Completely agree here. Games shouldn't be blamed for something like this. The kid had problems. Did they take a look at the parents? Was he neglected? Abused?

Why is it that GTA is automatically blamed for things today? It's not like we didn't have gang violence and shootings and stuff before GTA was released, right? Nope. It all started the second GTA started getting played by millions and millions of people. Now every drive-by I hear about (I live about 10 miles from Detroit so I hear about a lot) is somehow related back to Vice City, San Andreas, Liberty City, etc. by the media as a way to say "the kid thought Detroit was San Andreas and people randomly dying was a normal part of life that he should partake in." Bullshit. The kid had unexplainable rage likely related to the high rate of gang violence in the area (hell, there are stores/restaurants here that won't let people in that wear a solid colored shirt anymore) and acted on it.

I also liked how in the article they made mention of movies. The most popular movie right now and one of the most successful films of all time is a great example. The main character (I'm sorry, Batman isn't the main character of the film) goes around giving people a Glasgow Smile. He blows up Hospitals and cars, shoots public officials, kills a guy by having him drink acid, and leads to a guy's girlfriend/fiance dying and half of his face being burned off. On top of that, one of the most memorable and most quoted scenes from the movie involves said character shoving a pencil through a guy's head as a "magic trick."

Now why, why is it that video games still get blamed for stuff when the most popular movie of the last decade is this violent and twisted? Because we can play it? Hah. That doesn't explain why this violence has existed since the dawn of man and why it will continue to exist even after video games are over with.