Wait a second.  Don’t flame me first for the title.  It was a quote from one of my NON gamers fellow friend.  Well, I’m not considering him as friend either ^^ because we just have a connection in business.  I write this article in an instant because of his quote.  I was planning on writing a review about a game and also I was drawing a fanart of certain online game.  But I postpone it.

I was opening a recent article from MMOSite, “Blamed on CS? College Killer Crazy for Violent”.  When I was reading it, my friend was also reading it.  And that words just come out from his mouth like a nail slamming in my ear, “Game is a bad influence for young people, MMORPG especially, they need to be banned!”  I was like WTF but then I try to calm my self down, and I start facing him, and give him some thought.

1.  Tools

I asked him, what weapon that Steven Kazmierczak used to kill the 5 victims.  And he said some guns.  And then I said, why don’t you blame it on weapon shop who didn’t check his personality, before they sell them?  And why don’t you blame on the country’s law which give him a chance to buy a weapon?  And he said that it is not the weapon that drive him to kill people.  It’s the game!  And I said, it is not the game that drive him to kill people, but the environment and his personality that drive him.  Why?  Because I am very sure that such man when provided with any violence form, even if it’s not in the form of a game, he WILL kill somebody!  Out of millions people who play CS, why would one person have to made a game to be banned?  I played CS for years and yet, I never kill a single person in my life.  You see, weapons are made as a defensive tools, not as a human killing tool.  The law that give permission for someone to purchase a weapon is also a tool to give the right of self defense.  Games are TOOLS for LIFE ENTERTAINMENT!  It is not a tools to drive someone to kill anybody around him!  So it's VERY STUPID to blame the tools!  A knife is dangerous and only by seeing it, sometimes can made someone want to cut something!  So do they banned it from our life???  I am very sure, that Minh Le and Jess Cliffe never intend to make counter strike mod to drive people to kill each other.  They would never imagine that the mod would be blamed for the Virginia Tech Massacre.

2. Personality

What really matter is who’s gonna use the tools.  Give a knife to a psycho, definitely he will kill someone right away.  Give a knife to a chef cook, you can get a very delicious food.  Give a game to someone who’s already mentally sick, and you see another victims being shot.  IF you already know that tools can be used in a wrong way by wrong person, don’t give it to him!  I would never ever give a knife to my 20 months years old son, because I know exactly that he didn’t know what that tool is for.  My friend is also blaming MMORPG because he has seen some articles about online gamers die because of marathon play without rest and eat.  I said it was because that PERSON is stupid!  It is not because of the game!  I have to admit that sometimes I have sleepless nights because of some games.  But because I am a normal person, I can still stop playing when the time has come.  I am very happy to see that recently in some online game, there is a warning about playing in a long time without rest is not good for your health.  Another good example is cigarettes.  It’s bad everybody knows it.  There is a warning about it’s effect.  Yes they are prohibited in most area in health aware countries.  But do they banned it?  No!  It is DEFINITELY bad for your health and surroundings, but it will depend on the person.

3. Media

Talking about drive, media is the easiest way to be blamed for something.  When Superman was in the cinemas all over my country, there’s a kid that jump from the roof because he think he can fly and yes he’s dead.  Is it because of Superman movie?  It DID drive him to jump.  So would they blame the media?  Yes some of people did blame it.  Did Superman being banned from our country?  Not at all.  Another sad stories is when WWF was aired in our television.  A kid was die because he was being body slammed by his fellow friend copying the move in WWF.  So is it because of the media?  I don’t think so.  It is because of the parent or anybody who already has an understanding in his environment.  It’s their responsibility.   Why would you let your child watching the TV in the middle of the night?  And you didn’t even give any guidance!

I had a son, and I told my friend I will DEFINITELY introduce him to gaming world, especially MMORPG.  And I tell him that it is better to be addicted to games rather than to drugs.  I can watch him playing game and monitor him rather than he seek another entertainment outside of our house and end up being a drug user.  Another thing is that maybe game is going to be his business?  Who knows?  Yes, game has influence in our life.  BUT, it will depend on how parents and the person who play it to use it.  Stop blaming games.