Grand Theft Auto is fingered for a role in London riots

LateX'Dog

LateX'Dog

LateX'Dog

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SCENES OF VIOLENCE in London this week might have been inspired by the video game Grand Theft Auto, according to a report in a local rag, the Evening Standard.

Someone was going to make the leap between the scenes of urban disruption and the game that sees you bash people with baseball bats, steal cars and sleep with prostitutes, but we would have had our money on it being the Daily Mail.

However, the Evening Standard, a free newspaper given out to Londoners, was first to make the leap between a game that hasn't been updated in about two years and a general desire amongst some bored, unemployed youth for a bit of incendiary mayhem and looting.

"Go home, get a takeaway and watch anything that happens on TV. These are bad people who did this. Kids out of control," a source is quoted as saying in the paper. "When I was young it was all Pac-Man and board games. Now they're playing Grand Theft Auto and want to live it for themselves."

This is not the first time that video games, indeed games by GTA publisher Rockstar, have won negative attention for the impact that they might have on individuals. Other games marketed by the firm include Bully and Manhunt, both of which sound like family friendly titles.

Still, in none of those games is the player expected to take on the role of a rabid pill popper, like our friend Mr Pac Man. µ
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http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2100288/grand-theft-auto-fingered-role-riots

You really can not make this **** up.

Disgrace.
 
Such a coincidence that I litterally just closed a tab reading the wiki article about GTA and the 4000 published articles that claim GTA is to blame for multiple murders/gun crime etc...

Anyway load of tosh yadda yadda.
 
Bully and Manhunt "sound like family friendly titles" lawl

In other news, politicians gorge themselves on tax payers money and get off Scott free
 
The finger has to point somewhere... Just a shame they always choose games.

Guess that makes us all ravid killers then?

Although, I don't like GTA that much, prefer Oblivion over it. Does that mean I will eventually rob a bank armed with glass armor with a bow and arrow?

ags
 
It's nothing to do with the game, I was sleeping with prostitutes, and stealing cars way before I ever played GTA!
 
I was playing GTA 1 when I was 5, didn't do me any harm lol.

Seriously it's not the games thats the problem. If someone has committed a murder, they would have done it whether they had played GTA or not.

I can't believe they still try to blame video games for stuff like this.
 
"Go home, get a takeaway and watch anything that happens on TV. These are bad people who did this. Kids out of control," a source is quoted as saying in the paper. "When I was young it was all Pac-Man and board games. Now they're playing Grand Theft Auto and want to live it for themselves."
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Personally I wouldn't trust any quote coming from a pill popping ghost hunter.
 
This crap, yet again . . . .

So how about racing games? Does that make us all speed? There is a correlation between numbers of cars speeding, and number of car games . . . .

Correlation does not equal causation.
 
It would be interesting to have a study to see the effect these kinds of games have on people. While it's obvious that it doesn't make everyone go out rioting, and I wouldn't be surprised if on some people it is part of the reason/that it has an affect on people.

In the same way that people are inspired or emotionally affected by music, literature and film, I don't see how video games would be any different. People talk about how music affects youths and sends the wrong messages, so why not video games which are a far more interactive experience.
 
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