So, what makes this worthy of a post on a WoW/MMO blog? Here's a snipet from Time's coverage of the trial:
What the hell? What does that have to do with anything? Why talk about what video games the guy played like that somehow matters? I mean, it was one thing back when Columbine school shooting happened; those kids shot up their school and people thought maybe violent video games were a factor, but those kids killed themselves and so it's all speculation - but even then you can't account for all the people who play violent games and never commit crimes. It's even more ridiculous in this case because the guy responsible is sitting in court, making statements, has written a manifesto, etc. While he's certainly a psychopath, and I don't agree with his motives, world view, etc, there's no need for speculation. He's been pretty up-front about why he killed those people. Here's more...
In closing, I'd just like to say that over the past 7+ years that World of Warcraft has been around, subscriptions have hovered around 10 Million world-wide with untold numbers of players having quit and new players having joined over the years - meaning the overall number of people who have played it at some point in it's history is likely much higher. Meanwhile, the number of terrorist nutjobs who've played the game stands at 1. That's a pretty good record, IMO.
Blame video games — that’s the watch phrase these days when something tragic happens. The non-gaming media seem to enjoy zeroing in on video games that are highlighted in horrifying crimes, invoking the rhetorical question: Do video games screw people up? Like the trial of Norwegian Anders Behring Breivik, 33, a right-wing extremist charged with killing eight people in a car-bomb attack near a government building in Oslo last July and 69 others in a follow-up shooting spree at a youth camp run by Norway’s Labor Party.In the trial, prosecutors reportedly “painted an image of a Breivik obsessed with the World of Warcraft computer game, prompting the judge to ask whether the game was violent.” At some point, the prosecution must have displayed images from the game in the courtroom, because Reuters says Breivik smiled “when the image of his online character was displayed.” According to Agence France-Presse, the prosecution said Breivik played World of Warcraft “full time” from the summer of 2006 to the summer of 2007.
What the hell? What does that have to do with anything? Why talk about what video games the guy played like that somehow matters? I mean, it was one thing back when Columbine school shooting happened; those kids shot up their school and people thought maybe violent video games were a factor, but those kids killed themselves and so it's all speculation - but even then you can't account for all the people who play violent games and never commit crimes. It's even more ridiculous in this case because the guy responsible is sitting in court, making statements, has written a manifesto, etc. While he's certainly a psychopath, and I don't agree with his motives, world view, etc, there's no need for speculation. He's been pretty up-front about why he killed those people. Here's more...
Breivik himself wrote in a 1,500-page manifesto titled “2083: A European Declaration of Independence” that in order to battle what he describes as “the rise of cultural Marxism/multiculturalism” and “Islamic colonization and Islamisation of Western Europe,” one must “[avoid] suspicion from relatives, neighbours and friends.” He further advises telling friends and family “that you have started to play World of Warcraft or any other online MMO game and that you wish to focus on this for the next months/year.” Breivik says this helps “justify isolation” and adds that “people will understand somewhat why you are not answering your phone over long periods.” Note, importantly, that Breivik is advising the use of stereotypes about video games as a way to justify social isolation, indicating his intelligent, cynical view of the game. This was someone who used video games for sinister purposes, not someone used by them.Oh, nice ... they have a 1500-manifesto, and the media picks out this tiny part where the nutjob suggests feigning interest in World of Warcraft in order to ... become socially isolated? to what ends? Maybe that's on one of the other 1499 pages.
In closing, I'd just like to say that over the past 7+ years that World of Warcraft has been around, subscriptions have hovered around 10 Million world-wide with untold numbers of players having quit and new players having joined over the years - meaning the overall number of people who have played it at some point in it's history is likely much higher. Meanwhile, the number of terrorist nutjobs who've played the game stands at 1. That's a pretty good record, IMO.