(Note: Opinion ahead. The opinion of the author does not necessarily reflect the opinions of any website, group or publisher he may be associated with)
It never ends.
Video games have been blamed for a great many things. One can go back to the late 1970s to find controversy surrounding Exidy's Death Race, a game where the player ran over stick figures with a car, as well as a legal battle between an arcade chain and the city of Mesquite, TX after the town tried to bar minors from entering video game arcades. Go up through the early 80s industry boom through to the late 80s rebirth through the Mortal Kombat days and Grand Theft Auto days to today and you have a constant plotline.
Today, I learned of another, thanks to the fine folks over at Kotaku. A lawyer named Robert Kalisch is blaming video games for the actions of his client, 19-year-old Anthony Graziano. The New Jersey resident is in trouble for firebombing several synagogues, a string of violence Mr. Kalisch is blaming on Graziano's XBox 360.
"This is someone who may be, with their own problems they have within their own head, been taken over by these games that young people play now," Kalisch said to NBC New York, "lots of violence, lots of meanness."
Anyone who has ever read my strike backs on this type of tripe knows where I am going. First of all, for full effect I suggest reading Kalisch's quote in the voice of Grampa Simpson. I'm really not certain what "games young people play now" he is referring to (the game or games of Graziano's choice were not noted) but I assume he means title such as Just Dance 3 and Kinectimals. After all, being a lawyer and all, I'm sure Kalisch has read the industry stats that note the age of the average video gamer is 37 years old and the other industry stats that show where video games are something played by far more grownups than kids today. Certainly a lawyer would know such a simple to find stat that can be found by clicking here.
Apparently, Graziano has a history of mental health issues. In November, records show where he called an ambulance to collect him, stating that he was "feeling crazy or something." Graziano was taken to the hospital where it was suggested he seek help.
Instead of suggesting that authorities might have tried to do more for his client, Kalisch continued to point the finger at video games.
"When you have emotional, psychiatric, psychological problems, and you get involved in these games, the whole aura of it pervades and it's not a game anymore. It becomes reality," Kalisch said.
Graziano has pleaded not guilty to all charges and is currently held on a $2.5 million bail. Prosecutors state he confessed previously to the attacks.
Now, here comes the opinion that I warned you about at the beginning. No, this is not a simple report but rather a commentary on this type of attack on a hobby and industry that I've enjoyed for over 30 years now. Mr. Kalisch, for shame. I know your job is to defend your client, but to put the blame on a simple form of entertainment while painting all video games as violent toys that "young people" play with is shameful.
How about the authorities that previously responded to an obvious cry for help? What kind of upbringing did he have? What kind of parents or influences helped shape this guy into the man you see today? Why do you blame video games? Is it because you feel pinning it on something you know little about is the easy way to defend your client? You heard something on the news one day or something about one of those poorly researched studies that claim video games cause violence and crime and bad hair days or something and thought "hey, here's a way I might be able to put this person who is a danger to himself and others back on the street and get a paycheck." Am I getting close?
Sure enough the mainstream media is already using Kalisch's remarks as fodder for various headlines. MSNBC reports the story with the headline "XBox games may have spurred synagogue attacks" ensuring that video games once again appear as the lead-in for a story about a crime rather than the person who actually committed the crime.
My attempts to reach Kalisch for comment were not successful, and the prosecutor's office handling the case refused to make comment.
Attempts to contact Kalisch will continue along with an interview request.
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The author of this article can be reached at PatrickScottPatterson.com and on Twitter@OriginalPSP.
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