Anders Behring Breivik
The media attention has focused on the fact that Norway killer Anders Behring Breivik has been saying that he used the video game hit Modern Warfare 2 (MW2, see video in the full post) as a “training” tool, and that according to him, the game was realistic enough to reproduce “real world operations”.
But that’s not the only video game reference that he used: during his training and preparation he wanted to avoid his family and friend getting suspicious about him not being as available, so he told them that he’s been getting into World of Warcraft (WoW), a game known for sucking time like a black hole.
Some are already stirring controversy about the fact that he has used a video game to prepare his crime, and there’s no doubt that this debate will continue for some time. But while some media will be quick to point fingers at the video game industry (this is an old habit), should the game take the blame for what happened?
No. At best, it’s a case of indirect misuse of a widely available technology. Surely, he has used computers, cellphones, television and… fertilizers (turned into explosives) to commit his crime. Clearly, none of these have made the headlines yet.
What’s your take on this? Do you think that super-realistic video-games are somewhat responsible for what happened, or do you think that Anders Behring Breivik is the only one to blame?
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