Gamers Are Good People, Too

The Ticktockman writes "For years, gamers have been looked down upon by the media. We are said to be crazy lunatics who, given the chance, might decide to shoot up our school because of the games we play. Well, the game-themed webcomic Penny Arcade has had enough. They have now started a little something with the Seattle Children's Hospital called 'Child's Play', where gamers can buy videogame and non-game-related gifts for patients there. So if you feel like showing the world that gamers are compassionate people too, then head on over to the Penny Arcade 'Child's Play' page for more details."

no offense

[mOoZik]

"For years, gamers have been looked down upon by the media. We are said to be crazy lunatics who, given the chance, might decide to shoot up our school because of the games we play."

Nah. Any group which spends an immense amount of time and money on playing lame video games will be too stupid to conjure up shootings. :)

'Child's Play'

[ThumbSuck]

...called 'Child's Play'...

Now chucky be good..

Re:I don't have a problem with games.

[ethanrider]

Ironic that's a very violent thing to do to gamers...

Cardboard Tube Ninja

[MikeDawg]

Next time a school, or anything is rampaged by a cardboard tube toating ninja, we'll know who to blame!!!

Penny Arcade [penny-arcade.com] is a fantastic comic!!!

Well...

[switched4OSX]

I'd love to submit an insightful post on why most people are able to differentiate between game violence and the real thing, but I've got to go clean my guns.

Re:Well...

[Riff10111]

Clean them? I just throw them away when they're empty -- there's always another in a nearby crate or something.

Re:Not just kids!

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, nothing like a little NES to get the weakened heart pounding with adrenaline, and the stress and blood pressure levels high. Your father is leaving you HOW much, exactly?

Re:Don't Complain.

[Anonymous Coward]

People don't kill people; people with mullets kill people.

Ah, I don't believe this

[wiwo]

> Gamers Are Good People, Too
They just behave like good people, they call it Role Playing.

Re:Go PA!

[squaretorus]

I love PA - its great in a kinda crap way. The Sunday Times [timesonline.co.uk] reviewed it a few weeks back as an example of the better comics available online and had a small "may contain some indoor language" warning alongside the reprint and the web address.

So I checked out the strip and I'm SURE it was THIS ONE [penny-arcade.com].

That sick kids are exposed to this kind of filth with their free games is most refreshing!! And on a Sunnday too!!! Wholesome!

Re:Well...

[Ze Kraggash]

Guns, who needs guns!

I just stomp on people's heads, they pop and produce coins which make me feel good.

Damn right I'm complaining!

[Tim C]

You killed Penny Arcade, you bastards!

"Oh, shit."

[anaphora]

Mom? Mom? Why aren't you respawning? Mom? Ah shit. *hides his shotgun*

Re:Why not write the editor?

[orthogonal]

PA said this was inspired by this article. Why don't we all write angry letters to the editor and tell them just how wrong they are for publishing that kind of garbage?

Screw that.

If I can find the secret chamber behind the swastika banner where the mega-blaster-rifle and extra ammo are hidden, I'll take the concealed elevator to the hidden level where the hearaldnet.com's offices are, and blast away at them and their Nazi henchmen until my hit points are in the red 10% zone.

And those muggles say playing "Castle Wolfenstein" has warped my sense of reality.

Re:no offense

[t0ny]

I thought about going on a shooting spree, but I realized that all those guns and ammo are hard to aim without a keyboard/mouse.

Also, being able to switch from a handgun to a rifle was much slower than pressing the "4" key. Hell, who ever thought a rocket launcer could be so heavy... And dont even get me started on reloading ammo!!

+1 Interesting; -1 Troll to Mavia.com

[LittleGuy]

According to Mothers Against Violence in America, they can link the Green River Killer to Violent Video Games, and vice versa.

Right.

Back in Old School, they used to call these "old wives' tales."

Games infuence people?

[CCIEwannabe]

We are said to be crazy lunatics who, given the chance, might decide to shoot up our school because of the games we play

It is ridiculous to claim that video games influence children. For instance, if PacMan affected kids born in the eighties, we should by now have a bunch of teenagers who run around in darkened rooms and eat pills while listening to monotonous electronic music --Gene Spafford

Re:Go PA!

[Anonymous Coward]

It's not just gamers. People who like Star Wars are prone to decapitate people with books [penny-arcade.com]!

Wait, I'm confused...

[Torgo's Pizza]

My local IGDA chapter here in Dallas is collecting games to send to soldiers in Iraq. So either my efforts are making soldiers better killers (a good thing) and making sick kids dangerous (a bad thing); or I'm making the soldiers more docile (bad) and making sick kids feel better (good).

Oooh, my head is so confused!