Video games on trial

[CptStern]

Lawsuit: 'Grand Theft Auto' Led Teen to Kill


TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A lawsuit claims the video game "Grand Theft Auto " led a teenager to shoot two police officers and a dispatcher to death in 2003, mirroring violent acts depicted in the popular game.

The suit announced Tuesday seeks damages from the game's manufacturers and two stores that allegedly sold it to Devin Thompson (search), now 18.



the suit is going after Gamestop and Wal-mart because they sold the game to a minor:

"What has happened in Alabama is that four companies participated in the training of Devin ... to kill three men," attorney Jack Thompson told The Tuscaloosa News, which reported the suit's filing.


needless witch-hunt or does he have a point? personally I think it's being blown way out of proportion ..nowhere is it discussed that he had fireamrs even though he was underage

 

[firemachine69]

If this wins, then I'm going on a shooting rampage with a flamethrower and blaming it on mario's fireballs.

 

[burner69]

Blown out of proportion.

There's a simple logic to why videogames can never be responsible for acts of violence or whatever.

OK, videogames are NOT real. We are all aware of this, we understand the concept that what exists on our monitors is not what exists in the real world. If you are not aware of the difference between reality and games, you have severe mental illness. I think you could probably be classed as a schitsophrenic.
Ergo; if someone commits vioence because of a game, ignoring all other factors including weapon availablity, the situation that it happened in, family and friend problems etc etc, ignoring ALL of that, and that's a big all, the person must have a mental disorder to be unable to distinguish between reality and games.

I rest my case

 

[Harryz]

"Life is a video game. You've got to die sometime."

Some people should be shot, just for being born.

 

[xcellerate]

wait...so, they don't have any evidence showing that his killing them and the game have a relation? Like a confession? This is stupid, btw this guy is a bad representative of this great state

 

[The Dark Elf]

Lawsuit: 'Grand Theft Auto' Led Teen to Kill


TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A lawsuit claims the video game "Grand Theft Auto " led a teenager to shoot two police officers and a dispatcher to death in 2003, mirroring violent acts depicted in the popular game.

The suit announced Tuesday seeks damages from the game's manufacturers and two stores that allegedly sold it to Devin Thompson (search), now 18.



the suit is going after Gamestop and Wal-mart because they sold the game to a minor:

"What has happened in Alabama is that four companies participated in the training of Devin ... to kill three men," attorney Jack Thompson told The Tuscaloosa News, which reported the suit's filing.


needless witch-hunt or does he have a point? personally I think it's being blown way out of proportion ..nowhere is it discussed that he had fireamrs even though he was underage

Thats just dumb, blaming video games because of the actions of some kid, before that movies, before that books, before that it was blamed on people hearing the voice of God, before that it was probably random drawings on cave walls that were blamed.

 

[burner69]

Thats just dumb, blaming video games because of the actions of some kid, before that movies, before that books, before that it was blamed on people hearing the voice of God, before that it was probably random drawings on cave walls that were blamed.

The defendant saw a doodle depicting a man throwing a spear into an antelope, and subsequently clubbed chief Dongle on the head.

The whole thing is daft. I'm not saying noones ever been influenced by games/books etc, its just there's so many other factors to consider that have such a greater impact.

 

[Asknoone]

There is no way you can land the blame on a videogame, nor anything else for that matter. You are responsible for your own actions, and clearly, some people arn't responsible enough to play videogames, to be trusted with bieng able to not take what is portrayed in the game to heart.

I remember that teenager who murdered someone, and was found to be in possesion of manhunt. Funnily enough he was both in a street gang and was on drugs, but even more amusing was the fact that the most attention was shifted onto the videogame.

 

[The Dark Elf]

There is no way you can land the blame on a videogame, nor anything else for that matter. You are responsible for your own actions, and clearly, some people arn't responsible enough to play videogames, to be trusted with bieng able to not take what is portrayed in the game to heart.

I remember that teenager who murdered someone, and was found to be in possesion of manhunt. Funnily enough he was both in a street gang and was on drugs, but even more amusing was the fact that the most attention was shifted onto the videogame.

heh yeah, "cause drugs and gangs aren't their fault, their just unloved" and other crap like that, so the parents, realising its their own fault, decide to blame the game and someone else so they don't look bad.

 

[burner69]

heh yeah, "cause drugs and gangs aren't their fault, their just unloved" and other crap like that, so the parents, realising its their own fault, decide to blame the game and someone else so they don't look bad.

Well I could say this: The media could just as easily badly portrayed the two aforementioned pasttimes of his.

Par example: I've been told by a policeman to stop 'hanging around in gangs' before, when the reality of the situation was that I was sitting on a public bench with a handful of my friends, talking. We weren't being abusive, loud; it was just the fact that we were young people, outside, in a group.

Second, my favourite, drugs. Drugs VERY rarely lead people directly into violence. The only exceptions being; heroin addicts mugging people for money, or battles between dealers over 'turf' and owed money. The whole turf thing I've never seen or heard about happening directly, and the oweing of money happens only because so many drugs are so goddam expensive **cough cough heroin, cough cough coke** I've got a mate who got caught up in coke, and ended up oweing two guys £20'000 between them. They came after him and put him in hospital for not paying it. But... £20'000 is a sh*t load of money. If I owed that to anyone, drugs involved or not, and wasn't paying it off, I wouldn't be suprised if they got p*ssed off at me.
Sounds to me like this lad didn't have a good upbringing, hence the need to hang around in a family aka gang, who can be a bad influence, and used drugs as 'something to do' aka escapeism, which, by the way, is a very stupid thing to do.

Of course I could be wrong.

He could have got reeeeal stoned, and rather than chilling out to some tunes, and munching on haribo, his gang mates could have dared him to shoot some coppers.

 

[Icarusintel]

I've played violent videogames for half of my life, since i was 10 or so and i have yet to kill anyone, I wonder why that is if videogames are so bad
how can lawyers even say this shit with a straight face? i'd be laughing my ass off if i was on the jury, not at the shootings, but at their absurd logic

 

[The Dark Elf]

Well I could say this: The media could just as easily badly portrayed the two aforementioned pasttimes of his.

Par example: I've been told by a policeman to stop 'hanging around in gangs' before, when the reality of the situation was that I was sitting on a public bench with a handful of my friends, talking. We weren't being abusive, loud; it was just the fact that we were young people, outside, in a group.

Second, my favourite, drugs. Drugs VERY rarely lead people directly into violence. The only exceptions being; heroin addicts mugging people for money, or battles between dealers over 'turf' and owed money. The whole turf thing I've never seen or heard about happening directly, and the oweing of money happens only because so many drugs are so goddam expensive **cough cough heroin, cough cough coke** I've got a mate who got caught up in coke, and ended up oweing two guys £20'000 between them. They came after him and put him in hospital for not paying it. But... £20'000 is a sh*t load of money. If I owed that to anyone, drugs involved or not, and wasn't paying it off, I wouldn't be suprised if they got p*ssed off at me.
Sounds to me like this lad didn't have a good upbringing, hence the need to hang around in a family aka gang, who can be a bad influence, and used drugs as 'something to do' aka escapeism, which, by the way, is a very stupid thing to do.

Of course I could be wrong.

He could have got reeeeal stoned, and rather than chilling out to some tunes, and munching on haribo, his gang mates could have dared him to shoot some coppers.

It's not the in thing for the media to blame drugs or booze at the moment, the media build things up (to sell more) then pull them down when their at the top (to sell more)

can't win, except maybe growing teenagers in individual boxes in a large warehouse until their 18, then put them in the military until their 22 hehe

 

[A True Canadian]

Um, so who exactly filed this lawsuit? Wouldn't it make more sense to attack the companies that trained Devin to be a killer?

 

[The Dark Elf]

Um, so who exactly filed this lawsuit? Wouldn't it make more sense to attack the companies that trained Devin to be a killer?

They should blame the schools, they've been getting it easy lately lol.

 

[Bullseye]

i can only say one thing.. ****ED UP PARENTS and ****ED UP FRIENDS
or mentaly weak. a normal person doesn't take things like that from a video game

 

[short recoil]

People always scape goat everything, oh criminals in cities are using ILLEAGAL guns, lets ban legal guns.

Stupid human nature to have to blame something, you break your computer you have to blame something else...even if its entirely your fault.

A game does not drive you to kill in any form, a person must take inspiration from a game to go out and kill, their choice..........when i was 13 i was watching films like aliens, terminator, various psycho type films e.t.c and i have turned out fine, i have never attacked anyone, or done anything anti-social, if anything games lower it because its something to do instead of setting fire to the local tramp out of boredom.

People who go on killing sprees do so because of how their brain has formed through many things in life, you CAN NOT scape goat one thing.

 

[Razor]

If they can blame video games through shootings, why aren't pubs and brewery's getting blamed for drunk drivers killing people, drunks stabbing each other, etc. There is more evidence that alcohol causes violence then there will ever be for computer games to cause violence.

 

[burner69]

If they can blame video games through shootings, why aren't pubs and brewery's getting blamed for drunk drivers killing people, drunks stabbing each other, etc. There is more evidence that alcohol causes violence then there will ever be for computer games to cause violence.

Tasty tax.
It's a biatch.

 

[Razor]

Tasty tax.
It's a biatch.

As long as they don't start taxing computer games...imagine Halflife2 costing £35 - £45 each :hmph:.

 

[burner69]

As long as they don't start taxing computer games...imagine Halflife2 costing £35 - £45 each :hmph:.

"Violence tax" Friggin stoopid that'd be.

They tried to get some tax off drugs here in the UK, I was reading somewhere. What happened was that drug dealers would go to the council, buy a tax stamp, then if they were busted and had this tax stamp they'd get a less harsh punishment.

Thing is they wanted you to pay a friggin rediculous amount. Like over 100% tax. Now I don't know if anyone knows anything about drug dealing, but you don't make enough profit to be paying the price of your gear in tax. So idiotic.

 

[The Dark Elf]

As long as they don't start taxing computer games...imagine Halflife2 costing £35 - £45 each :hmph:.

Aren't most games around that price these days anyway? (not got a new game in ages)

 

[CptStern]

I think this could be a landmark case because it may force retailers to clamp down on selling M games to minors which could have good consequences on the gaming industry as a whole ..or devastating consequences. Publishers may force developers to cut content to get that "T" rating in the same way hollywood does ...or developers may take M games to the next level satisfied that they're not going to get persecuted by some christian radical group bent on shutting them down for selling violence to kids

 

[blahblahblah]

Please, video games have done me no harm. I've been playing back since Quake when I was barely a teenager.

*blahblahblah goes and kills a squirrel

 

[The Dark Elf]

I think this could be a landmark case because it may force retailers to clamp down on selling M games to minors which could have good consequences on the gaming industry as a whole ..or devastating consequences. Publishers may force developers to cut content to get that "T" rating in the same way hollywood does ...or developers may take M games to the next level satisfied that they're not going to get persecuted by some christian radical group bent on shutting them down for selling violence to kids

Then the parents and media will go after illegal downloads, but as always not looking at the details they'll simply try clamp down on downloading any file or something lame like that, even the legit stuff like patches. Oh and just to make matters worse, a 500mb bandwidth limit imposed on ISP's per month (they will given chance ;( )

 

[mortiz]

Well I don't know, when I played DooM 3 I went out and killed a thousand aliens, so it does have some affect!

 

[CptStern]

Then the parents and media will go after illegal downloads, but as always not looking at the details they'll simply try clamp down on downloading any file or something lame like that, even the legit stuff like patches. Oh and just to make matters worse, a 500mb bandwidth limit imposed on ISP's per month (they will given chance ;( )

hehe all because some geeky teen at walmart sold some underage kid a video game

although I really dont like the rating system I wish they'd enforced them a bit more ..maybe that'll get all the parent groups off our backs

 

[The Dark Elf]

hehe all because some geeky teen at walmart sold some underage kid a video game

although I really dont like the rating system I wish they'd enforced them a bit more ..maybe that'll get all the parent groups off our backs

It's difficult to enforce it without proof of age, and thats too easy to fake when staff aren't paid enough to care about checking things properly.

ID cards would work though, have to show your ID card to buy something, that would pretty much stop any child from buying something they shouldn't be. hmm, finally a good use for ID cards

 

[CptStern]

yes but parents or older sibling/friends could still buy them for an underager ...I think the parent groups wont rest till there's outright censorship ..and that in my opinion will kill the gaming industry

we need to organise and ban the parent groups cuz they're inspiring violence in people: I'd like to stick my booted heel up their sanctimonious arses myself! SEE!! parent/religious groups inpire violence!!! down with parent groups!!!

 

[Asknoone]

heh yeah, "cause drugs and gangs aren't their fault, their just unloved" and other crap like that, so the parents, realising its their own fault, decide to blame the game and someone else so they don't look bad.

I seem to remember, he was under 18 as well. Funny, Manhunt clearly has an 18 rating on the box.

I don't think they bothered to ask why thier child was in posession of such, when he was under aged. Nope, dam that videogame, plaguing my usually top notch jimmy.

However, you can pass for anything these days, and like others have said some workers just don't care generally.

 

[Razor]

Aren't most games around that price these days anyway? (not got a new game in ages)

I don't know, i haven't paid over £30 for a game for years since i started buying offline, wait, i did spend £35 from the Game retail store on the high street...

But no, games are around £25 when they come out online, not sure if the retail outlets would be more expensive though.

 

[Brassm0nkey]

I see many people defending the game because the individual should be capable of distinguishing between fantasy and reality, but I don't think the issue here is wether the individual takes the fantasy world as reality but rather that the fantasy world may have an influence on how the individual sees reality. Is it really so hard for you to believe that seeing chaotic ultra violent images over and over day in and day out might at times warp a human beings perceptions, even in a healthy mind? In the end, does it really matter if these images are real, or if they are created by computer code and game assets? Is it really psychologically safe to mass produce this kind of product for the consumption of children?


In any case, can't no one stop me from playing mah San Andreas.

 

[The Mullinator]

Isn't it a terrific day and age! Kids these days can go out, kill someone in cold blood and the blame will be put on whatever video game they played last, or the store they bought it from. They can avoid blame all together and get a very minor sentence indeed just because moronic parents, politicians and lawyers don't seem capable of conceiving that it may be possible that kids are just as capable of killing as adults with the same sort of influences. The difference is when an adult kills someone he wasn't influenced by anyone, it was all him. When a kid kills someone he had to have been influenced and forced to do it by some other factor, it can't have been his fault.

Wonderful isn't it. :upstare:

 

[Laivasse]

The ugliness of all human nature is there for everyone to see if they'd only muster up the guts.

 

[Kommie]

Yay bad parenting and blatant ignorance of the truth FTW!

 

[furiousV]

im just wondering, them blames on video games lately for violence, were they on a PC or console?
not that im implying it makes any difference.

 

[Foxtrot]

I think the game might have led him to do it, but he was obviously not mentally stable. Also, how ignorant are these people? They seem to be blaming everyone but the developer of the game, and the reason is obviously money.

 

[The Dark Elf]

I don't know, i haven't paid over £30 for a game for years since i started buying offline, wait, i did spend £35 from the Game retail store on the high street...

But no, games are around £25 when they come out online, not sure if the retail outlets would be more expensive though.

I couldn't be sure, I remember paying £35 for games in the past, and I remember Amiga games were expensive, and all you'd get is a big box, a single floppy disk and a thin manual.
-
ontopic: should just ban kids playing anything but disney happytime games.

 

[Asknoone]

I used to pay about £40 for console games, and about £30/25 for PC games. But now i just go to Tesco and get both for £30, not bad really

ontopic: should just ban kids playing anything but disney happytime games.

Let them keep thier Gamecube's too

 

[bryanf445]

If this wins, then I'm going on a shooting rampage with a flamethrower and blaming it on mario's fireballs.

very nicely put

 

[Bad^Hat]

The defendant saw a doodle depicting a man throwing a spear into an antelope, and subsequently clubbed chief Dongle on the head.

Oh god did I LOL

I've played violent videogames for half of my life, since i was 10 or so and i have yet to kill anyone

Yeah, let us know how that goes for ya

Anyway, here's my point - If my 13 year old, hyperactive, violent, loud as all shit, ADHD, son-of-satan little bastard of a cousin can play violent video games on a regular basis without killing, or so much as harming anyone, or showing any kind of animosity (outside his normal level of bastardness) towards anyone, then we really have to start questioning what's going on in these people's heads when something so trivial as a VIDEO GAME can push them over the edge, and make them KILL ANOTHER HUMAN BEING.