[Sonart]

.

Quote by: Mark What can I say, I'm a gamer, that's how I roll

So am I. My handle, Sonart, is short for Sony Artist, from my years working at Sony Online Entertainment here in San Diego, developing such games as EverQuest, PlanetSide and StarWars Galaxies. I also spent ten years as a hard-core paintballer, including two trips to the World professional championships in Nashville.

So I'm commenting from experience deep within the belly of the beast. I came to know gamers and paintballers, and I'm just observant and pragmatic enough to know what I'm looking at. Worst of all is that I saw it in myself and it wasn't a pretty revelation. It's a major reason I'm so pro-gun control today.

Quote by: Osborn As usual, I find myself in 100% agreement.

Color me so surprised.

Quote by: Mark Jack Thompson is hardly a "game industry expert."

LOL!!! Are you really gonna criticize me for referencing YOUR source? Whadda maroon.

Quote by: Mark Yeah, the 11 yo's on Live are annoying, but it really doesn't mean anything.

Says who? How do you know that their behavior is limited by anonymity? The scientifically controlled, peer reviewed studies I sourced don't seem to think so.

Quote by: Mark yes, I know it's from gamepolitics.com, but it's about a research paper

Yep, and the American Petroluem Institution, the American Enterprise Institution and the Tobacco Institute all found PhD to support their extreme minority versions of science.

Quote by: your BBC News source "Social, cultural, ethical and neurobiological issues remain in such a tangle that it is trite and irresponsible of ill-informed commentators to claim that games like Grand Theft Auto are central to terrible crime. Before such accusations are explicitly made, more credible work has to be done in this area. Scientific conclusions may well remain elusive for decades. For now, enjoy your gaming."

...or enjoy your SUV... or your cigarettes ...or your immaculately watered lawn.

And once again your "Gaming Industry columnist" dismisses existing research by declaring it "a tangle" and "elusive". Yet his last sentence seems to wistfully suggest that he knows where the research is heading, and it's not his way.

Quote by: Mark Oh, I forgot this quote, and as much as I hate to agree with Michael Moore on anything, here it is,

You and me both. Ironic, isn't it, that I'm a liberal who can't stand Michael Moore. He's the Rush Limbaugh of the left, who trades in half truthes, innuendo, rumors, out of context comments and outright bullsh!t.

And as far as Canada goes, I suspect their thin population of 33 million, compared to our 300 million, in the world's second largest nation by area, has something to do with it. And yet they still manage to rank number 10 in Gun Deaths in the 36 Richest Nations, behind good 'ol Switzerland (no. 8) and well behind us.

.