I really don't see how people make the general connection between pretend violence and real violence. When kids shoot up their schools it's usually because they are hopeless social rejects that either isolate themselves from everyone else or get picked on constantly and think violence would be the greatest comeback. Or they're just psychotic. What I find odd is that society's solution to these problems of violence in the world is to lock kids inside their houses, teach them to never trust anyone, and indulge them with all of the material things they want, which is exactly the type of atmosphere that breeds the hopeless social rejects that become the Klebolds and Harrises of the world.

While there is something to be said about the fact that videogames (in addition to comic books, music, and movies, not to mention the realities of everyday violence, war, and fear in our world) desensitizes the youth to thinking critically about violent acts and their consequences, it should also be pointed out that it is only because of the perpetually isolating nature of some of these kids lives that drives them to commit these acts.

SUBJECT A - Jack has lots of friend with which he spends a healthy amount of time with. He also enjoys playing Grand Theft Auto and Manhunt because of the shock and thrill value.

SUBJECT B - Tim is an isolated, socially I'm a edgy teen young man who has one or less friends. Because he doesn't get out much, his only sources of entertainment are Doom and Grand Theft Auto. These video games have essentially become his only friends. He is picked on and isolated by his peers, and his only confidence comes from embodying characters in video games that are strong, clever, and handy with weapons, and who solve most of their problems through violence.

How many times do we have to see this scenario play out before we figure out that problem is not that video games are violent? The scientific method dictates that if the variables of the two youths is that one is violent and the other isn't, but violent video games are constant, then it is NOT THE VIDEO GAMES that are the variable.

I think the ambiguity of the argument is best summed up in this Zero Punctuation review of Manhunt: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/6-Manhunt

Society blames everything on anyone other than the criminal.