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Videogame TRAINS TERRORISTS, yells pundit

Art mirrors life - or vice versa?

Modern combat-inspired first-person shooter series Call of Duty may have unwittingly influenced the attack on Moscow's Domodedovo airport, it has been claimed.

The allegation was made by TV channel Russia Today and arises from a mission in CoD: Modern Warfare 2 called "No Russian" in which a player goes on a rampage gunning down civilians at a fictional Russian airport.

Here's a video, courtesy of YouTube, that shows the close-to-the-knuckle 'No Russian' play:

Can't see the video? Download Flash Player from Adobe.com

"With so many people... playing this game," the report says, "you have to consider whether anyone ever thought that this game could so closely resemble reality."

This week, a woman thought be the widow of a terrorist walked into the baggage claim area at Domodedovo airport and blew herself up, killing 35 people and wounding 180 more in the blast.

But airports have been terrorist targets long before the popular game series even entered development.

The report quotes terrorism analyst Walid Phares of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a US think-tank, who said: "The issue is, we need to know if terrorists or extremists are using these videos or DVDs or games to basically apply the model.

"I think those who have been radicalised already... they look at the games and say these games will serve them to train." ®

I think the principal from Billy Madison said it best...

"What you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."

Stupid "make a tenuous link, then blame it for all social ills" idiot people, I doubt even God would have mercy on your souls...

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If El Reg had Jon Stewart

We'd be cutting to a clip From Penn & Teller's BS where they got a video game playing kid to fire a real gun on a rifle range.

He ran crying for Mommy.

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Jumping on the hobbyhorse again.

1- Training:

Because pressing a mouse button and using WSAD is SOOO much like firing a real machine gun while running around.

2- Similarity to attack

Of course a suspected widow blowing herself up is so much like a team of machine-gun wielding mafia/ex-soldiers or whatever.

'See how this apple looks so much like this orange?'

3- violent games make you anti-social

It's more likely that sitting for hours in front of a computer makes you anti-social - not what you are doing on the computer.

Stupid people, just because it sounds like a simple idea it doesn't mean it's a correct idea.

ttfn

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radicalised already

The key phrase quoted ""I think those who have been radicalised already" ... he's right!! But why stop at games, the obvious manual of choice for would be terrorists is surely Tom Clancy novels? Or even Die Hard 1-3... they could even be planning cyber terror attacks by watching Die Hard 4.0!!!

We must band together to end this maddness

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Just like

Leisure suit Larry trained us all to go out and shag hookers....

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