This is the first part of an in-depth report from Old-Wizard.com exploring whether or not video games cause real life violence. The first game they look at is the classic arcade game, Donkey Kong, and try to determine if Plumber on Gorilla violence is a direct consequence of said game.

So did the plumber/gorilla violence of the 1980s start because of Nintendo’s first American game? Well its difficult to say. The facts tell us that before 1981 there was never a reported case of gorillas attacking plumbers or vice versa. After the release of DK plumber/gorilla violence jumped over 400%. Currently tensions between plumbers and gorillas are high and a tenuous peace is still in effect. Though recent incidents, such as the kidnap of a plumber’s baby at a zoo and recent hostilities toward a group of plumbers installing running water in third world countries, may lead to a return of all out war. In this case the evidence speaks for itself, there was an increase in violence after the release of Nintendo’s break out classic Donkey Kong. However this violence may have occured anyway, there was plenty of talk among gorilla communities about their treatment as pets. Could it be that DK was the straw that broke the camel’s back? Possibly, but the facts speak for themselves and facts are all there are in these types of cases.

Zeromage via old-wizard.com »