Virtual Terrorism

Once again, some looney has the notion to publish something about video games training people to be terrorists. Usually I read these, have a good laugh, and move on - much like the video gaming community does with Jack Thompson, the loud-mouthed moron who stands against everything from gaming to rap music (though he doesn't even know what rap is, as his son listens to some of the more... colorful artists).

But this reporter seems to think that World of Warcraft is a training ground for terrorism. Most of WoW revolves around sword-fighting and magic spells. Now, last I checked, we hadn't reverted to the middle ages, and Hogwarts does not actually exist. Now, those of you that know me know that I've trained in several styles of sword-fighting, and believe me, I'm no better at it from the countless hours I've spent playing WoW.

As a blanket statement - that games train terrorists and murders - oh please! There are some very realistic FPS (first-person shooter) games out there, that use weapons that do actually exist, but you can't call this training. From a game (Rainbow Six 3, for example) I know what it looks like, where the magazine is, the type of ammo, and the type of firing options. I don't know how to load or change the magazine, how heavy it is, how to properly hold it, and the list goes on and on.

It has been said that the Columbine massacre was 'trained' on Doom 2. Now, I've played Doom 2. The premise is to get a really big gun and spray ammo semi-mindlessly until everything is dead (since you're fighting your way out of the depths of hell). Spraying ammo doesn't require training, it requires a homicidal maniac with a gun.

Take the Washington Sniper incident, where the kid was involved. It was said that the kid was trained on video games to shoot a high caliber, high power rifle. Simply put - impossible. I don't care how much you have someone play a game, the common person isn't capable if firing a gun of any type with great skill, let alone a high power sniper rifle, when you're 13.

I'm getting off my soapbox now.