Penn & Teller do games this week

By Robert Purchese Published 7 July, 2009

Comic duo debunk violence link.

Provocative comic-illusionist duo Penn & Teller will air an episode of Bulls*** that examines the link between violence and videogames this week.

"Politicians and other alarmists claim that playing videogames leads to teen violence. Penn & Teller attempt to debunk that theory by handing over a real semi-automatic weapon to a nine-year-old to see if playing video games will turn him into a human killing machine," reads the show synopsis, according to GameSpot.

There's a short preview of the episode available now, in which Penn & Teller talk to anti-videogame activist Chris Cooney.

In the clip, Cooney shows his 'School Shooting Triangle': a take on the Fire Triangle where fuel, oxygen and heat are the sides of the shape and required elements to make fire.

In his version, Cooney uses guns, 'Troubled Kid' and 'Mass-Killing Simulators' to produce school shootings - the latter being his term for first-person shooters.

"You're just looking down the barrel of a gun and kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill," says Cooney during the clip. "It's a shame they can't be running around, er, finding sick people and hitting them with a magic wand and making them healthy or something like that."

Penn & Teller conclude that Cooney is obviously not familiar with the 'Expert Triangle', "Where in order to be taken seriously you must have written a book, have a job and be wearing an age-appropriate shirt."

Bulls*** is not broadcast over here, so you will need to find another way to watch the show.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (27) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Gallilee #1 3 years ago

    Thank god! I thought they were going to release another game and we all know how good the last one was.

    EDIT: Not very...
    Edited by Gallilee at 07/07/09 @ 11:33

  • the_dudefather #2 3 years ago

    Bullshit is a great show, have to catch up with the newer series and this episode should be worth a watch

    Edit: I hope desert bus gets an XBLA release with online leaderboards
    Edited by the_dudefather at 07/07/09 @ 11:36

  • illusion #3 3 years ago

    I always thought Bulls*** was on the FX channel. I used to watch it when I lived in the UK.

  • Domovoi #4 3 years ago

    Too bad, I hoped they'd come up with something as awesome as Desert Bus.

  • DFawkes #5 3 years ago

    So Chris Cooney not only isn't a Trauma Center fan, but uses the fingers in ears la-la method of ignoring nice, wholesome videogames. Then of course if you actually play Animal Crossing instead as an adult, you're a paedophile.

  • udat #6 3 years ago

    Penn & Teller are cool. I saw them live in Vegas recently and they hung around afterwards and signed stuff, took pictures, etc. with everyone in the audience. It was kinda strange hearing Teller speak.

    Bullshit! is pretty funny. The creationism episode is my favourite.

  • giant_frying_pan #7 3 years ago

    udat: I'm insanely jealous. I've always wanted to see their show :(

  • udat #8 3 years ago

    Go to Vegas, they are live at the Rio every night almost :)

  • Brogan #9 3 years ago

    liked Bullshit until they said walmart was right not to a;;ow unions in their shops.

  • jonsaan #10 3 years ago

    Cooney should play Infamous, you can make people better.

  • phAge #11 3 years ago

    Does Penn & Teller have two separate shows called Bullshit? Because the one I've watched a fair few episodes of was fucking retarded to the 9th degree, and made me sympathize more with the people getting "debunked" than with P&T and their "experts".

    It's contrived, low-brow and just not funny - at all. I mean "It's motherfucking construed, fuckin low-brow and just not very fucking funny" - right, fans?

    IMO, etc. etc.
    Edited by phAge at 07/07/09 @ 13:51

  • Retroid #12 3 years ago

    Blimey, I thought they'd stopped making this series? While I didn't always agree with their angle (for example the casual smoking episode, which to their credit they did admit was based on flawed evidence and was, therefore, itself Bullshit) they always exampled subjects in a short, informal yet informative* way.

    * ;)

  • udat #13 3 years ago

    Phage> You mean "Contrived"? Well yes, it is. Like all television.

    I didn't really like the passive smoking episode, but it did highlight the reality of accepting flawed data as the basis of policy. Something that seems to be happening more and more.

  • spidermanalf #14 3 years ago

    I thought all the kings horses, and all the kings men couldn't put him back together again!

  • Mr_Sleep #15 3 years ago

    FX show Penn and Teller's Bullshit over here, it's usualy on some time after one o'clock and I reckon theyr'e probably old series. None the less, I always kind of enjoy it. The complimentary medicine one was pretty funny.

  • Freek #16 3 years ago

    If you have a troubled kid with acces to guns you can add almost anything to get a violent shooting. Fluffy puppies, coca cola, a blank sheet of paper....you name it.

  • BabyJesus #17 3 years ago

    Penn and Teller are too obnoxious for me.

    I don't tend to like shouty sweary americans.
    Edited by BabyJesus at 07/07/09 @ 13:26

  • Aeterna #18 3 years ago

    I quite enjoy their show.

    Some episodes more than others ofcourse. Looking forward to it. :)
    Currently just watched several seasons over some days.

  • Vany #19 3 years ago

    Isn't Jack Thompson supposed to be in this?

  • shamblemonkee #20 3 years ago

    you should never trust anyone who keeps most of their belly stored below their belt. fact.

  • smelly #21 3 years ago

    >I don't tend to like shouty sweary americans.

    So, dont watch the fat one.. watch the short one.

  • comissars_handgun #22 3 years ago

    Bullshit used to be a good show when they did things like debunking psychics, aliens, new age crap, and other nonsense. Then they ran out of funny stuff and just started pushing their retarded libertarian political views. The episode where they defended Walmart, the one where they denied global warming, the one where they attacked recycling... right wing trash.
    Edited by comissars_handgun at 07/07/09 @ 18:05

  • Spekingur #23 3 years ago

    Another way? Like through 'the improper way of downloading'?

    I think they are quite good tv-showmen, and even they aren't always correct or you don't really agree with them then at least they might have gotten you to think. Then again, the show is probably aimed more at a US audience than Rest of the World(tm).

  • D34dP1x3l #24 3 years ago

    commissar\'s_handgun: ...they did things like debunking psychics, aliens, new age crap, and other nonsense.

    Since when did these things need debunking??

  • Matthew_Hornet #25 3 years ago

    D34dP1x3l: Since when did these things need debunking??

    You'd be surprised at the dumb things so many Americans believe in.

  • DDevil #26 3 years ago

    Just seen this show through "other methods". It's well worth watching. The last shot just before the credits is actually pretty sad :-(

    That's sad as in emotionally sad, not "I play video games 10 hours a day" sad.

  • chrissiddall #27 3 years ago

    Just watched this too "via alternate methods". Typically American, but worth a watch for a laugh. Gotta LOL at the "triangle of fire" guy - "I loooooove guns!", and agreed, the last shot is pretty sad.