Do you believe that video games cause school shootings?

Not at all. Video games or other forms of entertainment which include violence like action movies have nothing to do with what drives a person to such acts.
They might get the idea and methods from a game, but if they were into something completely different, they would just have got the idea from that instead. They want to kill someone or many people to relieve anger, stress and sadness, because they've never been showed healthy ways to do it. Video games are just something they might relate to. Not much of a choice, if nobody else wants to relate to you.
Say if they like Dungeons and Dragons instead of Doom, they might have run around killing people with swords and arrows. Kay sounds stupid but, the point is taking away video games won't stop such things. The person is lost already, and if they enjoyed sports, maybe they would have used a baseball bat.

Let's also consider that many school shootings included individuals who were not into video games at all.

Thousands of people play games all the time, if games were really responsible, then we'd have massacres everyday.
Psychological trauma and irregularities are the main cause, as well as an over abundance of abuse, dismissal and mockery. It's hard being young, and maybe most of us who got rocks thrown at us as kids managed, but not everyone can.
Video games are actually a good stress represent for me, and might actually be saving me and other people from taking out my rage and sorrow in a less then healthy way.
I wrote a letter to Play magazine about that before, and got letter of the month. :D But no, that doesn't validate anything I say, but it really is my opinion.

Parental neglect or abuse, dissociation from friends or ridicule from one's peers, mental disorders and the like are, I believe, the real foundations of such acts. Video games aren't. As I said, maybe the guy who plays Doom will use guns because they were in the game, but his mind is made up. They're not the source of his act at all.
I'm also of the mind that anti video game folks like Jack Thompson aren't helping matters at all. For youth, regression is the best way to lead them into rebellion, and youth rebellion is not always pretty. Many might inflict self wounds or show symptoms of depression or partake in petty crime, but some go in different ways.

It's a vague and relative debate I know, but there are certain consistent facts that for me completely dismiss video games as the cause of school shootings, like how so many people play them.

The real problem I see with certain games is the addiction factor, like all those people who literally died of starvation from playing WoW for too long. Games, music or movies don't make people kill people. This is an attribution process often declared by the media and sustained by fanhood traits, but it's really easy to blame a prominent and questionable source, especially something like video games which is not a fixed form of entertainment like the music or movie industry.
We always need something to blame, but it can be pretty baseless.

Do you think Arthur Shawcross played video games? Edward Gein was said to enjoy horror oriented comic books. I'm pretty sure that was the last thing in his mind when he tried to resurrect his dead over protective mother through murder and grave pillaging. Maybe if she actually let him read his comics as a boy instead of freaking out when she saw them and let his imagination wonder a bit in a place where there were barely no other young boys, (She could have let him see them, too.) he wouldn't have had to physically represent his suppressed emotions and childhood scars through subconscious sexual infatuation as an adult.

Video games may be blamed, but in many cases, I think such acts come from much more serious and devastating influence.

Or the lack thereof.

The point is the drive and emotions are already there. How it's done really doesn't matter. Should think of decent and intelligent ways to avoid such things, instead of going all Rambo on Doom or Halo.

Obviously, which is why, you better all be scared that I never learn to strafe jump, wall jump, or bunny hop, as well as get a fully automatic weapon or my school is screwed :o.

oh no i think theres a lot more to it, i think video games can promote the idea but i doubt it's the main reason.

Youth and adult violence has dropped by about 50% since first person shooter games were first introduced in 1993, according to the Department of Justice. The evidence suggests that video games have cut violence of all kinds, including school shootings, by about the same amount. One of the warning signs that Seung-Hui Cho, the Virgina Tech shooter, was mal-adjusted and therefore more likely to become a mass murderer was that he did NOT play video games.
http://www.usdoj.gov/archive/mps/strategic2001-2006/chapter1.htm

Absolutely not. Like any new medium, some people are afraid of video games.

I think blaming the media for violence is extremely simplistic, inaccurate, and, in fact, dangerous. It causes people to ignore the real signs that a troubled youth might engage in violence, while focusing on irrelevant facts such as what video games they play.

Furthermore, there is absolutely ZERO scientific evidence that violent video games (or movies, or books) cause violent behavior in children who would not otherwise be inclined to violence.

Also, video games are so ubiquitous nowadays, especially among teenagers, that it's easy to find a correlation between video games and violence. But correlation does not imply causation. People look at a school shooter, and say "look, he had a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV in his house! Clearly, this filth caused him to snap!"

What they then ignore is the fact that that particular game sold tens of millions of copies, and the overwhelming majority of people who played it are just fine. At this point, it's like saying "Look! This child drank water yesterday! Clearly, water causes violence!"

Oh yea totaly! Every morning before I go to school I grab my plasma rifle and some grenades, just incase my friends and I want to play a round of slayer during school. NO!

I believe that violent video games can cause someone to be desensitized to violence. I believe people who are desensitized to violence are more likely to commit violent acts than someone who is not.

I don't believe everyone who plays a video game becomes desensitized to violence, nor do all people who are desensitized become violent.

I think they are connected, but I don't think there's a direct correlation.

No. People are stupid.

I might affect it a little, but I think the media impacts people more. Seeing all the real life violence is more desensitizing than animated violence. And also, when people who are already troubled see things like that, it probably puts ideas in their heads. The more school shootings there are on the news, the more it happens. And always in the same way.

Hell no.

I think that violent video games, in the hands of immature people, can Contribute to their indifference and respect for life. This is "nonsense" to the cool and rational; that is the harmatia of your position- you are rational and not delusional. The delusion of possessing intoxicating power is extremely attractive to the weak, cowardly, and those who have a grudge. Clearly, video games are not the sole (or even perhaps, major) impetus for kids developing an urge to exact revenge on society; but it can be one of an infinite number of contributions.

I believe that pissed off kids that don't know what else to do cause school shootings. Why they're pissed off? I don't know...nor do I care.

only if i could figure out how to turn on god mode infinite ammo and turn down my wanted level

it all depends if you can't make out the difference between what is real and what isn't. if you can't, you might have schizophrenia. if you know of anyone who has symptoms like addiction to video games, acting out scenes in movies, or if the are at least 15 with no medical problems, get them checked out, because they are dangerous. but no, i believe a lack of social influence and self esteem causes school shootings

No, I believe that prescription drugs usually cause them

Nope - thousands of people across the globe play these sort of games every day without feeling the need to go out and actually kill somebody.

No. While school shooters might play violent videogames, it doesn't mean that it causes their actions. That notion is 'ad hoc ergo propter hoc' (after, therefore, because of) and is entirely incorrect.

Individuals who are school shooters are disturbed on a very serious level, whether they play videogames or not, it seems likely to me that their actions would be essentially the same in the end.

Besides, under this assumption that videogames cause school shootings, that would mean that all individuals who play videogames will become school shooters, or at least violent because something is only a cause if it is predictable or common, otherwise, coincidence is a much more likely explaination.

I play violent videogames, and guess what? I haven't been in a real fight since 6th grade, ironically, before I started playing, years before. I'm 18. And I know plenty of other people who play videogames and are not violent either.

People who say videogames cause school shootings and other tragedies are looking for quick and easy solutions to complex problems. In my experience, many of them already had a dislike of violent videogames and use school shootings as a way to validate their opinion (incorrectly though).

No. It's the parents who aren't taking responsibility.

It all depends on the type of person this child is..Sometimes when a child or teen have a weak mind, they can be lead think a video game can relate to his or her life..Not only that if they are not getting the proper attention from home or their pers..Video games are a source of interest in young people today. Meaning any child that plays a shooting or racing game is of their interest.The thought is their it just depends on the type of person and mind set they carry..Games are just a interest like shoes clothes cars an such..Thats why you need strong relationships with your child so they don't pull towards negative interest.

No, only an idiot would believe that. Video games offer an fantasy outlet where we can just do things we can't do in real life.
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People can come up with excuses and try to tie everything to video games, movies and rap music. But, lets be real. The reason why idiots do stupid things isn't because of video games or movies, it's because they FN idiots. They're mentally ill.
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I played video games all the time, I watch Jacky Chan movies, I listen to hip hop music. Yet, I don't go around shooting people, you dont see me doing kung fu moves out in the street trying to save the world. Why?
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Because I'm not an idiot. That's why.
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If people can't distinguish the difference between fantasy the real world, stupid guns laws and restricting video games isn't going to save them.
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Mass shooting and hangings of slaves were occurring way before the inventions of Video games.

No, only an idiot would believe that. Video games offer an fantasy outlet where we can just do things we can't do in real life.
.
People can come up with excuses and try to tie everything to video games, movies and rap music. But, lets be real. The reason why idiots do stupid things isn't because of video games or movies, it's because they FN idiots. They're mentally ill.
.
I played video games all the time, I watch Jacky Chan movies, I listen to hip hop music. Yet, I don't go around shooting people, you dont see me doing kung fu moves out in the street trying to save the world. Why?
.
Because I'm not an idiot. That's why.
-----
If people can't distinguish the difference between fantasy the real world, stupid guns laws and restricting video games isn't going to save them.
..
Mass shooting and hangings of slaves were occurring way before the inventions of Video games.

Nope. I think the News Channels' coverage does. You want to be famous? Video tape yourself, write letters, write plays, draw pictures, the shoot up the place and the news will show every single bit of it. Everyone will know your name. They might even make a movie.