I mostly agree with Zen.

If not games, something else (perhaps alcohol or drug use) would have triggered them.

I am sure many of you are familiar with the diathesis-stress model. There is an underlying predisposition to something, which is 'triggered' by a 'stressor'. That's how I see a lot of antisocial behaviour as well as mental illness.

The flipside of those killing games is that that sort of thing is a release for some people who do want to take out their aggression on something. It's harmless - it's not on people or animals, it's in a fictional situation. This is also an argument for pornography - that being able to experience the fantasy through stimulus materials actually provides a release for a lot of people (rather than giving them 'ideas', which is what the moralists like to believe).

interesting and thanks for the link.