Virginia Tech, Columbine, Jokela, perhaps the three most famous examples of school massacres. They are not anything special compared to other school massacres, or other killings done by teenagers, young people who played video games, except from the amount of blood that was spilt. In fact, they all have something in common, and it is not just video games, a virtual life. They were all on the sideline of society. But maybe, just maybe, they where on the sideline of society because they played video games? Is it unimaginable that video games affectet them so much that society just could not accept these individuals?

I want to go back in time, to when I was nine years old. I decided to watch Blair Witch Project, at home, alone, in the dark. For a couple of years, I swore that someone was outside my window. Just by a stupid movie, which honestly is stupid, I was reduced to a shivering little kid(although, I was not the bravest boy anyways), but that movie had a strong impact on me. After all, I was just a kid. But the movie made me strong, I'm not realy scared of anything anymore.  But I'm not watching that movie a second time, not now, not ever. The point is, I might have been affected because I was a little kid, but people who are weaker mentaly, human beings who have been pushed out on the sideline, bullied etc. Might react the same way when they are nine as they are twenty years old. I still see grown men indulge themselvs in video games to the level where they scream at the screen, can we still trust to say that video games have no effect on people whatsoever?

They might have had video games in common, or a "bad" taste in music, or just wearing dark clothes and hating their parents, but the main factor, which you can spot all over the board here, is that they all where bullied, unstable social life. They were not your typical kids that just played video games and just went out on a whim to kill somebody. They where forced to it, in their eyes they where executing their escape, most likely because they did not have a normal perspectiv on life. This is something we don't hear a lot about, because the news people talk a lot about the habits of these "murderers", like playing video games of believing in natures survival of the fittest, but it does come forth after the cameras are turned off. That these people where bullied, and generally did not have a normal or okey life. But I guess we can still blame the video games, the music, the gothic culture.

I would have feared for my life if even 5% of those who played video games became violent, then millions would go around hitting each othe-wait a minute, aren't we already doing that? Have we not killed each other before video games? Yes, we have, we are, and we will always kill each other. But does that justify saying that video games are innocent? Can't video games inspire some people to kill others? Afterall, people kill over petty things like sneaking in line and candy. It is not that video games inspire people to do awful things, but that people put the entire blame on so called 'new media', that's just throwing the ball to someone else, just because you don't think you can score that touchdown. You can't just give responsibility to someone else, just because you don't want it. This is society's problem, and last time I checked, we are a part of society. It is our responsibility as a functioning society that we watch out for the people in our community, that we prevent bullying to the extent that they are sidelined from society, and driven into a downwards spiral where they see no other way out than to take it out on the people around them. We need to take a look at ourselfs, reflect on what kind of society we live in. I believe that is our responsibility, one we all share.

But, at the same time, the gaming world is just watching, like we've just been hit by a flashbang(personally, I jump as much as I can when I get flashed, though, I always die). Video game companies are pushing for PEG to be mandatory in all countries, and that you cannot sell rated games unless they meet the age requirement(most countries do not have a law that says you need to follow these ratings, it's up to the individual store/company to decided that). But that is not enough, we do not meet halfway, and so does not Jack Thompson. But that is a dialoge we cannot controle, we need someone else who is a little more sane to communicate with, if not for a better society then for good publisity.

NOTE: I do not claim to have nay evidence of the claims I make here, nor do I believe that I'm right in everything, these are just a short summary of the thoughts about the problems we are, and might face in the future.