It's a f*cking GAME!
You cannot blame video games for violence. Violence existed long before.
Should we blame porn for rapes? Heavy Metal for suicides? Spoons for Rosie O'Donnel's weight?
Are You Disgusted With Kobe Bryant's Gun-Wielding 'Call of Duty' Ad?
SodaHead News
2010/11/19 15:00:00
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Another day, another Kobe scandal.
What started out as grumbling has risen to a near roar over the past week. Some folks are not happy that a violent new ad for the video game “Call of Duty: Black Ops” stars Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant.
In the clip, which co-stars talk show host Jimmy Kimmel and a number of generic working stiffs in their minimum-wage uniforms, Bryant is seen blasting away with a machine gun in a combat situation with a smile on his face as the average Joes pump their machine guns and fire rocket-propelled grenades among action movie-worthy fireballs and a pumping soundtrack provided by the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter.”
On Tuesday, ESPN spoke to Oakland youth football coach/mortuary home worker Todd Walker, who has decried the culture of violence tearing up the inner city and who had harsh words for the Kobe ad.
"I couldn't believe it was him," Walker said. "What's wrong with him? … This is exactly what we're trying to fight. I'm looking at a 14-year-old boy right now who got shot in the head, and then I see Kobe get on TV looking like a damned fool, holding an assault weapon and wearing the same stuff the kids are wearing when they kill somebody. The look on his face -- all smiling and happy. This is the attitude we're trying to get away from."
Neither Bryant nor NBA commissioner David Stern have commented publicly, but the drumbeat of sports and news writers pointing out that the ad appears to downplay the seriousness of combat danger and gun violence has risen steadily. ESPN has also pointed out that the lack of a response from Stern show’s the NBA boss’ inconsistency when it comes to dealing with these kinds of issues, speculating that Stern would remain mum on one of his sport’s biggest stars unless the howl reaches critical mass.
Kobe did tell the “Extra” TV show that he does not consider himself a soldier and that the violence in the spot was “nothing like” what real soldiers face “by any stretch of the imagination.” In the meantime, the bubbling firestorm doesn’t appear to be having any impact on sales, which are expected to exceed $650 million.
What started out as grumbling has risen to a near roar over the past week. Some folks are not happy that a violent new ad for the video game “Call of Duty: Black Ops” stars Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant.
In the clip, which co-stars talk show host Jimmy Kimmel and a number of generic working stiffs in their minimum-wage uniforms, Bryant is seen blasting away with a machine gun in a combat situation with a smile on his face as the average Joes pump their machine guns and fire rocket-propelled grenades among action movie-worthy fireballs and a pumping soundtrack provided by the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter.”
On Tuesday, ESPN spoke to Oakland youth football coach/mortuary home worker Todd Walker, who has decried the culture of violence tearing up the inner city and who had harsh words for the Kobe ad.
"I couldn't believe it was him," Walker said. "What's wrong with him? … This is exactly what we're trying to fight. I'm looking at a 14-year-old boy right now who got shot in the head, and then I see Kobe get on TV looking like a damned fool, holding an assault weapon and wearing the same stuff the kids are wearing when they kill somebody. The look on his face -- all smiling and happy. This is the attitude we're trying to get away from."
Neither Bryant nor NBA commissioner David Stern have commented publicly, but the drumbeat of sports and news writers pointing out that the ad appears to downplay the seriousness of combat danger and gun violence has risen steadily. ESPN has also pointed out that the lack of a response from Stern show’s the NBA boss’ inconsistency when it comes to dealing with these kinds of issues, speculating that Stern would remain mum on one of his sport’s biggest stars unless the howl reaches critical mass.
Kobe did tell the “Extra” TV show that he does not consider himself a soldier and that the violence in the spot was “nothing like” what real soldiers face “by any stretch of the imagination.” In the meantime, the bubbling firestorm doesn’t appear to be having any impact on sales, which are expected to exceed $650 million.
Top Opinion
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fuzzy Ken "In G-d We Trust" 2010/11/19 18:00:03
According to the Legal Community Against Violence, "The United States experiences epidemic levels of gun violence, claiming over 30,000 lives annually, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. For every person who dies from a gunshot wound, two others are wounded. Every year, more than 100,000 Americans are victims of gun violence. In addition to those who are killed or injured, there are countless others whose lives are forever changed by the deaths of and injuries to their loved ones."
Last, shame on parents who buy these kind of video games for their children and/or allow them to play them. Our youth have become desensitized to violence and statistics support that. If we want a kinder, gentler world, we have to model it. See article "Violent Video Games Increase Aggression Long After Game is Turned Off Study Finds," http://www.sciencedaily.com/r... This is just one study of MANY. They're not "just games," they damage our psyche and perception.
The most violent thing I've encountered with any of these games is the language of the players. And from what I have heard personally, it is not a matter of age.
I personally liked the young ladies in the commercial - the one in the heels and the heavy girl (Hot, Hot, Hot). Those two can back me any day!! Oh, and Kobe, too.
P.S. The game was the worst in the COD series.
and um SH, that clip was junk,
I was waiting to be disgusted, you failed again.
A) Why did you guys throw in a video that had no relevance to the article?
and
B) Why DIDN'T you guys link to the video that is apparently so "scandalous"
I just have such a lack of respect for Kobe in general, and I have not seen him grace the pages of a hunting or gun publication or take part in hunting on a Versus or Outdoor channel show, I feel that he doesn't hunt. He sure as heck isn't a soldier.
That claim sounds like an oxymoron or contradiction.
"I also happen to own my own Concealed Handgun school and gun range in Texas."
Democrats in the Republic of Texas are probably more likely to support freedom like gun rights more than Democrats in other states, seemingly.
"If we are going to pass judgement, we should be a little more even-handed here. "
Good point. Democrats like Bryant or Democrats like Kimmel appear like Republicans when they carry guns and both look like they enjoy it as well!