To all US gamers

[MercenaryMuffin]

I don't think you could learn how to shoot a gun from a video game. You could figure out that you need to pull the trigger, but that's about it. You wouldn't be able to hit the broad side of a barn.

[Askis]

Don't talk about what you THINK guns do if you've never even fired one. He was firing an M16; even to someone of his size, there is very little recoil. He wasn't crying because of a non-existent bruise, he was crying because he found the experience of shooting to be terrifying.  Thus, saying that video game shooting = real shooting was shown to be a complete crock.

By the way, next time you're in Las Vegas, I will personally take you to a gun range. HOOAH!

Me, too please?  I really wanna know how it feels to fire a real gun, compared to gaming...

I do have ASGs, so I got some basic knowledge of how to hold (and more importantly NOT to hold) them ^^

Hell yeah, let's make it a big MWLL gun range party! I can show you noobs how to shoot 

Now I just need to find someone willing to pay for the trip

[=KoS= Eldragon]

Guns may be easy to shoot, but video games won't teach you how to use the gun properly. Give someone who plays a lot of video games, but has never fired a gun a Glock 19 and watch them take their thumbnail off because they held it wrong. Thats assuming they can even find the magazine release to load it.

And video games most certainly do teach good eye-hand coordination, which is essential to shooting (but not the only thing). But it does not have to be FPS games. Someone who plays a lot of guitar hero is going to have good eye-hand coordination as well.

In the pen&teller video, I figured the kid cried because he didn't expect any sort of kick or the loud bang. It was the shock of it all. Like someone jumping around the corner and yelling "BOO!". Most kids cry from that alone. I fired my first gun when I was 9 or 10. I didn't like it much. Now I'm an adult and I can't wait for my next chance to head down to the range  .

The stronger argument is that violent video games desensitize kids to violence, which I think is total crap. A kid will be more desensitized/traumatized by watching the footage of the Rwanda genocide, or anything else that shows up on the evening news. Speaking of which, the most heinous crimes happening in the world all seem to be coming from places where video games essentially don't exist. e.g. Child soldiers in Africa don't play Modern Warfare 2.

[Cujo]

I fired a 12 guage sometime when I was I dunno 10 yrs old, and thought it was kinda fun to see what it did to a big metal canister.

[CHHš Rampage]

Here was I, believing only we Germans had problems with politics on a crusade against "violent" videogames. Well, turns out I was wrong.
If you're a US citizen, please consider reading and signing this petition:

http://action.theeca.com/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1781

While I agree that US Gamers need to speak out against oppressive legislation aimed at censoring what we can play, read or view, I wonder about signing that petition and giving them my name, address and email address. It looks like just another group gathering email addresses that  they can then sell for money and I will get a ton more spam and junk mail. How are they going to convey this information they have gathered to our politicians? Do they have a lobbying firm on their pay roll?

Maybe I am just being cynical. I have endured American Politics and American marketing for far too long.

[=KoS= Eldragon]

Maybe I am just being cynical. I have endured American Politics and American marketing for far too long.

I didn't sign simply because i believe petitions don't matter in American politics.  We could have a petition with a million unique signatures, but if those signatures don't translate into campaign contributions, no politician will take notice. Only gamers getting together and buying congressmen will make a difference.

[~SJ~ Wolf]

What I enjoy about the "War on Videogames" is that they cannot win against us. Not when the US military is siding with us.

http://www.thatvideogameblog.com/2010/08/02/us-army-sees-videogames-increase-recruiting-efficiency/
http://www.stripes.com/news/not-playing-around-army-to-invest-50m-in-combat-training-games-1.85595

And tons and tons of other stories. They like us twitch gamers best, because of our excellent hand eye coordination

[MercenaryMuffin]

When I signed up for the Army in 2004, they gave me  a copy of "America's Army" as part of a little welcome package. I thought that was pretty funny.

[Leeko]

Waste of tax dollars on awful games IMO. But on the whole issue - censorship is disgusting, as are all manifestations of information control. There's this great quote from Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, when you build the planetary datalinks project. It's something like, "Fear he who would deny you information, for in his heart he dreams himself your master."

[MercenaryMuffin]

I liked America's Army 

At least the online portion.

[Alexander]

America's Army was pretty dire xD

Pretty propaganda-y too, but I guess thats kinda the point

Would I be a cynic if I said that I don't actually believe what the people think matters to politicians in America? They seemed to abandon that pretense years ago, now it's pretty blatantly votemongering - whatever will get the most people to vote for them, regardless of how illegal/oppressive/abusive it is.

Also: Got to agree with Eldragon/etc - Kid was crying cause of the recoil

When all you've got to go in is cartoons and movies, you don't expect that a gun is going to hit you in the face when you fire it.

And before you ask, yes I have fired a rifle, competetive shooting with some of the many SA-80 variants 

[Leeko]

Would I be a cynic if I said that I don't actually believe what the people think matters to politicians in America? They seemed to abandon that pretense years ago, now it's pretty blatantly votemongering - whatever will get the most people to vote for them, regardless of how illegal/oppressive/abusive it is.

No, you'd be correct. The left and right wings are essentially the same. That's all I'll say in public though - I've gotten in trouble for voicing my political opinions too loud before and no good ever comes of it. Let me say, however, that corporations have bought the world.

[MercenaryMuffin]

Alrighty, I'm gonna meander out of this topic before it turns into a conspiracy thread about THE CORPORATION and what-not.

[Colonel Drego]

I've fired a 12 gauge (slugs and just target load), a Mini-14 (.223 so it hardly kicked at all), FNP 9mm and .45 cal, Glock 9mm, 30-06.  it's all about how you hold the rifle, I fired off a good 100 or so odd 12 guage target loads shooting clays and didn't get a bruise.  And honestly, all the FPS games in the world won't teach you how to even come close to shooting a pistol accurately, let alone a rifle.  someone older might be able to get a good idea for a rifle from playing alot, but you're not gunna hit the broad side of a barn with pistols without some practice and guidance.  If everyone just had FPS games as practice for shooting the real thing, you'd have shootouts exactly like the movies where nobody hits anything.

My Saiga-12 will most definitely give you a tender shoulder.

[Cujo]

 
if I ever get to shoot one of those I wanna make sure I've got slugs to shoot and see what happens, lol.  I've fired off a few slugs, they're wicked awesome.  Kick like a mofo, but they're like a small artillery round    one of the coolest rounds I've heard, yes, heard, sounds bloody awesome.