Mainstream media’s hate boner for video games is now shining through as they blame the entertainment medium for the CEO killing.
One of the most tired and tortured arguments made by mainstream media out there is that video games cause people to become violent. Whenever tragedy strikes, the mainstream media loves to engage in one of their favourite past times by saying it’s all the fault of video games and if we just did away with video games, violent acts wouldn’t even occur.
While the mainstream media’s efforts to demonize video games has been very consistent over the last couple of decades, what is also consistent is the fact that such talking points have repeatedly been debunked for the lies that they are. Last year, when we covered Maclean’s Magazine pushing the disinformation that video games are somehow comparable to cocaine, we debunked those claims by pointing to numerous studies pointing out that video games either had a neutral impact on people or an overall positive impact on people’s lives.
Of course, facts and research will likely never stop the nonsense from being peddled my mainstream media. Earlier this year, that point was proven when the mainstream media blamed video games for the assassination attempt of Donald Trump. What evidence did they have? The perpetrator had a Steam account. No link was ever established, but again, evidence means nothing to mainstream media when it comes to spending their days bashing video games. Of course, we diligently report the facts and when a study cropped up saying that video games boost your mood, we did the responsible thing and covered that story. This is because facts do, in fact matter.
So, when we found out that the mainstream media was pinning the UnitedHealthCare CEO killing on video games, we were disappointed, but not surprised that the media would beat that dead horse yet again. From NBC News:
‘Extremely ironic’: Suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO slaying played video game killer, friend recalls
Luigi Mangione, who was arrested and charged with murder in the shooting death of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, once belonged to a group of Ivy League gamers who played assassins, a member of the group told NBC News.
In the game, called “Among Us,” some players are secretly assigned to be killers in space who perform other tasks while trying to avoid suspicion from other players.
Alejandro Romero, who attended the University of Pennsylvania with Mangione and was a member of the same Discord group, said he was shocked when news broke on social media that Mangione had been taken into police custody.
“I just found it extremely ironic that, you know, we were in this game and there could actually be a true killer among us,” he said.
“Among Us” is a child-friendly whodunnit game in which a group of friends run around several space station-like maps. The “crewmates,” who are simply drawn, cartoonish-looking astronauts, run around the ship and complete tasks.
The intent of the game? One member is a killer and attempts to off the other crewmates. The death animations are silly and shown as someone getting stabbed in the back or having their neck snapped. Once a body is discovered, a crewmate reports it and a conversation ensues to deduce who the gamers think committed the crime. If they’re wrong, an innocent player will be ejected in a humorous animation of them floating off into space. If they’re right, the crewmates win. If the “killer” gets all the crewmates or gets all the innocent ones ejected, they win.
The game has been wildly popular, especially during the pandemic, and particularly among young children because of its simple mechanics, colorful cartoonish nature, and unpredictability. The game is so beloved by younger gamers, dressing as a “crewmate” is often a popular children’s costume at Halloween
Yes, you read that right. The person who killed the CEO played “Among Us”, therefore, video games are clearly to blame for the killing. So, we can stop talking about the state of healthcare in the US, the systemic problems the system presents, the denial of coverage of insurance agencies, and a number of other motives. Let’s all focus the blame on the real cause: video games.
The article is an extremely sloppy and weak attempt at blaming video games. After all, what is the point in reporting this at all when the intent wasn’t to try and pin the blame on video games in the first place? After all, the insinuation was put in the headline and opening paragraphs for a reason.
Ultimately, the article is bad and the “journalists” that wrote it should feel bad. I mean, what’s next? Arguing that he might have listened to rock n roll music at some point and maybe that’s to blame? Blaming social media? Saying that he might have been inspired by D&D at one point? Blaming Elvis Presley for his dance moves on this somehow?
Seriously, nothing about that article was necessary. It’s taking advantage of a tragedy to peddle lies about video games. If there is one trope that the media should have dropped years ago, it’s that violent acts can be blamed on video games. How many times are we going to play this song and dance? Seriously mainstream media: stop it.
