Laughing-Man Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 (edited) Article: Link. Grand Theft Auto in the dock over US road killing By gamesindustry.biz Posted: 11/09/2003 at 07:33 GMT Videogames are on trial yet again in the US, as the family of a man killed by teenagers who shot at passing cars on a freeway file a lawsuit against Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two.The two teenagers - William and Joshua Buckner, 16 and 14 years old, respectively - opened fire on vehicles on the Interstate 40 highway in Tennessee with a .22 calibre rifle, killing one person and injuring another severely. They told the police who arrested them that they were bored, and decided to mimick their favourite videogame, Grand Theft Auto. The family of the victim, 45-year-old nurse Aaron Hamel, have now filed suit against Take-Two Interactive, claiming that the company should take responsibility for his death. "The industry needs to cough up money so victims and their families can be compensated for their pain," the family's attorney, Jack Thompson, told ABC News. "The shareholders need to know what their games are doing to kids and their families. They need to stop pushing adult rated products to kids. These products are deadly." This isn't the first time that videogames have been in the dock over youth violence in the US. Following the tragic school shootings in Littleton several years ago, the parents of several of the victims attempted to sue a host of games companies - including id Software, creators of Doom, and Nintendo - creators of such blood filled orgies of violence as Mario and Pokemon. In fact, it's not even the first time that Grand Theft Auto has been connected with a crime - the game, whose first incarnation was launched into the UK with a finely tuned campaign of media outrage orchestrated by relentless publicist Max Clifford, was named as a key influence on a group of teenagers who plotted carjackings and murder in California, and also on another group who are facing charges for dozens of robberies and five killings. Of course, in the rush to blame GTA for the killing and sue a cash-rich media company, certain aspects of this case seem to have been forgotten. For a start, Grand Theft Auto games are rated M (similar to our 18 rating here) in the United States, and while the country has no legislation to prevent M-rated games from being sold to children (in fact, legislation attempting to do just this was recently overturned in Washington state), the assumption is that parents will control access to content unsuitable for their children. In this case, this clearly not did not happen. Perhaps even more worryingly, the parents of these teenagers not only failed to control their children's access to violent, adult media, they also failed to control their access to firearms - enabling them to take a fully loaded rifle on the night of June 25, and end an innocent man's life for no other reason than that they were "bored". Naturally, though, nobody seems prepared to question the access to a rifle in this case - this being something of a touchy subject in American politics - but instead the blame is being laid at the door of the games industry. Compare and contrast with the situation here in the UK, where despite massive sales of Grand Theft Auto and Vice City (over a million copies each in a country of only 60 million people), we've yet to see a single case like this emerge. With games on trial for causing juvenile violence in the US, and the family of Mr Hamel calling for Grand Theft Auto to be removed from sale, that's something to consider very seriously. Or perhaps the answer to the perennial problem of delinquent teenagers dropping bricks from motorway and railway bridges is to sue the creators of Tetris. Yes it is that great topic that we all come to know and love. This time the kids actually said they were mimicing the game. I pose these questions to to you guys: How many of you think that video games are falsely being put to blame when it should be the parents' responsibility to watch what their children play? Personally I think in this case it is obvious that the victims are out for one thing, money, which should come from the killers' families, not the game publisher. Why should the publisher have to pay for what two kids did? The murders' parents should fork out the money, because they are the ones who are supposed to be supervising their kids. It is not the publisher's fault if childrens' parents are not watching what they are doing. Edited September 12, 2003 by jmole Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmuZombie Veteran Posted September 12, 2003 Veteran Share Posted September 12, 2003 This isn't the first time that videogames have been in the dock over youth violence in the US. Following the tragic school shootings in Littleton several years ago, the parents of several of the victims attempted to sue a host of games companies - including id Software, creators of Doom, and Nintendo - creators of such blood filled orgies of violence as Mario and Pokemon. umm..... Mario and Pokemon are blood filled orgies? Did I buy a diferent version of all those Mario games I have? :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughing-Man Posted September 12, 2003 Author Share Posted September 12, 2003 This isn't the first time that videogames have been in the dock over youth violence in the US. Following the tragic school shootings in Littleton several years ago, the parents of several of the victims attempted to sue a host of games companies - including id Software, creators of Doom, and Nintendo - creators of such blood filled orgies of violence as Mario and Pokemon. umm..... Mario and Pokemon are blood filled orgies? Did I buy a diferent version of all those Mario games I have? :rolleyes: Well the author is pretty funny. I like his last line: Or perhaps the answer to the perennial problem of delinquent teenagers dropping bricks from motorway and railway bridges is to sue the creators of Tetris. It is sort of rediculous that parents put the entire blame on video games when it is mostly their own faults. If they want to sue someone they should sue themselves for doing a crappy parenting job. The author is right, why don't they question how they let their children take a gun out of the house in the first place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BroChaos Veteran Posted September 12, 2003 Veteran Share Posted September 12, 2003 oh gawd, not this again. it will never, ever be a video game's fault. never. ever. period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughing-Man Posted September 12, 2003 Author Share Posted September 12, 2003 oh gawd, not this again. it will never, ever be a video game's fault. never. ever. period. I am glad you agree it is not the games' fault. That is all I want to hear, thread closed! :happy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fotix Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 Video games are shooting too many people. They should be subject to lifetime incarceration or capital punishment. The video games must not be allowed to get away with their premeditated crimes. "These products are deadly." You tell'em! Video games = nuclear waste Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daem0hn Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 it isnt the video games fault, it is the fcuked up kids that believe these video games, im sure somewhere teh violently fun games like GTA will have a disclamer "don not attempt this in real life, none of what you see should be attempted, the manufacturer will not be held responsible....." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR_Candyman Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 Man, seriously, those games are meant to get out your stresses while improving your thinking skills (havn't you ever had to think of a better or faster way to do something in the game?) and your reflexes. Kids aren't even allowed to buy those games anymore, people get ID'ed (or are supposed to anyways). So it's either the parent's fault for subjecting them to those games and not looking after them and teaching them that it's wrong, or the store they bought it from's fault for not IDing them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spyder Veteran Posted September 12, 2003 Veteran Share Posted September 12, 2003 Of course, in the rush to blame GTA for the killing and sue a cash-rich media company, certain aspects of this case seem to have been forgotten. For a start, Grand Theft Auto games are rated M (similar to our 18 rating here) in the United States, and while the country has no legislation to prevent M-rated games from being sold to children (in fact, legislation attempting to do just this was recently overturned in Washington state), the assumption is that parents will control access to content unsuitable for their children.In this case, this clearly not did not happen. Perhaps even more worryingly, the parents of these teenagers not only failed to control their children's access to violent, adult media, they also failed to control their access to firearms - enabling them to take a fully loaded rifle on the night of June 25, and end an innocent man's life for no other reason than that they were "bored". Naturally, though, nobody seems prepared to question the access to a rifle in this case - this being something of a touchy subject in American politics - but instead the blame is being laid at the door of the games industry. Compare and contrast with the situation here in the UK, where despite massive sales of Grand Theft Auto and Vice City (over a million copies each in a country of only 60 million people), we've yet to see a single case like this emerge. With games on trial for causing juvenile violence in the US, and the family of Mr Hamel calling for Grand Theft Auto to be removed from sale, that's something to consider very seriously. parents fault, not video games fault. ok sure, maybe they dont think letting their kids play any type of game is harmful, i can see that. but somehow these kids got a hold of a gun! yes, thats the video games fault! goddamit.. people need a reality check Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt74441 Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 Its never the video game's fault. The kids obviously don't know the difference between right and wrong. Did the video game company give them the gun? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Bourricot Posted September 12, 2003 Share Posted September 12, 2003 i think definitely the thing here is the gun. Maybe if they had been hitting the cars with a baseball bat, but a gun! only in america. Well I'd think its society more than parents (the society as it stands made the parents as they stand). But idiots are necessary to have a balanced world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeartsOfWar Posted September 16, 2003 Share Posted September 16, 2003 I think it's completely outrageous that this lawsuit would even make it to the light of the news. I mean how many people die every day at the hands of other items such as knives, guns, explosives, etc. Yes guns are dangerous when handled improperly, but so is a F*CKING spoon if I try hard enough! The point is that if a spoon is absolutely harmless before I touch it, then the PERSON is the problem... not the spoon. Such as, games are for entertainment. Only when PEOPLE take them for reality do they become dangerous. Come on... what we have here is poor victims who are willing to throw away their sanity of reasoning for any amount of compensation. Not to mention, the parents of the teenagers should be ashamed of themselves... You can't control your teenager 24/7 but you sure as SH*t can decide whether he will have the balls to stand-up in court and say, "A video game made me do it!"... or some sh*t like that. If that was my kid, i'd shoot his balls off & then have him tried as an adult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xab Posted September 19, 2003 Share Posted September 19, 2003 It reminds me of the "Blame Canada" song in the South Park movie, where all the parents, anxious to place blame SOMEWHERE all sing "We must blame them, because of us, before somebody thinks of blaming US" Sick people do sick things, whether or not they play video games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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