Whether pitching video games as accessory-to-the-crime or joining racism’s heed, one thing is certain: technology and real-life are inseparable. Sometimes, one world crosses over into the other. Sometimes, things just linger in the fantasy realm. But the juncture truly is shaping the planet that we know today. These topics seem to be at the helm of the never-ending debate over video game violence, especially in Norway, where a heart-breaking incident took place. Days following the shocking, murderous rampage in the Scandinavian country, a retail chain started pulling its violent video games from shelves. With 77 claimed lives at the capital city, Coop Norway revisited their game selection and opted to act in a way they think is appropriate given the current climate.

Coop Norway Retail Director Geir Inge Stokke announced a temporary ban of over 50 games that involved savagery and fatal weapons. He said “the decision to remove the games was made around the time we realized the scope of the attack. At the moment it’s [appropriate] for us to take them down. I wouldn’t be surprised if others do the same. We have to think very carefully about when to bring these goods back. The economy involved is of no importance.”

In the aftermath of the Oslo shooting, Video games that would be towed out of the shelves include the role-playing game World of Warcraft, Counter-Strike, Sniper: Ghost Warrior, Call of Duty and Homefront.

Breivik, perhaps the nation’s most hated person at the moment, confessed to mass slaughter, admitted learning tactics from playing the game Call of Duty, and mentioned “Dogville” as his favorite movie.

Despite the dismal outcome of the Oslo shootings, technology is something that should not be put under fire alone. It could be a contributor, but true and bigger answers lie somewhere deep in society—something that needs to be uncovered. The U.S. Supreme Court recognizes that video games, like any other forms of free expression, should not be halted. Also, video game sales impact on the economy could be another force to deal with.

It’s a topic that has yet to reach a conclusion, and every decade it seems another incident similar to the Oslo shootings bring the conversations back to violent video games and media’s long term effects on impressionable minds.  But when we see retailers stand up for what they think is right, not thinking of how it will affect their own bottom line, we can’t help but ponder the situation and reflect on the many other ways gaming and media industries affect us all.