Online gamers hold 1-day ceasefire for Sandy Hook victims

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share via Email
• Copy Link

  Link Copied

After the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary last week in which 26 innocent people were killed, including 20 children, many people are left wondering what they can do to help.

Support for Sandy Hook victims and families has poured in from around the nation.

theGrio Online gamer calls for digital ceasefire to honor Sandy Hook victims

Antwand Pearman, CEO of GamerFitNation.com, decided that even gamers should show there support for Sandy Hook and take a day off from violent video games.

The “Day of Online Shooter Cease Fire,” started at 12am, December 21st.

“We are simply making a statement that we as Gamers are not going to sit back and ignore the lives that were lost. Instead we will embrace the families with our love and support,” said Pearman in a statement.

While the event emphatically states “WE ARE NOT BLAMING VIDEO GAMES!” the correlation between video game violence and real life shootings has been once again brought into the light.

According to Harvard Health Publications, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) “express concern that exposure to aggressive behavior or violence in video games and other media may, over time, desensitize youths by numbing them emotionally, cause nightmares and sleep problems, impair school performance, and lead to aggressive behavior and bullying.”

Still, the article also notes this key point: “Federal crime statistics suggest that serious violent crimes among youths have decreased since 1996, even as video game sales have soared.”

The 24-hour online video game ceasefire started to gain followers on its Facebook page, and participants are encouraged to use the hashtag #OSCeaseFire on Twitter.

Follow Carrie Healey on Twitter @CarrieHeals.