I think these things can sometimes be linked to the game (i.e the cases where a game is replicated) but blaming the game is nothing more then a method of blaming society / the child's upbringing. 99.9% of people play a violent game without actively wanting to replicate what they see. The reason is simply because they have the moral thinking to know that it would be wrong to do so. Then we come to the 0.1% that play a game and decide they are going to replicate it in the real world. The simple fact that they want to replicate what they see should be ringing alarm bells that something is seriously wrong. Is it the game? answer is no, mentally healthy people are able to distinguish what is acceptable in a virtual environment and the real world. The game is simply a catalyst to bring out the mentality which is why it is so easy to blame. In reality just about anything could trigger the violent behavior! In your example the game is being blamed, the game is the catalyst to bring out the violent mentality, however the real fact is that the kid cannot handle authority. Question is if it was another item would the same thing have happened? Answer is probably yes, however those who wish to blind themselves from the truth will blame halo, get a rally of people behind them and call for the banning of all violent games.