Mario for the defense

It was bound to happen, and it did. As I suspected in my previous column, video games have been brought up as a possible "motive" for sniper suspects John Allen Muhammad and John Lee Malvo. The possibility could never be that Muhammad and Malvo were just ill-minded and misguided individuals because that would be too convenient. They do not fit the typical profile of serial killers like Ted Bundy, Charles Manson or David Berkowitz, so some element of society must be to blame for what they did (please sense the sarcasm).\nAccording to an article in the D.C.-area newspaper The Jeffersonian, Montgomery County investigators have bought several violent video games, namely "Grand Theft Auto" games, in search of "any possible motive behind the sniper attacks." What a great use of taxpayer money! Being a detective in Montgomery County sure sounds like fun; you get to play video games and get paid for it. Rather than delve into the past history of the suspects, like Muhammad's past service in the U.S. Army, they've decided to corner a portion of the entertainment industry. If video games do indeed motivate violent actions, then why wouldn't other forms of entertainment? Is there even any connection between the suspects and video games?\nYou may remember the tarot card that was left at the scene of one of the killings that read, "Dear Policeman, I am God." David Walsh, president of National Institute on Media and the Family, said "Gamers will often say 'I am God,' which was on the card." Walsh completely throws out any idea that Muhammad, Malvo or any other possible suspect could have simply written down "I am God" just for the sake of writing down "I am God" because they were homicidal maniacs. Claiming the statement is often made by gamers puts a bad name on the group. We have yet to see anything showing that the suspects are in fact gamers. The connection between the suspects and video games has only been assumed. Note to self: Discontinue the traditional "I am God!" victory chant upon defeating Bowser in "Super Mario Brothers."\nThe unabashed blaming of video games doesn't stop with the recent sniper attacks though. Now there are people who are personally blaming video games for their own actions. Nineteen-year-old Micah A. Zoerner of Somers, Wisc., was arrested in connection with over 100 reported car thefts. Upon his arrest, Zoerner told detectives he was inspired by the video game "Grand Theft Auto." I'd like to talk with my professor and tell him that playing too much "Grand Theft Auto" motivated me to achieve a sub-par score on my last exam, which is true, but that would go over like feces in a punch bowl. Maybe I'll go eat a bunch of little white pills and then blame it on Pac-Man. Maybe I should try to cross Jordan Ave. moving only in cardinal directions and then blame Frogger for my ignorant jay-walking.\nAs long as video games continue to become more realistic and contain more adult content, we will continue to see them as the scapegoat in any crime with the slightest hint of a connection. Considering the popularity of violent video games, there would be a lot more murderers out there if the correlation was as strong as some people seem to believe.