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-- Violent Games Make Violent Minds?
Violent Games Make Violent Minds?
One of Scotland's biggest hi-tech success stories is facing increasing pressure from campaigners against violent video games.
US lawyers are bringing actions against Edinburgh-based Rockstar North, the producers of Grand Theft Auto (GTA).
It follows claims by teenage boys in Tennessee that they were acting out the game when they shot at vehicles.
But games industry representatives say there is no established link between games and violent behaviour.
Last summer, a man was killed and a woman wounded after being shot in their cars near the Tennessee town of Newport.
William Buckner, 16, and his step-brother Joshua, 13, had taken two rifles from their home, hid in trees and started firing at passing vehicles on a busy highway.
The pair pleaded guilty at a juvenile court to reckless homicide.
They were sent to a detention centre, but in their defence they told investigators that they got the idea to shoot cars from GTA3.
Their parents also blamed the industry and are calling for the GTA series to be taken off the shelves.
Miami attorney Jack Thomson has tried to build a link between violent games and several killings carried out by teenagers.
Mr Thomson is representing the victims killed and wounded in the Tennessee shootings and is suing for �60m.
He told the BBC's Frontline Scotland programme: "We are suing the boys, their parents, WalMart who sold the game and the video games companies including Rockstar that are responsible for designing a game that they knew would result in these type of consequences."
No-one from Rockstar would comment on the action against them but the Washington-based Entertainment Software Association dismissed any possible link.
President Doug Lowenstein said: "The notion that they don't know right from wrong, that they don't know that picking up a weapon and shooting people is morally wrong and that somehow 'a video game made me do it' is just ridiculous."
He added: "I think it's a fair point of concern, but I don't think the science even remotely supports the proposition that playing a violent game turns you into a violent person."
The games are sold with an 18 certificate
The GTA series has been one of the world's most popular games, selling more than 30 million copies since its launch in 1997.
Speaking last year, Sam Houser, the president of Rockstar Games, said how people behaved in the game was their own choice.
Mr Houser said: "We try to put people in a world, let the world exist around them, and then let them make their own decisions.
"So if you want to go out there and use a gun and do bad things you can, but, at the same time, if you want to go round there, just cruise and get in a car, get on a motorbike or just meet people you can."
Another Miami lawyer, Barry Silver, represents several Haitian community groups upset over a mission in the GTA Vice City game where players have to hunt down a Haitian gang.
Mr Silver said: "When you find out what your kids are being exposed to you will shudder in horror.
"It's a training film for mass murderers and it has no place in anybody's home who cares anything about their kids."
Rockstar has agreed to remove the reference to Haitians, but Mr Silver wants existing copies withdrawn.
The case is waiting to be dealt with by the circuit court in Palm Beach County.
Any successful legal action could have a serious impact on the games industry in Scotland which employs about 500 people and has a multi-million pound turnover.
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Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/3680481.stm
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Opinions?
good thing i have my copies with the phrase haitians..
this is such bullshit though. Its never the kids fault when they shoot someone, its the video games fault. Havent they realized that if video games influence to commit killings half the world would probably be dead? parents need to face reality and get it in their heads that their sons killed/shot people because they grew them up not teaching them the difference between right or wrong, or to reason, or even decent morals. If parents want to blame someone for their kid's insanity, they should begin blaming themselves.
Funny how millions of people play these games, yet when two idiot kids who obviously had zero sense of right and wrong decide to act like dipshits, suddenly it's the video games fault. Never mind the fact that there are thousands of murderers in the world who would kill someone for looking at them funny. They must have been playing kingpin or something. Oh yeah. Couldn't just be that some people are just fucked in the head.
I mean, for christs sake! Do people actually expect hardworking parents to actually take responsibility to teach our children right from wrong?!? Thats unreasonable! How is a parent supposed to raise a competent child when violent video games and rap music are tainting their minds! 
I play alot...and i mean alot of violent video games and i turn out OK....I guess
i say: DOWN WITH ALL GAMES THAT CAN HURT OUR CHILDREN...
that includes the SMB games caus you freaking jump on your enemies.. how would it look if you all of a sudden start to jump your friends to death????
offcourse pacman.. why?? becaus it's the reason we got cannibals in this world
lemmings, sim city, the sims and those kind of games.. why?? becaus you play god in them.. you decide what happens.. if you want one of the little lemmings to die.. you don't give him a parachute when he falls off a cliff.. you don't give the sims food or you just don't care if there's a fire in a house...
icehockey and fotball.. for god sake.. you run around and hurt the opponent just to get the ball/puck...
just imagine outside the candy store.. a kid see's another kid that come's out with candy.. and then he runs at him and tackle's him just to get the candy....
i demand that there will only be game's where you are friend with everyone else and where you only walk straight throu the game without being able to get hurt or hurt anyone else.
i dont understand logic. no computer game has ever tought me how to shoot a gun properly. films....yes films have. why do things like GTA postal and other games get abuse when there are films out there that will actualy show you exactly how to use a gun. and come on who did not see commando (arnie rules) when they were like 8?!?!? surely that is worse.
edit* oh apart from quake....it tought me how to use the shaft that i have hanging on my wall
hhmmmm I picked up some military jargon from video games....thats about it..
This is just bullshit..
First they were accusing that RPGs caused ppl to act weird, now they're blaiming computer games.
When they realise that it is mostly the societys fault that kids grow up with twisted minds...
| quote: |
| Originally posted by dbl i say: DOWN WITH ALL GAMES THAT CAN HURT OUR CHILDREN... that includes the SMB games caus you freaking jump on your enemies.. how would it look if you all of a sudden start to jump your friends to death???? offcourse pacman.. why?? becaus it's the reason we got cannibals in this world lemmings, sim city, the sims and those kind of games.. why?? becaus you play god in them.. you decide what happens.. if you want one of the little lemmings to die.. you don't give him a parachute when he falls off a cliff.. you don't give the sims food or you just don't care if there's a fire in a house... icehockey and fotball.. for god sake.. you run around and hurt the opponent just to get the ball/puck... just imagine outside the candy store.. a kid see's another kid that come's out with candy.. and then he runs at him and tackle's him just to get the candy.... |
| quote: |
| Originally posted by dbl offcourse pacman.. why?? becaus it's the reason we got cannibals in this world |
of course a story like this would come from Tennessee, they've inbredded themselves into complete retardation apparantly. That story is just ridiculous. 
| quote: |
| Originally posted by Dj Dizzy of course a story like this would come from Tennessee, they've inbredded themselves into complete retardation apparantly. That story is just ridiculous. |
| quote: |
| Originally posted by Dj Dizzy of course a story like this would come from Tennessee, they've inbredded themselves into complete retardation apparantly. That story is just ridiculous. |
Am i the only one who thinks its was stupid in the first place to have two rifles in a home where there are kids running about??
Kids will mess about, and if there are not old enoth to know from right from wrong, then its the pearents stupid arse folt for keeping guns in the house.
man ive been playin games for awhile and i havnt shot a place to shit or kicked the fuck out of kids or anything violent/crazy ..... ok you know what i did blow up a big mac with some M60's but that was cause i was high .... that was the only resone for that one
games dont make ppl do violent shit, stupidity makes then do it
| quote: |
| Originally posted by nrjizer Funny how millions of people play these games, yet when two idiot kids who obviously had zero sense of right and wrong decide to act like dipshits, suddenly it's the video games fault. Never mind the fact that there are thousands of murderers in the world who would kill someone for looking at them funny. They must have been playing kingpin or something. Oh yeah. Couldn't just be that some people are just fucked in the head. |
Violent games don't make me violent, and if you say any different i'll blow your fucking head off.
Well, than I must be on my way to a successful career as a mass murderer being that I've played most every violent game since the inception of Doom.
This is typical of the way it is here in America though. Nothing is your fault and every fault, failing, and downfall you have in your life can be blamed on someone besides yourself. You're a fat couch potato who lost your job because you're glued to the TV and are in debt because you maxed out all your credit on the home shopping network?? Well it's not your fault, let's sue the cable company for bringing you the progamming that made you lazy and we'll sue the home shopping network for letting you buy all that crap and max out all your credit cards and while we're at it let's sue the people that made the TV because it allowed you to gain access to everything that ruined your life. For fu*ks sake people take some responsiblilty for your life!!!
I think it would be interesting to see what these kids home life was like before this because I bet that it wasn't some story book Leave it to Beaver thing either. They had easy enough access to the rifles and they had a game with an 18+ rating on it which I'm assuming the parents had to have seen them playing or known about. Unless of course their parents don't parent them which is probably the case. Ahh yes, suing someone for your problems: It's the American Way!!!
Everyone asks: Why do kids this?
Everyone says: It is TV, Music and Games
No-one asks: How did those kids get those guns and ammo
Doesn't anyone find this quite remarkable? And I am not only refering to the US Right-to-own-a-gun issue. It doesn't matter where it happens. It is rarely seen that someone investigates to how those kids got those guns.
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