Man Who Committed Mass Pickup at Nightclub Had Logged 100 Hours in Dating Sim

Do dating sims cause people to become more prone to committing acts of pickup in real life? We asked psychologists for the answer

By Staff Writer #4

Original Post

Authorities are reporting that the man recently arrested in connection with picking up over fifty women at a local nightclub had spent over 100 hours playing Clannad, a popular dating simulation video game.

"These games are quite dangerous in that they give people the skills to more effectively carry out mass acts like this," said Harvard psychologist Michael Somebody. "The human brain can't tell the difference between real pickup and simulated pickup, and so people become more desensitized and less hesitant about using the pickup skills they learn in these games."

Dating simulations, or "dating sims" as they're known in the gaming community, are a popular genre of games in which, as the name implies, players work towards the goal of entering into romantic relationships with the game's characters. In order to succeed, players must develop real-world conversational skills and apply those in the game.

"What you get is a big impact on a developing mind," Somebody said. "Young kids play these games and immediately get access to skills that would normally never be passed down to the types of people that play dating sims. The consequences of these skills aren't learned and thus people are more inclined to use them on impulse."

In addition to the 100 hours in Clannad the suspect had also recorded at least 30 hours each in Katawa Shoujo and Bible Black. When reached for comment, a Brown University psychologist claimed these were "rookie numbers."

This marks the 34th mass pickup to occur in 2018 alone. Groups around the country are pushing for action, but many believe that more restrictions on dating sims aren't the answer.

"People want to immediately shift the blame to video games," said an anonymous survivor of the mass pickup. "But nobody is addressing the fact that the perpetrator was deeply insecure about his masculinity deep down. Games aren't what pushed him to this."

The President sided with those condemning dating sims, stating that video games should have some type of rating system to protect the most impressionable members of our society.

As the debate rages on, stay tuned to Zero Credibility for no additional coverage on this story.