If you hadn’t already heard by now, Norway was struck by tragedy when a 32-year-old man murdered 93 people in a youth camp. Killer Anders Behring Breivik has said thatCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2was part of his training for the “long-planned mission” against Islam, which of course has turned the event into a “videogames make murderers” opportunity.
Writing in his 1500-page manifesto, Beivik says, ““I just boughtModern Warfare 2, the game. It is probably the best military simulator out there and it’s one of the hottest games this year. I seeMW2more as a part of my training-simulation than anything else.”
He admitted that “urban Europeans” would have trouble finding good target practice, so suggest country clubs or videogames as alternative methods of training. Mainstream news sites arealready making the videogame linktheir main focus of the story, so it won’t be long before the usual suspects (basically everyone who works for the Murdochs) to start saying that VIDEOGAMES DID NORWAY!
There is, of course, no proven link to videogames and violence, and the idea thatModern Warfare 2is an adequate training tool is laughable. Games and guns don’t handle in the same way at all, but I doubt that’ll stop the outcries of “experts” who think any teenager can play a videogame and become an expert assassin.
It’s worth noting this guy wasalsoa Christian fundamentalist motivated by the kind of religious intolerance that many news outlets have encouraged since 9/11, but I don’t expect FOX News to blame anything onthatbit. Y’know … theimportantbit.
