If inanimate objects aren't to blame for mass shootings, why is the government meeting with the video game industry?

I would suggest you read LtCol Dave Grossman's book, "On Killing'. Grossman does a good job of laying out the process of 'desensitization' involved in grooming someone to accept the act of killing another human being. Only about 2% of the population will actually kill another human being if provoked. The rest may resort to violence, but the active choice to kill another person is never even entertained by most people, unless they are conditioned to this act. Violent video games are just another means to condition young people to accept the act of killing. Boot Camp is also a very polished desensitization process and was invented precisely for this reason. To prepare young men and women to accept the act of killing another human being.

Even if you shoot every day, you typically shoot at targets, cans, maybe deer or two. I personally used to like rolling watermelons down a hill and trying to hit them as they rolled away. But you don't strap a person to a board and practice shooting at them. The act of shooting is therefore disconnected from the act of killing.

Video games make the actual connection between shooting a gun and killing a person. This mental and virtual connector acts to desensitize you over a period of time. There are a number of studies on this issue, and it can link acts of violence and aggression to violent video games.

Every person is unique and while some may play the games for years and never be affected, others will succumb to the conditioning and be prone to accept the act of killing as a valid response to stressful situations.

Should the government be involved? Well that's another discussion entirely.

Because elected officials are flailing around trying to give the appearance of "doing something" until they can come up with a viable solution, or the more likely event; we the American public get our attention drawn away by some other "shiny object."

First off, don't look to the government to make sense all the time. I don't blame guns or video games or movies. I blame people. But, are there factors that need to be addressed other than the criminals? Of course. Guns are already controlled right? Felons can't own them. Background checks are done. Fully automatic weapons are illegal. Etc. So is that far of a leap to look at other areas that may influence crime (influence, not commit)?