Alleged Navy Yard shooter 'obsessed' with violent video games, says friend

[The Straight Story]

Alleged Navy Yard shooter 'obsessed' with violent video games, says friend
September 16, 2013
Aaron Alexis, Washington Navy Yard shooting suspect, often played violent video games according to a close friend.


Washington Navy Yard shooting suspect, Aaaron Alexis, was frustrated with his employer over unpaid wages says a close friend. Heidi Zhou-Castro has that and more from Ft. Worth, Texas.

Video here:
http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/live-news/2013/9/alleged-navy-yardshooterobsessedwithviolentvideogamessaysfriend.html

[Safetykitten]

1. And the conversation about this begins.

[The Straight Story]

5. So did Adam Lanza (nt)

[Safetykitten]

6. Sorry, that was not a point I was making...I will correct.

[NYC_SKP]

2. This doesn't surprise me. This man should have been barred from guns in 2004.

After the shooting out tires incident.

Violent video games is consistent.

Sad thing, I think there might be more violent games than non-violent ones.

[KittyWampus]

17. I play a lot of games. So many different great games. And now there's an even greater variety as

smaller groups release Independent games.

There is a universe of truly great games out there that aren't about shooting people.

Sparkle is one of the best marble shooters, for instance.

Glowfish is totally unique and beautiful.

[NYC_SKP]

19. That's encouraging news.

Thanks!

[Katashi_itto]

35. "Outlast" and "Amensia: A machine for pigs", totally horrifying games with no guns

Very scary games, and you have no weapons.

And lets face it, shooter games have little to no bearing on this. The idea is to derail as usual the conversation about real gun control.

[zappaman]

58. +100

"The idea is to derail as usual the conversation about real gun control."

Spot on and sad to see so many people actually falling for it.

[NYC_SKP]

84. violence is violence. guns are just the most available tool. nt

[Katashi_itto]

88. True, although several mass murders I've heard were comitted with video games clubbing

people to death.

[FunkyLeprechaun]

69. The UK has the exact same violent video games

but we've had only 3 mass shootings in the last 30 years.

[question everything]

3. And this is how he got to be an "efficient" killer

Playing these games you score when you hit as many targets as you can. Thus, he was trained to know which targets to choose to assure a hit.

This is sickening, really.

[Democat]

37. He was in the military

Is it possible he learned how to shoot in the military?

[oldhippie]

41. He was in the Naval Reserve ...

Not likely he received much weapons training, if any. I know people who spent 6 years in the Navy and never touched a weapon, even in boot camp.

[cemaphonic]

85. Shooting guns in games is to shooting games in reality as

playing guitar in Guitar Hero is to playing an actual guitar.

or playing Mario Kart to actual driving.


Gun action in video games is like Hollywood, very stylized and full of unrealistic conventions. And although the last time I touched a gun was in summer camp as a kid, I'm pretty sure there's more to aiming a gun than a casual flick of the wrist, assisted by perfectly accurate crosshairs.

[Humanist_Activist]

86. Kinda how like if you are good at chess, you would make an excellent general!

Damn people are stupid and reactionary.

[bravenak]

4. So it was the unpaid wages he was mad about.

I play violent video games too. Like Borderlands. On Xbox live. With other people. Never shot anybody.

[Llewlladdwr]

8. Most gun owners have never shot anyone either.

But somehow they're still responsible for a murder that happens across the country. So "it wasn't me" doesn't seem to matter.

I say it's high time to ban violent video games. Nobody needs a murder simulator for entertainment purposes.

[bravenak]

13. I don't think so.

Killers don't need video games as an excuse. They kill without video games. Humans are violent killers, how else were we to survive? We killed our food to eat, we killed to protect ourselves from other humans and wild animals.
We don't need guns to kill, it just makes it much much easier to kill as many people as we want.
I think it would be easier to cure death than to stop people from killing.

[Skip Intro]

15. Nice. n/t

[davidn3600]

22. Yeah...good luck getting that past the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 just a couple years ago that struck down a California law that attempted to regulate who can buy "violent" video games.

The court ruled that the "violent" video game is protected speech under the first amendment and cannot be covered under obscenity designations.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20074810-93/video-games-given-full-first-amendment-protection/

One thing that is pretty consistent with the Supreme Court....they dont bend much when it comes to the first amendment. Liberals nor conservatives.

[DonCoquixote]

30. and the video games

shoved Adam lanza in a locker,
or Dylan and Kyle,
or took this new shooter's wages away?

Right.

[Daemonaquila]

33. Oh what-bloody-ever...

ZOMG - ban video games, ban violent books, ban violent TV, ban violent movies, BAN THOUGHTCRIME!!!!!!

This is a ridiculous road to go down. People don't get violent because they watch simulated violence. People with violent predilections may be a segment of the many people who ENJOY these things. Quit looking for causation in this. It's embarrassing.

[Katashi_itto]

36. Total BS. Banning video games won't stop it. Ban guns.

Ban games, then what? ban violent comics? Oh wait that didn't work....Violent Movies will be the next excuse. and on and on.


And Frankly how many people did he kill with that violent video game? Whats the caliber of the average video game btw?

[backscatter712]

67. There's that "murder simulator" talking point.

[snooper2]

83. That includes Raving Rabbids

A game about mental case rabbits going around destroying everything!




NOT HEALTHY!!!

[The Straight Story]

9. He, Adma Lanza, James Holmes (Aurora shooter), Columbine shooters

All played violent video games.

If even 0.02% of people that play them commit crimes we need to be careful and do something to stop people from having such games.

[bravenak]

11. They're trying to take our games!!!!

I also have a gun. I'll give that up but not my video games.

[Barack_America]

18. I think we need to do a better job of recognizing the pattern of self-isolation...

...and obsession with violence and guns. And we need to do a better job of speaking up when we see people heading down this path. Authorities need to do a better job of listening. And such alerts need to affect the ability to buy guns.

[The Straight Story]

20. Well

Glad someone is actually looking for causes other than the mantra 'they owned a gun, so that is the cause!' which is akin to fbi behavioral studies unit saying 'well, ted bundy had a car and knife, we should focus on that to unravel why he did what he did'.

[DonCoquixote]

29. not thev fact they had all untreated mentla health issues, right?

That all of them were bullied at school by a culture that loves to mistreat mentally ill people, right?
Killing the games will not stop the Adam lanzas or Dylan Kleibolds from shoving kids into lockers, nor stop the preppy scum from doing it, then acting all sad when someone lashes out at them.

[oldhippie]

44. If it saves just one life .....

.... shouldn't we do it?

[nadinbrzezinski]

56. So the fact that they had untreated mental issues, severe ones at that,

Has nothing to do with this.

Look, reality is games are actually more pervasive than guns any more. They are played by adults in huge numbers, that is the real market, the kiddie market is actually secondary. So you will have more sick people, hearing voices in their heads, who play tour of duty or grand theft, also commiting crimes.

If the games did not exist they would still socially isolate themselves, they would still obtain weapons, and still commit crimes, rarely, like this case, ask for help and not get it.

So how about we talk of mental health, access to services and falling through cracks?

Oh forget about it. It's the evil games.

The research is anywhere from not conclusive to does not prove the point the non conclusive is considered really bad science. I wonder if I should search here for those posts, and copy paste to my computer to save time?

[The Straight Story]

60. Maybe you missed the point

I agree that games are not to blame for the actions of others. Same as guns are not to blame either.

[nadinbrzezinski]

61. And I think that we need to regulate access to guns

You could kill using a video game DISK, I suppose, but that is not the design parameter. I am sorry, if you are mentally ill, no gun for you. Now if you want to get a gun for your PS3, by all means.

The research to prevent this person from getting a gun for the PS3 is not there. The research to prevent this person from getting a real gun on the other hand is very much in front of you.

I am sorry you believe that all we need as far as guns is zero laws.

[The Straight Story]

62. Really? When less than 1% use them we have an access problem?

Our laws are pretty effective, you cannot make a law that will 100% stop criminals. Ever.

What new laws will work? More background checks? You plan on doing them every week/mo/yr or just that one time some buys a gun? Cause if they use it 5 years later we will hear people whining "Oh, background checks don't work, make new laws z/y/z" there is always someone wanting new laws to tighten the screws on the very very few - and yet it is the many who are most affected.

How many laws did the recent shooter break? How many more would we have to make before he would have said "Oh, hey, that's too many for me to break!"

[nadinbrzezinski]

70. And then you get annoyed when you are called a libertarian

have a good day.

I will not dignify NRA talking points anymore.

[The Straight Story]

73. So label a something a talking point and dismiss?

And I didn't think being pro-choice and not using a small number of people to paint the many (bias) was something we progressives were for. If that makes me a libertarian in the eyes of others then so be it.

[nadinbrzezinski]

74. It is a talking point

have a good day. I will no longer dignify the talking points. The talking point is that only criminals will have them. That is an NRA talking point as old at least as Wayne LaPierre.

And my dear, there are left wing libertarians and right wing libertarians. The RW types are far louder these days, that is all. The libertarian tradition goes back to well before 1776. I do not mean it as a slur. But then again, I know it's history. I am one in some aspects too, and I do not see it as an insult.

[FunkyLeprechaun]

71. The UK

HAS those games yet we don't have mass shootings as often as the US does. Japan has much more violent video games and their gun death rate is nearly nil.

This is such a stupid reasoning for ignoring the problems with the easy accessibility to firearms.

[nadinbrzezinski]

72. Do not forget Korea.

We think we have game obsessed folks... neither the US or Japan get to the feet of these folks.

[The Straight Story]

75. Switzerland has 45.7 guns per 100 people

a little over half what the US has and their death rate is much lower.

So more guns does not have to equal more murders.

0.02% of people in the US with guns kills anyone with them, so the vast majority of them with guns are not causing problems either.

Maybe it is not guns or games but many other possible causes we should be looking at instead of using every death to push a bias against the many based on the few. But looking for causes and ways to prevent those very few isn't what most people seem to care about (although, oddly, when a gun is NOT used in a murder people suddenly wake up and want to talk about why, what drove them to it, etc).

[FunkyLeprechaun]

78. You seem to forget that the Swiss are quite strict with their firearms

I was in Basil and Geneva some years ago and never saw a Swiss person open carrying their guns.

Also, the Swiss have the same video games as we do.

[peace13]

81. Only the famous ones kill..

oh wait, I have that backwards!

[oldhippie]

42. "Never shot anybody" - yet ....

Neither did the shooter, until yesterday.

[bravenak]

46. What are you trying to say exactly?

Are you accusing me of something?

[oldhippie]

47. I thought what I said was pretty clear ....

I accused no one of anything. I made a factual statement.

[bravenak]

48. I'm not a killer.

Won't happen.
Maybe you'll try it.

[oldhippie]

49. Maybe ....

Maybe you'll try it.

... maybe not.

Have a nice day.

[bravenak]

59. Will do. You too.

[okieinpain]

79. call of duty here. haven't shot anyone either. n/t.

[LittleBlue]

7. So.... anyone else getting GTA5?

[Llewlladdwr]

10. I would, but the missus is agin it.

And I like her more than gaming so I'll go along.

[bravenak]

12. Me!!!

My hubby tried to preorder but I'm just gonna get it for him when it hits the shelves.

[Llewlladdwr]

14. You are an awesome spouse.

Someday I'm gonna get my wife to play WoW, just for a few minutes. That should be all it takes to get her hooked....

[bravenak]

21. I'm from the Super Nintendo generation.

We love our games.
Thank you for saying I'm awesome, I just told my husband and he said yep.

[seabeyond]

16. I am so thrilled I have two teenage boys that rarely play the shoot them up. Basketball, football or

Strategy games. Youngest has hardly played shoot me up at all and oldest got into them for a short period. That was it.

[Heather MC]

23. Violent Video Games don’t make real Weapons

Let's not go down this rabbit hole.

[bobclark86]

24. Let's see... what's more likely:

a) pissed because the MIC bent him over a barrel and ripped him off, or

b) wanted to play Call of Duty IRL...

Oh, totally the video games.

Tipper Gore called, and she wants her PMRC talking point back (like how clean-cut John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High" contributed to the growing drug "problem&quot ... oh, and Wayne LaPierre wants his bootleg PMRC talking point back, too...

[Iggo]

25. Video Games?

[Recursion]

26. I shudder every time I open Steam and see how many hours I've played Team Fortress 2

Though even that's not as big a time suck for me as FreeCiv (to say nothing of DU).

[HolyMoley]

27. Piloting drones in Afghanistan and Iraq

is essentially one real life video game with real life consequences.

I'd wager that the kids that are recruited for these assignments, are picked because of their previous skills dexterity and enthusiasm playing home video games.

I'm close to being 3 times their senior, but I can still put 5 bullets at 100 yards downrange into a nickle sized target, yet playing a 10 year old against anything from Super Mario Brothers, MoH, WoW, CoD, etc and that 10 year old will kick my ass every time.

While video games (and gamers), are not directly responsible for mass shootings and firearms related violence, they do have some role in the desensitizing and acceptance of violent behavior as if it were normal, or taking it to the extreme... living out a fantasy.

[DonCoquixote]

28. focus on the games

no on the fact that guy was denied wages as a contractor, way to go (sarcasm).

[jberryhill]

31. He didn't kill anyone with a video game

I haven't read the details, but I'm gonna guess he had a gun or two.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

34. My girlfriend is 'obsessed' with violent video games

In fact I doubt I am going to hear a peep out of her for the next couple of weeks as the new Grand Theft Auto is out, But to the best of my knowledge in her 40 years she has never hurt anyone, she even uses live release mouse traps.

Trying to find someone of this generation who has not at some point played a violent video game is going to be pretty tough.

[siouxsiecreamcheese]

87. I'm pretty much the same way

I'm a 36 year old female and I love violent video games. The more explosions and mayhem the better. I've never been too much of a GTA fan, but my husband is and I suspect we won't be playing anything together for the next few days. I just finished Saints Row 4 with him the other day, so I guess I'm going back to Mass Effect 3 for the time being. With that said, I can't stand real life violence. I'm probably the biggest peacnik I know, and I absolutely hate guns. I won't have one in my home and I loathe hunting. I think people just like to stereotype in general, and the people doing these shootings aren't able to mentally differentiate between a game and reality.

[Javaman]

38. And he also had anger management issues.

I play "violent" video games but I don't own a gun and don't wish to shoot up any place.

[sufrommich]

39. Are these violent video games only played in the U.S.?

If not,than its got nothing to do with our gun problem.

[COLGATE4]

40. Just what we need. The crazies will use

this to validate the new meme (thanks to quack shrink Keith Ablow on Fux News) that video games, not guns are the fundamental problem. Shit.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

43. Wake me up when somebody kills a dozen people with a video game cartridge. nt

[nadinbrzezinski]

54. You just dated yourself

These days they are either direct downloads, or DVDs

Hubby plays world of tanks, direct download.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

66. My bad. :P

Never much of a gamer myself.

Don't know how my analogy would work---being beaten to death with a hard drive, perhaps?

[nadinbrzezinski]

68. Break the DVD in half,

it has a nice sharp edge.

[Supersedeas]

45. what would Buddha do?

[backscatter712]

65. That's another thing that's gonna get demonized.

Just watch - on shows like the 700 Club, they're going to claim that Buddhism, being so not-Christian and all, allowed Satan to enter this guy's head and make him violent.

Why focus on denied wages, or the untreated mental illness that the Pentagon doesn't want to pay for? Blame video games and Buddhism! Call the Mad Mothers! We need to hear them screech!

[geomon666]

50. How come they never name what games they are playing?

I remember reading the report on what they found in Adam Lanza's room. He had a computer and an old PS2. Nothing about games, and what I could find was a quote from a friend that he liked to play World of Warcraft (you know that big military shooter).

So I'm not buying it. Name these games they've been playing.

[DetlefK]

51. Are all fishermen liars, or do only liars go fishing?

[gopiscrap]

52. Yes and lets start noiw to distract the conversation from fucking guns

[nadinbrzezinski]

53. And...was hearing voices in his head

For which he seeked treatment out. But sure, let's blame the games.

[KamaAina]

55. By all means. Let's talk about video games.

And mental illness. And anything else except GUNS.

[nadinbrzezinski]

57. Well the fact that

1.- he was hearing voices in his head should have prevented him from getting the gun to begin with. That is a from of psychosis.

2.- We should add this mental health check with a cross on reported folks by states who should not be able to obtain them.

This is where guns and mental health intersect.

We have poor access to mental health and very easy access to guns. What a deadly combo. We keep coming to it, but refuse to see it.

[backscatter712]

63. Fuck. And so the latest moral panic and demands for censorship begins.

Fuck censorship.

[The Straight Story]

64. Games and guns are the new Dungeons and Dragons

They all lead people to demon possession and murder/suicide!

Quick, someone call Pat Robertson.

[Xyzse]

76. A lot of the better gamers that play violent shooters are not in America

Best teams are found in Brazil, Scandinavia and S. Korea.
Top earner though is from the US.
http://www.esreality.com/post/2383043/top-10-highest-earning-fps-players/

However, in general, you look for top ranking team FPS players and they are found outside of the US.
Which goes back to my issue of training, etiquette and cooperative play and working through teams.

[justiceischeap]

77. Oh noes! I'm 'obsessed' with violent video games too!

The more violent the better, IMO. That doesn't mean I'm going to go out and purchase a gun and shoot up a bunch of people because I know the difference between reality and a video game, as do most gamers.

[peace13]

80. Why does our own military use these games to entice recruits to join?

Pretty hard to deny that there is some correlation.

[dembotoz]

82. more concerned about obsession with assualt rifles

but that is just me.

i get more nervous seeing a person holding a weapon than i go seeing a person
holding a game cartridge.