyone blamed juvenile crimes on Dungeons and Dragons? Good times.

sunny death?

(too soon)

I love how that's the headline instead of mentioning he was suffering from depression and bullying. But hey gotta grab those readers. The whole situation is really sad.