Gaming Vilification and Fear-Mongering for Fame and Profit

Won't someone think of the children? By this I mean, of course, won't someone keep the children from reading newspapers that spread stupidity and fear?

There is an article in today's Ottawa Citizen (I'm not linking to it, it's rubbish) that hoots and hollers about how scientists have proven, PROVEN that playing one game of Pacman will cause you to have a psychotic break and devour everything in your path, while making strangely hypnotic 8-bit sound effects.

Wait...no, they proved that a person playing a game will have an emotional response. What's that?! Being involved in a form of entertainment engages the emotions?! Truly, these scientists must have godlike powers of perception.

This was front-page "news", folks. With a big, scary, bloody screenshot from Half-Life 2 (how about some pictures of what's happening inside Guantanamo, bitches?). After revealing this "discovery", the article took a startling turn! It implied a link between playing aggressive games and being an aggressive person. I'm just going to say this once: Coincidence does not imply causality. Here's a link for you, O Men of Science: is it not possible that people who have aggressive tendencies will seek out games that involve aggressive behaviour?

OK, I'm done. Just needed to get that off my chest. I even sent a Letter to the Editor (second time in my life! First one was about beanie babies, I don't wanna talk about it), an act which might be just about the most futile thing a person can do. At best, it makes the writer cry a little. At worst, they print it, a big foo-fa-rah ensues, generating a higher readership for the Citizen. I don't want to provide the Citizen with more money, I want to kick it in it's tiny jounalistic gonads.

Gah and Feh.