A pathetic article by NaturalNews.com (which I won’t link to to prevent feeding their controversy-driven “journalism”), is attacking virtual reality at large and specifically the Oculus Rift, making the claim that “total immersion technology will train future mass murderers.”
It’s very disappointing that there are people in the world that are happy to throw innocent entities under the bus for the sake of profit.
The poorly researched article evokes the recent Sandy Hook tragedy as it attacks the Oculus Rift, though the writer seems to be confused about whether or not it’s a VR headset or a game:
On the heels of 20-year-old Adam Lanza’s murder of 20 Kindergarten-aged children and six adults at the Sandy Hook Elementary School comes now a new type of total immersion shooting game that has the potential to transform psychopaths into total killers, desensitized beyond belief.
The company, Oculus VR, is an immersion virtual reality firm now developing the Oculus Rift, “a ground-breaking virtual reality headset for immersive gaming,” according to the firm’s website.
The company says it has raised $2.4 million in seed money “from project backers and supporters around the world,” as its team works to develop “the Oculus Rift in an effort to revolutionize the way people experience interactive content.”
The headset is getting rave reviews for the very thing that is liable to make it dangerous: its virtual reality immersion capability.
The article goes on to make even more incredibly dubious claims.
“The Doom games, by the way, are probably one of the most desensitizing of all, especially for impressionable youngsters and those who don’t have a full grip on reality, experts believe.”
I’d love to know what “experts” are citing the Doom series as “one of the most desensitizing of all.”
It’s important to realize that the people responsible for this work likely know exactly what they’re doing. The following paragraph from the article just reeks of conspiracy theory and a pathetic attempt to stir controversy.
“One other thing to note: Oculus VR’s company logo resembles the “all-seeing eye” that is on the back of every U.S. dollar, an important symbol of the “Supreme Being,” which was borrowed by Freemasons from the nations of antiquity.”
This is from the same site that brought you such classics as, ‘Everything is Rigged – Health, Politics, Finance and More – But Here’s How to Beat the System,’ and ‘Shaken Baby Syndrome Often Just a Cover Story for Children Who are Brain Damaged by Vaccines’
The article concludes with the following:
The point is this: At a time when violent video games have been blamed for contributing to an overall culture of violence that appears to be growing worse in America, the last thing future psychos need is a game that will allow them to further desensitize themselves to the “business” of killing, all the while helping them hone their “skills.”
… a statement which flies directly in the face of the fact that the rate of violent crime in the U.S. has been falling, according to the FBI, as the video game industry grows ever large and more influential.
I forgot to note the hilarious part where they included completely irrelevant details regarding John Carmack.
“Also, the device is backed game developer John Carmack, whose games have previously been funded by the Pentagon.”
It’s a shame they didn’t realize that John Carmack also makes rockets, it would have been a juicy bit for their ridiculous story.