12-year-olds on Counter-Strike

A recent video reminded me why I stopped playing Counter-Strike with random people and stuck with matches with friends and people I knew in real life. Take a look at the following video; the kid in it is one of the most obnoxious examples you’ll ever find of the horrors you may encounter in a random public match. Just a warning the video is very NSFW due to racist and foul language:

Changing my mind on Stuttgart

I’m not afraid of expressing unpopular opinions. I’ve done it a few times on this site, and will probably do so again in the future. Recently, when I took a stance in favor of a lesbian gamer who had banned on the Xbox Live network, I got quite a few negative comments that implied more or less that I was wrong and lacking in the intelligence department. I felt somewhat vindicated when Microsoft did what I suggested they do in the first place: seek dialogue instead of indiscriminately banning people. Strangely, after I updated that bit of information on my site, the comments vanished. Read more

Stuttgart cancels CS tourney

In light of the March 11 shooting tragedy perpetrated by Tim Kretschmer, the city of Stuttgart has decided to cancel a gaming competition featuring Counter Strike. News outlets reported that Kretschmer was allegedly a huge fan of Counter Strike and may have drawn inspiration from the game. Kretschmer started his shooting rampage not far from Stuttgart.

In a statement, the mayor of Stuttgart based his decision to cancel citing the shooting and also out of concern for family and friends of shooting victims.

I applaud the mayor for his sensitivity. Having a tournament based on Counter Strike so soon after an allegedly video game inspired shooting would probably ignite more unnecessary controversy on a topic that has become explosive in Germany and elsewhere. Further, how can you fault his decision if it’s based on being sensitive to people who recently lost loved ones?

Via Game Politics.

Update: I’ve changed my opinion on the mayor’s decision. Read why here.

CS player murders 16

In one worst shootings in German history, a 17-year-old teenager, armed with his father’s Beretta 9 mm automatic pistol, gunned down several former classmates and town residents in cold blood. At the end of the rampage, 16 people lay dead. Sadly, it’s been learned that the video game Counter Strike may have had an influence in the killer’s chosen method of violence. Read more