Connecticut town goes Fahrenheit 451 on ‘violent video games’

451-degrees Fahrenheit, or the temperature at which books burn. I'm not sure what the autoignition point of video games are, but a town in Connecticut is holding an event that seems awfully similar to that of Ray Bradbury's 1953 novel, Fahrenheit 451.

Residents of Southington, a small town in Connecticut about 30 miles from the site of the Newton massacre, are organizing a voluntary video game return program to help dispose of "violent" video games. The Violent Video Games Return Program is being held on Saturday, January 12, 2013 at the Southington Drive-in Theatre where there will be a dumpster set up for the collection of violent video games, CDs, and DVDs. The violent video games turned in will be destroyed and placed in the town dumpster for "appropriate permanent disposal." In other words, Fahrenheit 451 has come to life.

Those who turn in their "games of violence" will be offered a gift certificate donated by a member of the Greater Southington Chamber of Commerce "as a token of appreciation for their action of responsible citizenship."

SouthingtonSOS, the organizers of the event, were sure to make clear that the group's action is "not intended to be construed as statement declaring that violent video games were the cause of the shocking violence in Newton."

"Rather, SouthingtonSOS is saying is that there is ample evidence that violent video games,  along with violent media of all kinds, including TV and Movies portraying story after story  showing a continuous stream of violence and killing, has contributed to increasing  aggressiveness, fear, anxiety and is desensitizing our children to acts of violence including  bullying," a statement in the flier read. "Social and political commentators, as well as elected officials including the president, are attributing violent crime to many factors including inadequate gun control laws, a culture of  violence and a recreational culture of violence."

How this group could say the event shouldn't be construed as a knock on violent video games is beyond me. I'm actually more offended that they think me stupid enough to not realize their blatant intentions with this event. This group's statement seems like nothing more than a PR-written in pre-response to the impending backlash they will soon face from gamers everywhere. They probably saw the response to the NRA's moronic statements regarding games and violence and prematurely defended themselves.

For humanity's sake, I hope the residents of Southington aren't brainless enough to show up to this event. This is truly like something from a novel or film. What is this town going to do next, ban dancing?