Star Jones video game violence segment

by Alexander Sliwinski { Aug 26th 2007 at 11:11AM }

GamePolitics gave us the heads-up on Thursday, now they got the video as well. Above you'll find the segment from the Star Jones Show on CourtTV about video game violence. Jones uses a Columbine student, Leland Yee and an attorney for the video game industry to tell the tale. It's still weird to hear that the Columbine shooters were fans of "violent video games," weren't they just fans of violence? Fans of violence with full-blown arsenals at their disposal -- but that's the point of another story.

Check out the segment and please try to avoid stating the obvious in the comments -- yes, Jones definitely needs to put on a few more pounds again. Please let's keep in on topic.

Tags: columbine, esrb, ratings, starjones, violence, yee

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

Chris @ Aug 26th 2007 11:18AM

dont just blame video games, blame parents to for letting them play it in the first place, all fingers point to the parents since they are the ones in charge and responsible for their child not the gaming producers/developers!.

steve @ Aug 26th 2007 3:06PM

you know who is really to blame here? The fucking school. Yea, it's the teachers and the administration that's to blame. Why? Because at most public schools, they allow the students to basically torture each other, both psychologically and physically, but mostly psychologically.

And what do they do when two of these tourtured kids finally crack, move the blame to kids? It's not like the parents are going to know the difference. Tell the parent that little johney got shot because some kid played it in a game, when in fact it's because Johney picked on him, publicly embarrassed him, and the damn school didn't do a fricken thing because he was a football player.

I'm getting tired of this shit. I'm getting tired of justice not being done. What happened was a tragity, BUT it's even worse that the real reason is never addressed.

Joshua @ Aug 26th 2007 6:52PM

steve, first of all, I have to say it sounds like you're talking out of personal experience.

While I understand your point, I think the blame in the end goes to the people who finally do "crack", and that's especially how society will always see it, or at least especially to the victim's friends and family, but really, there is no reason to put blame on anyone or anything. Sure, you can trace back to the beginning and find something that may have triggered something else, but does it really matter? It can't be pinpointed.

Parents, teachers, authority figures. Perhaps they're "to blame" for something a child does, but not entirely.

At the very least, one cannot blame games, or any other form of entertainment or the like. It's up to the people *in control* to *control* what the child does. Simple as that. But again, pointing fingers in a situation like what you talked about is pretty futile.

jimy @ Aug 26th 2007 8:41PM

hey josh who are you to say steve is speaking from personal experience? pretty uncalled for.

People who go on these shooting rampages are screwed up in the head. Plain and simple. Getting picked on all the time can certainly help someone snap. But they're crazy enough in the first place to actually snap and not confront the people, but kill them instead.

Last but not least, hey parents, do some fucking parenting!!

steve @ Aug 26th 2007 9:33PM

It's not personal experience as in it happened directly to me(although everyone has hardships in school), but rather what I've deserved. What I'm saying is that the outcome of colonbine should be more PREVENTIVE MEASURES. 1) It seams that there is a common trend with these violence outbreaks happening with the students at the bottom of the social ladder, and we all know what school is like for them.
2) This combined with a mental defeact (such as a sociopath) errupts into the student cracking.

Neither of these two ingredients involve playing video games. The school has a responsibilty to EVERY student, no matter how popular or involved with the school, to provide them with a friendly learing enviroment. Also, both the parents and the school needs to be able to recognize the warning sings and take APPROPRIATE ACTION!!! Knowing the the geroga tech student had been recognized as having mental issues showes that there is something wrong with that system.

I think everyone here knows what I'm trying to say here.

steve @ Aug 26th 2007 9:34PM

damn spell check, I meant observed, not deserved. sry

blooh @ Aug 26th 2007 11:18AM

how much longer is the media going to drag "videogames" through the mud? I hope in 10 years or so all of these old fucks that hate games on principle retire and people that grew up with games can replace them and actually be honest about these things

samfish @ Aug 26th 2007 11:40PM

They'll stop as soon as a new villain rears it's ugly head.

Or comic books become really popular again. Which ever's first.

Hito @ Aug 26th 2007 11:22AM

I tried, I made an honest effort to watch that clip.. but i stopped it after about 50 seconds.

Same bullshit, different story

Chris @ Aug 26th 2007 11:30AM

I bet that retard didnt care about violent games until his sister got killed. who is this kid? jack thompsons child counterpart.

bobartig @ Aug 26th 2007 3:02PM

You'd be surprised how balanced Star ended up being between the two sides. The clip did start out entirely sensationalistically with the columbine survivor, but once the senator and the lawyer started talking, it was surprisingly balanced.

She didn't demonize video games, and did as the senator an extremely poignant question:

Video Game lawyer: These laws keep getting overturned because judges rule that they violate 1st amendment rights.

Star to Senator: What can be done to challenge the first amendment?

Senator: (Dodges that question like his life depends on it!)

spoo @ Aug 26th 2007 6:12PM

Hito you should always watch or read the source if you are going to comment about the source.

In this case Star Jones did a great job asking the right questions. 1st amendment rights, the high courts striking it down and so forth. Great non-biased interview (besides the Columbine kid.)

It isn't the same bullshit, it represents our side very, very well.

kennethrios @ Aug 26th 2007 11:24AM

Media was the number one influence on those murders? That is not true. Parents and peers ARE the number one influence on teens.

ALH @ Aug 26th 2007 11:44AM

no way, dont be stupid! that would imply personal responsibility.

Its CLEARLY the fault of the entertainment industry, because there was no such thing as violence until movies and games came about, nope, none at all.

For example, Jack the Ripper was CLEARLY inspired by Rambo 2, And Queen Elizabeth 1 got the idea of killing catholic children from a late night session of Silent Hill.

Carlos @ Aug 26th 2007 1:53PM

what you should do is forbid gun possession in the US. I lived in the US for a year and i met so many kids with rifles and shotguns at their disposal at home, it was crazy. No wonder just in that year there were a couple of suicides and a few accidental deaths by gunfire, and it was a very little town in Michigan, i don't even want to think how many people must be dying each year in the whole country. So i think violent content in the media can in some way encourage fucked up people to do some silly stuff, but the real problem comes when they can just go to a K-mart and buy a gun, no questions asked. I don't know, you have the solution right there, it's just that you don't want to put an end to it, in my opinion.

Platinum_Skeet @ Aug 26th 2007 4:20PM

kennethrios is right... It's the parents and peers around.

Saying that Humanity and people in general have never been violent before video games/music/movies is ludicrous. You know how many people have been raped, killed, beaten and pissed on before there was media?

We just live in a sick world and just because of one shooting was based off video games. Doesn't mean every shooting or every violent act is based off video games.

Parents have responsibilities. It use to be that you couldn't blame your kids bad actions on a media format but for now they can and they will. When the day comes that they can't those same politicians will find their job (and their credibility) at a loss.

But don't agree with another side saying video games or any other media leads to violence. If you can play GTA and not steal someones car or kill someone after playing CS your living proof.

colin @ Aug 26th 2007 6:08PM

oh Carlos,

this isn't the place to argue that, i hope you are not serious.

michael moore's socialist propaganda got to you.

kennethrios @ Aug 26th 2007 11:24AM

Media was the number one influence on those murders? That is not true. Parents and peers ARE the number one influence on teens.

Fatass of Kickassness @ Aug 26th 2007 1:37PM

How the hell did this get downvoted?

SirBeefcake @ Aug 26th 2007 11:26AM

Chris you are absolutely right, its not the makers/sellers of videogames fault that kids aquire them and play and become "violent", its the parents fault.
Hell yesterday i was at family video and this grandma had a small child with her and he kept whining about not getting a game so the old lady let him get one, guess which one it was? hint--- "hot coffee" yeh i was like wtf. anyways the parents should make the effort to not let their kids play "violent" games, not everyone else

vidGuy @ Aug 26th 2007 12:15PM

Woah, it's weird to see Family Video's name. They've grown, but they are still a lot smaller than some other rental chains.

Completely agree with you, though, guardians need to be more involved and stop blaming scapegoats.

ALH @ Aug 26th 2007 11:32AM

urinating on women games?! Holy shit, what game is that?

VWatermelon @ Aug 26th 2007 12:00PM

The same game where you go into orphanages and get double points for ethncally cleansing them, another feature of this game is the realistic puppy decapitation mode. OF course this guy was playing a different game, the "Mention Violence Against Women To Gain Support" game. It's really easy to win

Over and Over and Over they use more and more Agressive yet stupid arguements.I mean What in the seven hells does "Ultra-Violent" mean anyway? Absolutly nothing.It's just a word they made up to make themselves seem more justified and attach to any game with even just a bit of realistic violence. It's just sensationalism, Parent's don't know what the crap Kids are playing, people tell them the games are really reall violent and you can bet you're ass they will believe them without question nine times out of ten.

It's just a bunch of people starved for either votes or attention.

samfish @ Aug 26th 2007 11:50PM

Take THAT Jewish orphans! That'll teach 'em for hording those precious, tasty puppy testicles.

AtomicFox @ Aug 26th 2007 11:32AM

I don't know what games this guy is playing but I don't know of a single game where you "press a button and urinate on a woman".

Burritoclock @ Aug 26th 2007 11:48AM

Postal, but you could piss on both sexes, but saying "Urinating ON WOMEN!!!" has a much more dramatic and sensational affect.

Bill=Pwnt @ Aug 26th 2007 9:01PM

I don't see the problem. I like pissing on women, and most of the time they like it too.

dinnerroll @ Aug 26th 2007 11:36AM

Maybe he got an advance copy of Manhunt 2 haha

Chris @ Aug 26th 2007 11:38AM

describing his last night with jack Thompson XD

ReCkLeSs_X @ Aug 26th 2007 11:39AM

He may have been talking about Postal 2, but you don't just urinate on women, you do it to everybody. :P

blooh @ Aug 26th 2007 11:43AM

haha, he must be an immature kid to want to play that

Mike @ Aug 26th 2007 11:39AM

That's America people...If you cant control your what you kids do! Blame someone else! Ha ha ha. In this case, video game is the scapegoat.

"That's one funny clip" By all measns, movies are far worse when it comes to showing violence. They should complain about that instead.

I've been playing video games all my life and I haven't committed a single crime. Never even had a thought about hurting others. Hmmmm, maybe my parents taught me that its wrong to do certain things in life? Maybe! "sarcasm"

This video clip should really be focus on parents neglecting their responsibility after bringing kids in this world. When children lash out like that, it only means that there's some serious issues at home.

mcatrage @ Aug 26th 2007 11:40AM

You know it could just be that humans are violent by nature. We've been killing each other long before video games.

Oew @ Aug 26th 2007 11:48AM

Well, they had a little blurb on the bottom of the screen that said something to the effect of "APA: Violent video games increase aggressive thoughts." Which is misleading, because the American Psychological Association doesn't do scientific studies. And, actually, the research says that the effects of violent video games are conflicting and the jury is still out whether or not they create, y'know, bad things.

Oh, and this is great television, how can you say anything bad about a Columbine survivor? It's impossible.

hvnlysoldr @ Aug 26th 2007 12:06PM

It wasn't APA but a study came out and said violent people get aggressive when viewing any violent media. Key on already violent prone people and ANY violent media.

Roger @ Aug 26th 2007 7:40PM

i can. the kids a little jack thompson dumbass[oh yea your look really shows the ducheyness] doesn't matter what you survived. Just like Nam,i don't really give what you survived! if you tryed to stop the shooters than maybe id start clapping but what did he do? NOTHING! he wasn't EVEN IN THE DAMN BUILDING![i know cause i saw on the G4 vioilence debate, he said he was NEVER IN THE BUILDING! just his sister.]look ive got no symathy for anyone in shootings, war or anything else cause thats how i feel. i only watched 40 seconds of this crap and i couldn't watch anymore. ive researched everything about the shootings[cause i wanna know what happened and it has to weigh heavy on videogame politics] and i can still say that i have no simpathy for them.

oh sure don't call me human and say im a monster...I DON'T GIVE A %$#@! i can care about people but war, shootings and gang violence is another story.

Shig @ Aug 26th 2007 12:05PM

Wow, I didn't know Resident Evil, a game that's supposed to scare the shit out of me, is able to turn me into a cold-blooded killer.

Amazing.

CJC @ Aug 26th 2007 12:22PM

These alarmists and media crazies will be thanking you when the zombie uprising comes, and you can kick some serious zombie ass.

"Thank god these kids played video games."

...I can dream, can't I?

portuga-man @ Aug 26th 2007 12:08PM

games are just a scapegoat for lazy parents. if their children do something they shouldn't, it's clearly not bcoz they failed @ educating their children, it's bcoz they bought him the ''supa killa 5000'' as a christmas present. bottom line is that parents can control what their children put their hands on. they're just too lazy to do it.

Jedijoe9 @ Aug 26th 2007 12:10PM

I'm confused-- What video game can you "urinate on women?"

blooh @ Aug 26th 2007 12:14PM

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/06/02
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2005/06/22
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/04/12

Matthew @ Aug 26th 2007 12:16PM

"Further refine that research for the court"

You mean, further doctor and sway non-existent or barely existent results so that they look more prevalent and more supportive of your argument. Correct, Mr. Yi?

goosepride @ Aug 26th 2007 12:17PM

Is it just me or is the representation on the video game side compared to the opposing much more professional, and much more respectable?

Honestly all i hear from video game advocates is pointing the finger. Cause the only people that explain their crime on video games are children, and we all know what a child is like when they are accused of doing something, always pointing a finger. The older kids that commit crimes that the media tag as video game related they often understand that what they did was illegal.

So parents please watch over your children, be active with your children instead of putting them in front of a T.V. for three hours so you can go to the club. also please spay or nuder your cats.

SirBeefcake @ Aug 26th 2007 12:29PM

I believe that there is a R kelly game where every button you press urinates on a woman. You can string together multiple urine streams for maximum points!

*R kelly piss on you challenge!! coming soon!

horngreen @ Aug 26th 2007 12:25PM

You know what would stop all this debate? Actually don't allow M rated games to be sold to underage kids. Sure it's the parents responsibility to keep these games out of the hands of children. I think it is also the responsibility of retailers not to sell them to underage kids. What's the debate here? If a parent thinks their kid can handle GTA then that is their choice. Just don't blame the game if your kid goes on a killing spree later in life. And yes Star is beginning to make Whitney Houston look fat.

Mal F4cti0n @ Aug 26th 2007 12:56PM

actually they are doing a much better job of not letting kids buy videogames. I get carded when I buy an M-rated game at Best Buy. I am thirty years old and I get carded for buying a videogame!

Anyway, but there is nothing they can do about the kid whining and crying to get their mommy to buy them GTA IV. That is what we are talking about here. The kid who is too young to have is own money but gets his parents to buy the game with their money. The business can't look at a 45 year old woman and say, "I can't sell Manhunt 2 to you because I know its for your kid and not you."

Again, it all comes down to good parenting, or lack there of.

AmgKmpsR @ Aug 26th 2007 12:33PM

What a fucking tool!

Tyre @ Aug 26th 2007 12:37PM

You can't deny that media of any kind can influence people, especially children. However...

"Don't actually allow M rated games to be sold to underage kids."

Personal responsibility. On part of the parents, and the retailers would be a nice change.

Enough Said.