slappyMCslappy

Dokron

Gren

seraph_harim

big-mama

Shteve

New York Post:
COLLEGE KILLER CRAZY FOR VIOLENT VID GAME
[www.nypost.com]
By MICHAEL SWIONTEK in DeKalb, Ill., and BILL SANDERSON in New York, Post Wire Services

SICK SHOOTER: Steven Kazmierczak (above), an avid player of the violent video game Counter-Strike, killed five Illinois students.

February 16, 2008 -- The man who gunned down five people and wounded 16 in an Illinois classroom rampage was a loner who preferred studying to partying and was obsessed with an ultra-violent video game, dormitory mates said yesterday.
Stephen Kazmierczak, 27, played the wildly popular game Counter-Strike while studying sociology at Northern Illinois University in 2003 and 2004.
"He played a lot of video games, especially Counter-Strike, really loud," said dorm mate Ben Woloszyn, 24.
In the game, players use imaginary money to buy shotguns, pistols and other equipment they need to move around an imaginary world in which they're constantly under threat of being killed by roving terrorists.
In real life, Kazmierczak - who had become "erratic" recently after shunning medication for an undisclosed illness - purchased weapons like those used in Counter-Strike, including a Glock handgun and a pump-action Remington shotgun, which he bought legally on Feb. 9.
He had two other pistols that cops said were also bought legally, though they weren't sure when.
Police wouldn't say why Kazmierczak stopped taking his medication, or what is was for.
Though a loner, Kazmierczak wasn't antisocial, said acquaintances. He had been an officer in the campus chapter of the American Correctional Association.
He worked briefly as a full-time correction officer at the Rockville Correctional Facility, a medium-security prison in Indiana, but his tenure there lasted only from Sept. 24 to Oct. 9, after which Indiana prisons spokesman Doug Garrison said "he just didn't show up one day."
Kazmierczak also had a short-lived stint in the Army. He enlisted in the Army in September 2001, but was discharged in February 2002 for an "unspecified" reason, said an Army spokesman.
He got his undergraduate degree in 2006, and was enrolled in Northern Illinois' graduate school last spring. More recently, he'd enrolled in grad school at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.
"He was a really quiet guy. Something about him wasn't quite right - he was kind of off," said Jarrod Rice, 23, another dorm mate.
At around 3 p.m. Thursday, Kazmierczak shot up a class containing between 70 and 100 students before killing himself.
"He had a blank look on his face. He was there to kill," said witness Sam Brunell, 18. "Anyone that could walk into a room and just start shooting has no emotions."

jackthompson

jackthompson

PsycheDiver

Drox

ht9000

ALLegaLL

m0m0

Combinator

ShyGuy91284

JadedBlack

Glare

Malevolentburrito

Karazzin

RedRaptor

Frank

cb_32

Kincyr

Crazy loons are going to draw crazy conclusions and inspiration for crazy actions from almost anything. I suspect that watching a dog pinch a loaf would drive some of these crazy people to the same extremes.

There is probably a better chance of linking the cause of this shooters actions to what he ate for breakfast than on video games.

JT's obviously opportunistic way of preying on the unfortunate events of the day for his own personal agenda is sickening - and the support from the news networks that put him on the air is even more despicable.

Isn't there a way to petition to keep him off the air?

Neer'mo

oldboy313

incazteca

AceLosesKing

Next time he will blame BRAIN AGE for creating MASTER MINDS!!!! LOL

Video

shadowjin

Jobbo_Fett

They are supposed to be imparcial about things.
But whatever. F*ck Fox News too. What do they know.

Bokusatsu_Tenshi

Cruithne

JT's comments aren't surprising in the least because when incidents like this happen (Columbine, Virginia tech, and scores others) people feel better when the blame or cause of said incidents are quickly attributed to something easier to understand and blame. Hence the nature of scapegoating... instead of Americans taking a good hard look at themselves, they turn on the television and listen to wastes of skin giving them a quick culprit to a major problem whose culprit is vastly more protean and cryptic.

I won't tout my political views here; however, I will say that if the attacker were armed with a knife, shovel, 2x4 or a lunch box, this situation would never have happened, let alone ended with as many fatalities as it did.

I have to chuckle at people that suggest that "guns don't kill people, people kill people"; I think of what Eddie Izzard said in response to that notion during one of his stand up routines, "Well, I think the gun HELPS".

M15ant470p3

When is a player ever considered a "hero" in Counter-Strike?

I understand the attire comment and how that could be linked, but where has anyone offically titled the player of Counter-Strike a "hero"? They don't call them heroes for a reason.

I scarcely play Counter-Strike, and have never played it like an addiction. World of Warcraft is more of my type of game.

timxirish

All you are doing is giving this guy more publicity and increasing his power. I know you guys even have a relationship with him, but please stop it. Please.

marissa_melee

Did the mental illness play any part, Jack? Or was it the vidjagames wut dun it?

Mister Adequate

zerokoolpsx

Jack, Jack, Jack... You must understand that school shootings are the new fad here in America. I hate to say it, especially because I'm an American college student like these nut cases.

Now... can we get some duct tape for the old guy and call it a day?

blacksamurai87

Beautiful... that's so Jack to take a photo of himself on TV and then send it to everyone. HEY-LOOKIT-ME!-LOOKIT-WHAT-I-CAN-DO!-LOOK!-LOOKIT-ME!

Is anyone talking about like - I dunno - where/how did the shooter get his GUNS? Oh geez, no - we don't care about that stuff... we just want to know if he ever played GTA or Counter-Strike. At all. Like, even for a second. Or maybe saw somebody play it. Or heard of them. Oh wait, he HEARD of GTA?!? Oh, well there you go - he was clearly acting it out! My god, you're right, Mr. Thompson - well done!

misterdna

KM91

Eschguy

KM91

JT needs to lighten up a bit. Seriously, if he just sat down with a beer in hand and load up some games in the comfort of his own home....

Fyren

*facepalm

navypilot908

The Fox motto: Never let facts get in the way of a good opinion.

RobTheBuilder

demonknightinuyasha

(Hey, I actually enjoy the guy; he makes me laugh. He should be a comedian.)

Makoto

And that will be the end of Jack Thompson.

The Maginomicon

Willows

mzs

Two-timing bastard.

The Maginomicon

Counter-Strike was released as an open beta on June 12, 1999.

Stephen Phillip "Steve" Kazmierczak was born sometime in 1980.

So if he was born on New Years Eve, 1980 at the latest, he would have been 18, an adult, when the earliest form of CS came out.

So if Jack wants to say that it warped his mind as a child... TIME PARADOX!!!

But let's face it. Odds are Steve played some kind of video game. Depending on which set of statistics you check, well over half of Americans play video games, with numbers in the University going age group being even higher.

Odds are Steve played some kind of video game. Odds are most of the shooting casualties played games as well. If video games were enjoyed only by some fringe fraction of the population, then Jacks arguments might have some merit, but this is simply not the case.

T_ConX

KEITH1437

NoBullet

jchasse

pABSO

Xmaster

Jack Thompson, however, doesn't seem to have any remorse for the victims. He claims he's fighting for the people fallen, but should we really believe him when he goes spouting his anti-gaming spiel shortly after the gunman has only been identified? No motives have been established yet, but apparently Jacko knows everything about NIU before the cops. Thompson is an emotionless prick who doesn't care for lost life. He has an agenda to fill, and regardless of facts and fallen life, he'll stop at nothing to prove himsel right.

What happened at NIU has nothing to do with video games. Something so tragic should not be equated to a form of recreation, and if Jack Thompson had any emotional capacity, he should be sorry of himself.

Ninja-Z

Elscotty

Apparently, they cause violence.

Cpryd001

Acanes3089

If I ever snap, I'm going to Florida. I'm going to shoot him in the face, and claim 'STUPID PEOPLE MADE ME DO IT', maybe we can get the government to try and legislate and regulate the breeding of GODDAMN STUPID PEOPLE.

Fucker probably went back to the green room after his interview and whacked off. "I got on national TV again! uNF!" *fap fap fap*

Bakachan

the old bastard....first sentence...

*shakes head*

Cell9song

BOMxAgonyxScenex

Just because he has a common hobby in common means the hobby is a source of violence?

Lets start linking that every person that has killed because of video games was secretly contacted by Jack Thompson.

I love conspiracies!

Vindicoth

grtkev

IrisMR

tnx3

Crosswayboy

tehBIGivan

Athest

Valo

Clearly, Jack has never held a real gun in his life. Because if he had, then he would know that the gun-play in video games is a PISS POOR simulation of that in real life.

Here Jack, I'll point you in the right direction:

This guy is 27. Old enough to buy, own, and train with a gun. Blame the country's lenient gun laws, dumbass.

Ion_Predator

Quest

I_Hate_This_Place

JoDi

Poor kids.

sir_carrot

DaDRIZZLE

JasonBartholme

Quine

Blame it on video games, blame it on news coverage, blame it on violent movies, but the real blame lies with a society that has never valued and respected human life.

bornonce

TiKiMaN1

Benstein

Shadowmist

crazycycoclown

Source: [www.reuters.com]

Trowble (XBL/PSN)

RubyMars

PurpleMonkey

RavingNoah

DaDRIZZLE

Wait a sec.

But... we need em! For... stuff!

Gonzodamus

DaDRIZZLE

evilralphwiggum

It's a rather strange idea and of course I'm not an American so how could I ever hope to understand such weighty issues, but hear me out anyways.
Do you think that maybe, just maybe, there's some connection between this shooting and guns, not video games, but guns?
no doubt I'll be labeled a fool and a communist for even daring to make such a connection, but, Y'know, it might be worth looking at.
Anyway, I'm a gamer, but to be honest, my thoughts are more with the families of those killed and injured at this present time than too concerned about what some old cunt is saying on the TV.

Cruithne

ProfWho

Klappstuhl

Crosswayboy

silkylove

A few hours later I check Kotaku, et voila, his face right on the front page.

Really - he's just a fanatic living off corpses, misery and tragedy like the media vampire he is. We don't have Fox News over here, but from what I've read so far, I'd put it together with the yellow press.

To make long things short:
It's just the regular, old Thompson.

Mendorian

Kent State anyone?

Gonzodamus

Fuck that douche...he just makes this shit up as he goes along doesn't he

ProfWho

I_Hate_This_Place

It seems to be Fox worst of all recently, but they're not the only ones.

Gonzodamus

DaDRIZZLE

+ Watch video

Crosswayboy

ProfWho

Gonzodamus

mexfreak86

+ Watch video

gulyman

IDontC

NeverSage

Anyway it's clear why the shooter did what he did...the song Meds by Placebo.

Jammer J

Toasticus

I used to love the spirit and culture of the US during the 80s, but that admiration has waned almost completely a long time ago. Now I'm quite appalled with the country, some of its moral views and not to mention its current president.

Granted, such a huge nation always has lots of people with really serious issues and crime is therefore often rampant, but I still fail to see why anyone apart from law enforcement and the military needs firearms at home. Most European countries are fine without happily distributing arms galore, but I guess it's way too late for the US, to overcome the sheer economic might of the IRA at this point and go back to having a sane approach to guns.

Something quite profound must be horribly wrong, when showing a naked butt on TV leads to a fine of more than a million $, but sceening violence and ramming more private firearms down people's throats easily gets the nod.

How religious groups could ever succeed in making the majority of the Americans accept the notion, that sex is a bad thing, whil the IRA managed to supply every household with guns, that actually cause all the harm, is just beyond me.

The only remedy that comes to mind, is getting rid of the guns in private use, but sadly, that's just wishful thinking at this stage.

Oh and don't get me started on Jack Thompson. I sure hope that guy chokes on his own hypocrisy. Apologies for the rant.

Gryzor

[www.amazon.com]

GcRayden

Hold people responsible for their actions, in a just society, that would be recourse enough and would have an effect on the instances of this sort of crime. But that's not as easy as legislating the insignificant side of the issue, so we opt for the easy way out and make it that much harder for law abiding citizens to practice their constitutional rights. As a culture facing the same threat of censorship, it saddens me to see outcry to remove one liberty while begging to protect another one. Far wiser people than myself have argued that to sacrifice personal liberty for the sense of safety is to not deserve liberty at all. Look it up before you form your mob, and consider who will stand by your side when they come for what's yours.

krackmonkey

kemicon

I therefore blame producers of this evil lactacious substance and ask all of you to boycot anything produced by any farmers. Please do so for our children!

(Wow - It's easy to be a lawyer)

NYC Armor Guy

merebito

So it'd be a good thing for everyone once his job is no longer needed anymore. :3

DELICIOUS BUNNY

lol

Cell9song

HJungle

He preys upon victims of tragedies such as this to turn them to his cause. Reason? Logic? Not present in this man's train of thought. Just an agenda, and the will to convert based on nothing.

Jack Thompson is a sad, sad human being. Beyond pitiful.

Homard

alice_mega

Wookiee1

Agreed. And well said. He's the most pathetic person alive really.

dead_red_eyes

Hell yeah, I'm down. I'm surprised that he hasn't been sued yet for slander.

dead_red_eyes

kefkakrazy

ManekiNeko

AngelX

Need edit button Kotaku!

13sounds

theCornerinvasion

Fuck you Jack you fucking asshole. I feel that I should hop on a plane right now so I can fucking punch you in the face. You miserable excuse for a human being.

gwangi

The funny things is, about one hour before I read this, I was talking to one of my co-workers and I said something along the lines of: I wonder how long it'll be before they start connecting the shootings to some kind of video game?" To which my co-worker responded: "That's silly. Who would blame _crazy_ on video games?"

melvin22

if you didn't see it coming you've lived under a rock for years.

all this is going to accomplish is making GTA4 sell out that much faster due to the fear that it might be take off the shelves(is that right? looks wrong).

Someone needs to take some sort of action against fox news..this is getting ridiculous.

Phishedone

Sorry for yelling... But I'm serious.

-Thergood Jenkins-

13sounds

Because it is gaming related. Don't mean to sound insensitive ... but people die every minute. For various reasons. People die every few seconds in car accidents. You can be damn sure if one was to blame Mario Kart or Burnout ... it would be on gaming sites.

Just because there are posts like this, doesn't make anyone feel any less bad for those people.

JT and Fux News are tools... carry on!

EnigmaNemesis

Gas Powered Goose

Seven Is Darker

BonkUGood

My heart goes out too the families of the victims. Damn why to people have to be so stupid?

SLoth_112

Figment

Gas Powered Goose

SLoth_112

Camann

He's the one that injects himself into the conversation, though. I didn't bring him up out of nostalgia, I brought him up because he's going on TV blaming games when no correlation or evidence has even been found yet. It's irresponsible at best, pure exploitation at worst.

Strangelove

LordMaim

Likwit

Since people who play those types of games are actually killers being trained in his eyes... I feel he insults myself as well as all other gamers out there.

Who is with me?

It can work ... since people form these about game companies all the time (MSFT every other day with the 360) ... at least it can get a gag order put on this nutjob.

EnigmaNemesis

[news.yahoo.com]

Morte

Bluejuan85

Boboh

mossberg

Yeah, he's a dick. So ignore him. 7 people died yesterday. Jack Thompson is the last thing we should be thinking about.

badasscat

alyse

Strangelove

This is a disturbed idiot who doesn't deserve lethal injection they should just get the parents of the dead kids in a room give them baseball bats and through the Idiot in, then we will turn our backs and let the fun begin. and FOX could make it a reality show.

Assassin_Kensei

RBecho

Unless we turn "Friendly Fire" setting to 0%. Or use the headshot cheat. Don't forget the "Friendly Fire" setting.

RogueBoar

TRT-X

Its disgusting of him really.

IanC

somebody had to do it.

Hollowcow

[www.cnn.com]

gaijira

JT needs to stop being such a fucking ghoul and feeding on these tragedies. For that matter, Fox News needs to stop encouraging his kind of behavior. Hell, they probably have him on speed-dial just to have an "expert" on hand for these situations.

Ashraam

TearsandScreams