CBS‘s news broadcasting show, Inside Edition, said the Michigan mass shooting was influenced by “gory” Fallout 4. Earlier this week four students were shot and killed at Oxford High School. After the tragic event of the mass shooting at Oxford High School, Ethan Crumbly, a 15-year old boy was arrested and charged with murder and terrorism. His parents were also charged with involuntary manslaughter for giving their son access to the weapon used for the mass shooting.
They were also accused of not acting on warning signs their son showed for planning a mass murderer. The school said his mother said “LOL I’m not mad at you. You have to learn not to get caught,” when they reported Ethan was searching for ammunition.
Once again the media blamed video games instead of searching for a proper solution. Inside Edition’s report specifically blamed the “gory” Fallout 4 and said the Michigan shooting was influenced by this game. They even misrepresented the game by showing an out-of-context video in which Nick Valentine says: “Now I have become death, destroyer of worlds.”
The problem is, this line is not an original quote by Valentine. It was first said by J. Rober Oppenheimer, one of the first people to see the destructive power of atomic bombs. Nick Valentine is quoting this saying when the player set offs a bomb. Apart from that, Nick Valentine is one of the NPCs who despises violence and encourages players to solve problems by peace.
It is worth mentioning that even Oppenheimer is not the author of this quote. It was first mentioned in Hindu’s holy scripture, the Bhagavad Gita. So the origin of this quote is far deeper and it’s hilarious that the reporter of Inside Edition didn’t know it. Despite its gory and raw violence, Fallout 4 is one of the best games to show the worst part of violence and wars.
This is not the first time video games are blamed for mass shootings. ex-President Trump was one of the politicians who blamed video games for encouraging school mass shootings. It seems politicians prefer the easy way of blaming video games for violence and mass shootings rather than doing some effective work.
What are your thoughts on Inside Edition’s claims regarding the mass shooting in Michigan? Let us know!
