As for the “Scientists”, as raggi so rightly said, do some proper (note the word proper) research or go back to school to learn how to research a subject with fact as opposed to poorly founded fiction.

Games do not promote violence any more than reporting on the latest shooting in America and Iraq, or kindnappings in Asia, and car jacking, etc. If you’re going to take a knock at games, take a knock at media in general. Hypocritical pen-pushing, brainless, indoctrinating wankers.

Games are meant as a distraction from the real world, and inability to differentiate between real-life situations from simulated pixels is not a reflection of the messages (clear or undertone) of the games themselves. You should perhaps question the person’s mental stability in the first place.

Like raggi, I myself am an avid player of many types of games across so many platforms. I work for Blizzard, a games company. I am constantly reading about game development, and whatnot. Games are great fun, and the potential in them is almost limitless. Now, I have played some of the most violent games to date. Solider of Fortune (the modded versions where there was no restrictions on gore levels), Carmageddon, Resident Evil series, Silent Hill series, Manhunt (MASSIVE conspiracies over this). I have also played the ‘immoral’ games, such as Kane & Lynch, the GTA series (Grand Theft Auto - this is the name of a criminal charge, for those who don’t know), Hitman series. I’ve also played the games that people do not take a knock at, such as World of Warcraft, Neverwinter Nights, Baldur’s Gate, Might and Magic, various RTS games….. believe it or not, a lot of games include some form of violence at some level.

Now, with this massive list of games I have played extensively (and I could name many many more), my mental state is not affected. Playing games has not warped my sense of reality, nor has it affected my judgement of right and wrong. These aspects of a human’s personality comes from elders’ teaching and maturity. Games have not affected my previously taught rights and wrongs, dos and don’ts. Games have not affected my differentiation of reality and make believe. Just like movies have not.

All in all, I’m sane, and have no thoughts of running around suffocating people with bin-liners after player man-hunt, or become a contract killer after playing Hitman.

Scientists of the Anti-Gaming Community. You should listen to my advice loud and clear, and take it all in:

Suck. My. Balls.

Sorry raggi, had to rant. completely agree with you mate.