To whom it may concern,

I am exasperated by the notion that gamers are some degree of subhuman. We’re not killers, we’re not trolls, and we’re not zombies. We are people. Regular people, just like everyone else. Maybe a bit more eccentric than most, but certainly innocuous. The way the media portrays a video gamer makes me absolutely sick. I feel ashamed to bring my handheld system in public out of fear of judgement. In a particular episode of Law and Order, I recall the the criminal was a computer gamer emulating the game and killing people. This example is one of many and certain cogent, albeit a bit extreme. Anyway, this misconception needs to STOP. Nothing like that would ever happen without mental illness. Games rarely have something to do with it. I hate knee-jerk reactions after some tragedy, like a school shooting, strikes. Watching the news and how quickly they point out “the assailant was known to play violent video games” without any thought as to what else went on the person’s life is abhorrent. As if video games turned an innocent person into a cold-blooded killer. Come on, that seems impossible without ulterior influence. So I implore you, think before you speak. Use logic. Stop making me feel bad for enjoying video games.