http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/role-video-game-addiction-played-columbine-shootings-article-1.361104 http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2006-07-07/news/0607070364_1_eric-harris-killers-harris-wrote http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/19/mother-of-columbine-shoot_n_2152497.html#slide=890373

Preventing Disaster - More Than Just Taking Away The Video Games
I will be attempting to make several key points about the Columbine School Shooting that are relevant to prevention and early detection of violent crimes. Because in my opinion, random acts of violence are caused by many different factors, and are rarely the result of one thing, such as video games. What I will be focusing on are the parents, Tom
& Sue Klebold and Wayne & Kathy Harris, of the two boys Eric Harris & Dylan Klebold and/or parents everywhere. "It tells you this kid was dangerous," Rohrbough said. "The premise that these are families that didn't know what was going on in their homes is completely refuted by this journal." ( Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times). Apparently the two boys had a record of past crimes, and Wayne Harris knew it. I will point out how the plans they made were pre-meditated, and were not a random act against the school due to violent video games. In other words, there is no "one explanation" for the shootings, and the senseless death of innocent people. Any combination of issues could have led to what the two boys did. Mental illness and bullying have caused killings and suicides in the past as well. I will also show how they had psychopathic tendencies to begin with, due to evidence found of certain behaviors that were psychopathic in nature. Eric Harris & Dylan Klebold were both manipulative, tricking their parents into thinking the other kids were the problem. Although other kids saw that the two boys seemed dangerous, Eric's dad Wayne Harris didn’t see it even though he was keeping record of his sons behavior in a journal (Nicholas Riccardi, Los
Angeles Times). I will also point out that in some cases video games can be as addictive as alcohol or drugs, but doesn’t exactly mean everyone will conduct in violent crimes because of it. It was mentioned that "one of the two killers loved vodka, but that nothing was found in their systems." (Bill Manville, NY Daily News)While addiction is not considered a good thing, most people who are addicted to video games are addicted to the fun and competitiveness against other people, or an AI/computer. They can spend hours at it because it gets their mind off of their school work, work, or other daily responsibilities. Some of what I will discuss comes from personal experience. I have never tried alcohol or drugs, but I have been addicted to video games for many years. It started with Mario, then progressed to Assassin's Creed, Halo, and many "first player games", where you are killing people/zombies. Never once did I feel like killing anyone, let alone a school full of people. I was simply proving to other players that I was faster/smarter than they were by scoring more points, and beating levels faster than anyone else. I will take note of almost every aspect of how this specific game came into play.
According to different sources, Eric & Dylan used this game to practice out their plans ahead of time. Some believe that because this one game was the possible cause behind their actions, that all violent games are to blame for horrible things like this happening. I will give reasons why that is not the case, and why it is unfair to judge all violent games and gamers the same. There will also be notice on their personal life and aggravating factors leading up to the shooting and their suicides. To begin, I will discuss how the mental state of a child could affect how they react to games. To people with a normal state of mind, gaming could be a way to relax, a way to pass time, or a hobby. The same people could play violent