Esports execs say don't blame the games, blame US gun laws

Esports organisers say don't blame the games.

Executives at the Asian Games have expressed sympathy for the victims of the deadly shooting at a video game tournament in a Florida shopping mall.

But Kenneth Fok, president of the Asian Electronic Sports Federation, said the shooting was more a reflection of US gun laws than the gaming community.

US authorities say 24-year-old David Katz of Baltimore killed two people and wounded nine others before fatally shooting himself Sunday at a Madden tournament being held at a riverfront mall in Jacksonville.

"Of course tragedies like this should never happen. One is already too many," Fok told a news conference today about the introduction of esports at the Asian Games. "But I think this is a bigger issue of gun control and access to guns.

"This very unfortunate incident happened in a video game arena, but does this mean that it's esports or video games to blame? I don't believe so. It's not esports that caused this. We're really saddened to see this take place."
"Tell me about one incident where this has happened in Asia," said Suji, adding that drawing comparisons between gaming and violence "is the wrong perspective."
"It's very sad. Every time something like this happens in the US, people start blaming the video games. The bigger picture, the bigger problem is gun control."