ESPN and ABC are pulling this Sunday’s scheduled broadcast of an X Games first-person shooter video game competition following last weekend’s mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, according to esports journalist Rod Breslau. The decision about the Apex Legends EXP Invitational was reportedly made “out of respect for the victims and all those impacted by the shootings.” The tournament took place in Minneapolis on Aug. 2 and 3, but was not set to air until Aug. 11. Following the twin shootings that left 31 people dead, President Trump cited video games as a contributing factor to gun violence. The Entertainment Software Association took issue with Trump’s claims, with a spokesperson saying: “More than 165 million Americans enjoy video games, and billions of people play video games worldwide. Yet other societies, where video games are played as avidly, do not contend with the tragic levels of violence that occur in the U.S.” Apex Legends is a first-person shooter and battle royale game.
