Friday December 28, 2012, 8:46 am


Mother Jones
NRA Blames Violent Video Games for Newtown, But Partnered With Company That Makes Them
"NRA Gun Club" for Playstation 2 features over 100 different kinds of firearms. And it is terrible.

By Tim Murphy | Fri Dec. 21, 2012 10:42 AM PST

In his first public comments since last Friday's shooting at a Newtown, Connecticut elementary school [1], National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre sought to place the blame for gun violence where it truly belonged: the makers of video games. "There exists in this country a callous, corrupt and corrupting shadow industry that sells, and sows, violence against its own people through vicious, violent video games with names like Bulletstorm, Grand Theft Auto, Mortal Kombat and Splatterhouse," LaPierre said.

But LaPierre's speech left out a key detail: His own organization has a video game, too. It's called NRA Gun Club, it was released in 2006 for PlayStation 2, and according to the top-ranked review [2] on Amazon, it "could very well be the single worst game in the history of games." The game, which was rated "E" for kids 10 and older, featured a handgun on the cover with four bullets and consisted entirely of various target-shooting exercises. Gamers can shoot inanimate objects like watermelons, bottles, and clay pigeons, using one of over 100 different kinds of brand-name, licensed firearms like Beretta.

NRA Gun Club didn't have the kind of blood-and-guts violence LaPierre specifically attacked in his speech—but it was made by a company that makes its money off exactly that. Crave Entertainment, which produced NRA Gun Club, also released a game called Trigger Man, which, as the name suggests, is about a mob hit-man. IGN notes [3] that as part of the game, players "will need to outfit themselves with the tools of the trade from body armor and over 14 weapons, to silencers to make the 'hit.'" Another release from Crave is Bad Boys: Miami Takedown. As you could probably guess from the Will Smith movie that inspired it, there's a lot of shooting—and not of the clay pigeon variety:
Bad Boys: Miami Takedown. Crave Entertainment

On the other hand, if the reviews were any indication, NRA Gun Club may have been its own form a gun control. As Ed Lewis wrote [4] for the gaming website IGN, "The only time that this game inspired me to want a real gun was when I took the disc out of my PS2. Seeing this digitized crap explode into a hundred silvery slivers would have been the only bit of satisfaction it could ever deliver." Or as Game Spot's Jeff Gerstmann put it [5], "you're bound to rip the disc out of your PlayStation 2 and fling it across the room almost immediately after putting it in."
Source URL: http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2012/12/national-rifle-association-has-video-game-too

Links:
[1] http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/12/newtown-connecticut-school-shooting-explained
[2] http://www.amazon.com/NRA-Gun-Club-Playstation-2/dp/B000E8Z7Y2
[3] http://www.ign.com/games/trigger-man/ps2-675531
[4] http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/11/27/nra-gun-club-review
[5] http://www.gamespot.com/nra-gun-club/reviews/nra-gun-club-review-6162737/

Friday December 28, 2012, 10:18 am
I like the Ed Lewis comment!

Friday December 28, 2012, 10:41 am

Video games designed by the NRA are apparently exempt from critique.

I tend to agree that far too much violence has become acceptable in our daily lives, whether it is video games, movies the way the media uses violence to tell a story, we accept violence as a norm. Owning more guns is hardly an answer to that current phenomena, not buying the games or the movie ticket, changing the TV channel or hitting them all where is actually hurts in the cash register, is more apt to change society. If violence does not beget violence than perhaps we as a society should quickly find out what does and begin to implement more peaceful ideas.

Friday December 28, 2012, 12:14 pm
What a small, small world. Create the problem; supply the needs for exacerbating it; offer solutions that really aren't solutions. In creating both the problem and the solution you can maximize profit to the extreme; all the while increasing the collateral damage done.

Friday December 28, 2012, 12:23 pm
Me, too, Arielle.You cannot currently send a star to Arielle because you have done so within the last week.
Domestic violence research tells us family/partner violence begets family/partner violence in the next generation Kit--so at least some kinds of violence beget violence. Perhaps propagating peaceful and humane methods of human relations and conflict resolution is the best model we have to start with implementing, to be refined as we learn more (e.g., being pro something instead of merely anti-gun violence). You cannot currently send a star to Kit because you have done so within the last week.
Excellent pattern identification Michael! Following the money so often is the key to explaining phenomena. You cannot currently send a star to Michael because you have done so within the last week.

Friday December 28, 2012, 1:23 pm

We may know that violence begets violence but we don't show much effort in changing that known fact. We still focus on men being violent to resolve problems.

Friday December 28, 2012, 1:51 pm
LaPierre's statements have long been criticized for their stupidity. While violent video games are unnecessary, and basically stupid, they had nothing to do with the tragedy in Conn.
How to resolve the issue of issuing guns to unstable people remains a huge concern. YET, Lazar, who did not own a gun, used his mother's on his rampage. Where are the answers?

Friday December 28, 2012, 3:37 pm
Sad but true Kit. Allan, changing people's perceptions like the mother's on the need to have a personal arsenal perhaps.

Sunday December 30, 2012, 10:36 am
Thanks

Sunday December 30, 2012, 11:31 am
Noted thanks

Sunday December 30, 2012, 2:07 pm
The NRA really know how to dig themselves into a hole; a gun massacre happens they say more guns are the solution then they blame everything but the fact that the NRA is hypocritical in the extreme especially when it backed the stand your ground laws which has resulted in the deaths of unarmed people simply because they met a guy who did have a gun. When Piers Morgan made his comments about guns, people want him deported, in 2011 there were 12,664 murders in the US. Of those, 8,583 were caused by firearms. his Teddy bear. It's a culture that has been promoted for commercial purposes. When the NRA uses the tired slogan "Guns don't kill. People do". That speaks about their cowardice in protecting their own interests over the precious life of the innocents in Newton and as for the violence in Mexico, it would not have been as intense as it has been if the guns from the US were put to and end.

Sunday December 30, 2012, 4:01 pm
I've hever cared for toy guns or video games. Teaching violence isn't smart. Parents play a role in that, since they are the ones that buy these toy guns and video games. Regarding the tragedy, we all must remember that this tragedy shooter, had many problems. He was brought up with parent that allowed guns around him and even took him to practice, He had mental problems...a loner that stayed in a room playing with these violent games. We may never know what triggered him to snap, buy one thing we need to teach the kids of today, is that guns are dangerous. That killing isn't something they or anyone else should do. That if they have problems to talk it out with their parents or a friend... not hold it in. Then the person who they confide in can help get them help. Hopefully to prevent this type of tragedy ever happening again. Thanks J. L.

Sunday December 30, 2012, 4:19 pm
Noted. That's some kind of steelballs, blaming violent video games while producing your own.

Sunday December 30, 2012, 8:51 pm
You are welcome Hayley and Aaron.
Thanks for the added data and analyses Louise to help put this in perspective unfortunately: You cannot currently send a star to Louise because you have done so within the last week.
Many truths and relevant issues in your comment Colleen--thanks for reminding us how values are transmitted in families and cultures: You cannot currently send a star to Colleen because you have done so within the last week.
So true Lois.You cannot currently send a star to Lois because you have done so within the last week.

Sunday December 30, 2012, 11:58 pm
Cmon again with the games? They have been ruled out as harmless to everyone except kids under 11 and crazy people. One even compared it to peanut butter, harmless to the vast majority but because a small minority react badly many people have gone overboard thinking its a horrible child killer.

Like all things people need to be responsible for what they do, aka if you don't like it don't play it and don't let your kid play it either; and most importantly when you just can't beat that one level after 2 hours of dying repeatedly suck it up and rage quit then don't shoot real people! The level is always insanely easy when you come back to it.

Monday December 31, 2012, 6:17 am
Noted

Monday December 31, 2012, 9:37 am
The latest research shows a difference in violence when violent TV/games are consumed by teens/young adults 3 or more hours per day vs. less. Earlier research finding no violence relationships defined it as a yes or no question only and thus has been invalidated as a method.

Tuesday January 1, 2013, 4:57 pm
How many NRA Ceo's does it take to come up with a stupid comment?

Tuesday January 1, 2013, 5:35 pm
LOL Gloria--perhaps even their CEO's in-training can manage it? You cannot currently send a star to Gloria because you have done so within the last week.

Wednesday January 2, 2013, 2:47 pm
Sorry all. NRA is right. Guns don't kill people, people kill people. Now most everyone wants to disarm Americans and next step is slavery. First as a child I watched tv cartoons and saw anvils and pianos, safes etc fall from the sky and hit characters on the head, Willie Coyote, Yosemite Sam Daffy duck and saw them get shot in the face with shot guns. Saw them sliced up by swords, disintegrated by ray beams and blown up by dynamite. Much more, but I did not grow up killing people using these things. Games now I agree desensitize kids with their graphic nature but I won't agree it makes them commit more violent acts. Guns are so we can defend ourselves. See video; http://youtu.be/5QnajvuB2kk
This says it all.

Sunday January 6, 2013, 4:33 am
Noted thanks

Sunday January 6, 2013, 2:54 pm
You are welcome Veronique