This is extremely interesting to me:

http://www.google.com/insights/search/#q=%22violent%20video%20games%22

This graph shows how over the last ten years the rate at which media reports on violent video games rises and falls at exactly the same rate! Every year!

It spikes in April, then everyone shuts up for the summer.. then right before Xmas it picks up again.

I love stuff like this! It shows how robotic and sheeplike humans are. They just do the same thing over and over forever.

I understand why soccer moms aren't interested in taking their children's games away in the summer (lol) but why does it spike in April every year?

Probably spikes again in April, since many AAA games are out by then and they're usually of the violent variety. Same goes for the Holiday season. You'll usually see a CoD game release just before Christmas.

It is very interesting, though. For me, it just proves that it's not a serious enough subject to warrant constant criticism. Just when they're cued to be upset.

That is pretty neat Ban!

I see the Holiday one, but the April one is a little more interesting.

I'd assume because April is the beggining of the new year and quarter and a hot time to release new games for the summer. April is also when most music starts being released for the new year as well, January-March is usually a pretty dead time-zone for entertainment releases.

I'm with PK on this one. Cue the masses.

I knew it. I EFFING KNEW IT. This was totally going to happen and it definitely is stupid. Makes me so mad.

"All he did was play video games and play music,"

Loughner came to house for dinner "all the time." Loughner liked heavy metal and classic rock music and was a "big video gamer,"

Everyone blames video games for violence. I'm sick of it.

why are you surprised?? .. I figured you would be used to it by now, I bet the guy even owned a copy of a Heavy Metal magazine

I'm not surprised, I'm just sick of people blaming video games (i.e. "journalists" including statements like the above in "news" stories).

It's hard not to turn this tragedy into a political discussion but we've all talked about it before, if it wasn't video games it would be Heavy Metal music, if it's not Heavy Metal it would be comic books, if it's not comic books then it would be role playing games, . . and so on and so on. The fact is all of these things have had similar political & and news media point the figure at them and they all survived. We just have to wait out the storm till there is a new "scarier" thing for them to fear.

We just have to wait out the storm till there is a new "scarier" thing for them to fear.

Justin Bieber?

Oh hell no .. he's from Canada .. the only thing you have to fear from Canada is a hard blowing Arctic Wind