Gamers - good or bad for gun owners?

[Skans]

I'm starting this thread to get other people's opinions on folks who get into firearms because of video games. I'm not a gamer, and rarely play any video or computer type games.

At first, I thought that gamers getting into real firearms is just a bad idea. But, then I asked myself "why"? If certain games spark the interest of people who have never had any acquaintance with firearms to pursue shooting sports as an interest, what can be wrong with that? It increases the number of people who want and desire the freedom to own firearms. It creates a new segment of potential 2nd Amendment advocates.

Just wondering what other folks here think?

 

[Skadoosh]

I dont see it as being much different than the children of the 50's and 60's growing up watching westerns and war movies. I am sure that many of those youngsters grew up with an appreciation of firearms that led to their purchasing firearms.

 

[gaseousclay]

I don't think it's a bad thing per se, but I often wonder how many gamers actually bother to learn about gun safety before running out to buy their latest firearm? I can't help but think of gamers who will perpetuate the common misconceptions about guns - like calling a magazine a clip or holding their handgun sideways like they think they're a gangster.

 

[armoredman]

It depends on if they feel the guns should work the same as the game, or they want to use them as an extension of the game. If they are getting into shooting because they are genuinely interested in the shooting sports, that's great.

 

[Doyle]

I'm worried that it gives them a false sense of having skill with a firearm. I see it at the range all the time when some gang banger wanna-be shows up with his brand new Glock and starts aiming it sideways, waving it around sweeping the other shooters, etc.

 

[9-ball]

I personally get very annoyed when friends of mine who like to play games (especially CoD it seems) want to talk about weapons. They think firing a firearm is easy and continue to give people "advice" on which guns they should buy based on the in-game performance. It's frustrating to say the least. Most of them aren't interested in the mechanics of weapons anyway, only in looks and "tacticoolness".

 

[aarondhgraham]

It's only bad when,,,

Gamers bring their same attitudes to an actual live fire scenario.

As an example I recently took a young undergraduate to my range,,,
He told me he was very eager to learn how to shoot a pistol.

To make a long story short,,,
He wasn't there to learn to shoot,,,
He was there to send ammo downrange.

He burned through 100 rounds of 9mm (he paid for the ammo) very quickly,,,
He really didn't care if he hit anything on the target,,,
He was just there to blast away and make noise.

He told me later that Call of Duty was more fun.

That's a good thing because he'll never go with me again,,,
And he has asked to go but I refused and told him why.

I'm all about having fun with my guns,,,
But they are not simply fireworks dispensers.

Aarond

 

[LordTio3]

My oppinion on this is that the Gaming Culture and its population have the potential to be very good or very bad for the shooting community; and that the effect an individual will have is directly related to their maturity level.

We cannot assume that everyone in the gaming community is an irresponsible and immature 15-25 year old any more than the anti's can assume all gun owners are simply potential criminals. The fact is that more numbers in our community mean more power and more voices. However, in a political community (which the gun community IS, let's not debate that) irresponsible representatives are often given the most attention and consideration, thus producing a staggering liability for everyone.

The individuals who are problematic tend to be the ones who cannot seem to distiguish between a virtual gun and a real one. A video-game expert doesn't mean AN-Y-THING when it comes to live firearms.

Conversely, most of the gaming community recognizes this fact. And I have personally given several enthusiastic gamers their first positive live-firearms experience, which conversation and exposure to shooting games gave a springboard to.

I think that the gaming community has been producing more good for us than bad lately; but how they will evolve with us as a whole will bear largely on those of us already in the shooting community and how we choose to receive them. I, myself, am involved heavily in both communities and can say that a lot of gamers are very ready and willing to learn proper firearms handling and technique, but are only lacking in someone to show them the ways. If we, as a community, can help those in the gaming community acclimate to our community as responsible members, I think in a few years we can grow our numbers significantly and responsibly.

Just my .02.

~LT

 

[patrickmn]

The first gun I bought was a High Standard 1911. When I saw it, I thought, "That looks like the one I shot zombies with in that computer game!" I did not say that to anyone, and you all are the first folks to know it. I bought a Henry .22 because it reminded me of the Winchesters in those movies, without the expense of center fire ammo.

Some people buy guns for no other reason than fear.

As long as people are shooting safely, why not let them have some fun shooting 30 rounds in 20 seconds?

 

[Brian Pfleuger]

I don't think they're good or bad, in general.

Certainly no more so than are racing game fans bad for car enthusiasts.

The games encourage participation in the real thing. There are those who will participate without adequate education, finances and/or illegally. They only give themselves a bad name, unless we encourage their nonsense.

Edit: Yes, I'm a gamer too... War games, cars, motorcycles, hunting... None of it effects my behavior in real life.

 

[Enoy21]

I'm a gamer, I have been since my dad taught me to play Frogger on the Commodore 64 and we shared our bonding over Leisure suit Larry when I was about 8 yrs old.

I also am a big nature lover and like guns. Mostly through TV rather than gaming and through my dad's new interest when I was a late teenager.

I got into firearms mostly due to the desire to protect my family if ever needed. Plus the area we live in are alot of bears, snakes and varmints.

Also , Well...I like them. I think every man should know how to safely handle a gun responsibly and effectively.


I think Gamers are no different than any other person. Weather it be gaming influence , or rap song influence or TV drama influence. It's about the maturity and understanding of a gun's purpose and usage.

 

[aarondhgraham]

Hello patrickmn,,,

As long as people are shooting safely, why not let them have some fun shooting 30 rounds in 20 seconds?

Not a thing my friend,,,
But not with my guns as my guest.

I expected him to at least try aiming,,,
Rather than just point and spray.

I will admit he was an extreme case.

You can probably tell I'm not a video gamer,,,
I prefer real activities rather than virtual.

One time a man and his wife came to my Pop's place to look at furniture,,,
The man wasn't interested in looking so he struck up a conversation with my 15 year old cousin.

As we were loading the furniture later he asked me about my cousin,,,
Specifically he wanted to know where Derek found all those deer,,,
I told him I didn't know and kept loading furniture.

Derek never shot a deer,,,
He was talking about his deer hunting game,,,
But the sad part is that in his mind he has really hunted,,,
Even though at that time he had never shot a high-powered rifle.

Neither my Dad, my Uncle, nor I was ever able to teach him to shoot well,,,
Yet he still spent hours in front of his gaming computer,,,
Thinking he had truly accomplished something.

Sad,,,

Aarond

 

[Eghad]

I do play some games and online games on the Wii and PC. Does not effect my responsibilty with firearms nor my accuracy.

We had irresponsible firearms shooters before video games were invented.

 

[Boberama]

Most of them aren't interested in the mechanics of weapons anyway, only in looks and "tacticoolness".

x2

 

[Skadoosh]

They think firing a firearm is easy and continue to give people "advice" on which guns they should buy based on the in-game performance.

Sounds like a perfect opportunity to enlighten those 'experts' by taking them to a range and actually letting them shoot a firearm...might help them to see that virtual reality is indeed merely simulation.

 

[Maximus856]

I don't think the negative effects of 'gamers' getting into guns will have much relation to the games themselves, opposed to the kids and how they are these days in general. It doesn't seem to matter much what the hobby, sport, or job is, the kids will always seem to know something someone their senior doesn't. Though the games may provide a false sense of comfort, I think the 'as long as they get by' attitude of many parents and teachers is what will do the greater harm. I'm pretty sure those that are reckless with firearms and cars will be reckless regardless of whether or not there is a game in their life. I say this because I've been there and was never a huge gamer. I've always been as responsible as possible with firearms, however other aspects of my life (the cars and motorcycles) are a bit more of a touchy subject.

On the flipside, if 2 out of 4 who 'try' firearms through the inspiration of a game and stick with it responsibley, then I don't see that as an issue at all.

Just my humble opinion, though.
-Max.

 

[sigcurious]

I'm on the older end of the typical gamer demographic. I think it's a bit less about gamers, but that a large portion of the demographic still has teen in their age. Regardless of recreational background introducing a teenager to something dangerous should be done with appropriate caution. A uneducated teenage mind that may be filled with misconceptions about firearms from whatever media source, be it tv, music, games, or whatever, is a dangerous thing.

I was fortunate enough to learn firearm and hunting safety long before games offered anything close to what could be mistaken for a realistic shooting experience, unless anyone counts flinging fireballs with mario lol.

 

[Skans]

To make a long story short,,,
He wasn't there to learn to shoot,,,
He was there to send ammo downrange.

He burned through 100 rounds of 9mm (he paid for the ammo) very quickly,,,
He really didn't care if he hit anything on the target,,,
He was just there to blast away and make noise.

He he - I've been guilty of that! And, I don't play any video/computer games. It's not like I always do that, but hey, what the heck - burning through a magazine or two of Wolf ammo as quick as I could never hurt anyone! Gotta keep those Russians productive.

 

[Kodyo]

I play video games about 20 hours a week and have been playing video games for the last 15 years. The majority of the games I play are shooter oriented.

I've also shot guns for the last 15 years. Video gamers are naturally good for the gun market, in my opinion. Who cares if they are into tacticool guns, they are spending money. Having a tacticool gun does not make someone unsafe. To say they are any more unsafe than any other group is ridiculous. People in general are unsafe if they have not been taught proper etiquette or safety.

 

[shootniron]

My oppinion on this is that the Gaming Culture and its population have the potential to be very good or very bad for the shooting community; and that the effect an individual will have is directly related to their maturity level.

We cannot assume that everyone in the gaming community is an irresponsible and immature 15-25 year old any more than the anti's can assume all gun owners are simply potential criminals. The fact is that more numbers in our community mean more power and more voices. However, in a political community (which the gun community IS, let's not debate that) irresponsible representatives are often given the most attention and consideration, thus producing a staggering liability for everyone.

The individuals who are problematic tend to be the ones who cannot seem to distiguish between a virtual gun and a real one. A video-game expert doesn't mean AN-Y-THING when it comes to live firearms.
Conversely, most of the gaming community recognizes this fact. And I have personally given several enthusiastic gamers their first positive live-firearms experience, which conversation and exposure to shooting games gave a springboard to.

I think that the gaming community has been producing more good for us than bad lately; but how they will evolve with us as a whole will bear largely on those of us already in the shooting community and how we choose to receive them. I, myself, am involved heavily in both communities and can say that a lot of gamers are very ready and willing to learn proper firearms handling and technique, but are only lacking in someone to show them the ways. If we, as a community, can help those in the gaming community acclimate to our community as responsible members, I think in a few years we can grow our numbers significantly and responsibly.

I totally agree!

I am not a gamer, but my son is and we have introduced some of his friends to "real" guns only to find that they learn quickly and are very safe. Also, some of these guys are turning into future gun enthusiast without doubt.