As for games requiring low response times, I should ask, what other area uses fast response times? Movies? There's no ghosting that appears at response times of 12ms for movies. Even 16ms is fine. So only gaming.
Now I'm not sure how LCD technology works, but I'm been told by professional digital artists that one should go in for an LCD with too fast a response time due to the problems that I've mentioned. I'm not sure how exactly it works, but that is the outcome.
Now CRTs are a totally different trip. Higher refresh rates is not the same as low(fast) response times. So higher the refresh rate, better the visual experience.
As for proof, I have none. But if you take a look at Dell's lineup, you will find that the monitor with a lower contrast ratio and higher(slower) response time (8ms) is priced higher than the one with 2000:1 contrast and 2ms response. Most other manufacters also sport this trait. Apple displays, very much liked by professionals, have response times of 16ms. And those have absolutely no problems playing movies (it is, after all a Cinema display). Of course, one should avoid 24ms response times, though I think those are extinct.