Yelling at “scumbags”—inside the White House’s last gaming violence summit

Enlarge / "DEATHGAMES" is a wholly original character representing gaming's image in certain corners. Image and concept (c) Ars Technica, All Rights Reserved. (credit: Aurich Lawson / Getty)

"I think the first words he said to me were something like, 'What are we going to do with these scumbags?'"

In the wake of a horrific school shooting, a senior member of the White House appeared ready to take the game industry to task for supposedly desensitizing an entire generation to the horrors of gun violence. But while President Trump has repeatedly called out video games and other violent media in recent weeks, he's not the one who reportedly called game industry representatives "scumbags" in advance of a White House summit. The above quote is instead attributed to the last senior White House official to host a meeting with the video game industry: Vice President Joe Biden.

Back at the start of 2013, the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School weighed heavily on the nation's collective consciousness. The shooting killed 20 Connecticut school children on December 14, 2012, and the entire country was looking for somewhere to direct its anger and take action.

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