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GTA4 blamed for eight year old shooting grandmother

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  • Geezus
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    Geezus mod
    This type of shock and awe journalism will never stop. No sense in giving it the attention it so desperately wants.

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  • skyline5gtr
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    skyline5gtr polycounter lvl 9
    Its ok, movie are so much more graphic now and gta gets blamed lol. Lets not wonder WTF an 8 YEAR OLD BOY was doing playing GTA. Nope lets just blame the games and not the parents. Seriously does no one take any responsibility anymore. OR WHY THERE WAS A LOADED GUN IN A HOUSE LAYING AROUND AND NOT LOCKED. Guns should always be disarmed and shelved.

    Love the line where it says killing is encouraged in GTA, did they even play you kill someone and the cops come flying down on you
  • BoBo_the_seal
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    BoBo_the_seal polycounter lvl 18
    Two issues in this ... How did an Eight Year old get access to the gun and secondary, why is an eight year old allowed to play an M rated game?

    I'm not saying the game is an issue at all but I do find that I drive more aggressively after playing GTA and that I visualize everything as a potential slow motion jump obstacle ...

    - BoBo
  • illo
    my wife wont let me drive after I play GTA, so I agree it can have some real world impact. however I also agree with the MUCH larger problem of why an 8 year old had any sort of access to a firearm.
  • Isaiah Sherman
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    Isaiah Sherman polycounter lvl 14
    Because some parents sucks ass at parenting and they don't want to take the blame.
  • artstream
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    artstream polycounter lvl 11
    Because some parents sucks ass at parenting and they don't want to take the blame.

    QFT.
  • McGreed
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    McGreed polycounter lvl 15
    Seriously, anything from Fox 'News' should be considered as the bastard child of The Onion, at least the parents are frank with their views as parody, Fox keeps saying things that is funny but don't make people laugh.
  • Kwramm
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    Kwramm interpolator
    If people are expected to to take responsibility for their own guns, their own health insurance, their own retirement plan and what not then they should just as well start taking responsibility for their own parenting rather than trying to blame someone else.
  • [HP]
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    [HP] polycounter lvl 13
    /facepalm

    Amazing people still think like that. Sess is a great knowledgeable guy, and here's his opinions on the topic a while ago:
    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1U3-zio09s"]Violence in Video Games - SESSLER'S ...SOMETHING - YouTube[/ame]
  • PolyHertz
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    PolyHertz polycount lvl 666
    a hundred or so years from now I imagine it'll go something like this:

    NEWS:
    "Grade schooler nukes entire country off the face of the Earth, from Mars. Parents say they don't know how the launch button got thrown in with little Timmys toys. Further investigation found that little Timmy had a copy of the video game 'Extreme Gore Porn 3' which his parents bought him for his last birthday.
    Experts agree there's no one to blame in this case but the game makers and the button manufacturer."
  • Bigjohn
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    Bigjohn polycounter lvl 11
    I'm not sure what to think of this whole thing.

    We keep saying that video-games are more than "just games", that they can have an emotional impact. So then is there some chip installed somewhere that makes it so that the impact can only be positive? I think if we're going to say that video-games can have an effect on people, then that effect could go both ways.

    That said, I think it's all in how you take the game. I played tons of original GTA, and Mortal Kombat, and Doom, and Duke Nukem, and pretty much everything growing up, and it gave me zero desire to go and hurt anyone, in spite of those games being violent.

    For me personally, the reason is that I simply don't take those games seriously. They're entertainment. But when I play other games, like say Bioshock or Mass Effect or whatever, then I do take them seriously, and then I do let them have somewhat of an impact on me.

    Is it possible that someone out there will take GTA seriously? I really doubt it. But you never know. Crazy world we're living in.
  • Isaiah Sherman
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    Isaiah Sherman polycounter lvl 14
    Bigjohn wrote: »
    We keep saying that video-games are more than "just games", that they can have an emotional impact.

    Replace "video-games" with any other subject.

    Books are more than just books, they can have an emotional impact.

    Movies are more than just movies, they can have an emotional impact.

    Art is more than just art, it can have an emotional impact.

    Music is more than just music, it can have an emotional impact.

    The radio is more than just the radio, it can have an emotional impact.


    This is nothing more than someone trying to find a scapegoat and video games are currently the easiest.
  • iniside
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    iniside polycounter lvl 6
    Each time you can replace "Video game" with any other media form (book, movie, series etc), your "argument" is not valid.

    In anycase all those "news" are funny to me. I played brutal games since I was 6 (yeahh... those fatalities in Mortal Kombat), I watched brutal movies since that age too (Rambo anyone ? or other 80s action movies).
    When I watch those action movie now (or they new revisions) i simply find they funny. How ridiculous they are is beyond imagination. All this blood, infinite ammo, and one guy destroying entire army. It's just LOL.
    And no. I'm not going outside and killing people at random.

    The problem is simple. Television and movie industru feels treatet by video games. The do not controll it, guys who are in charge and stone age rooted and the do not understrand it. If they do not controll and understrand they have to destroy it as it impose treat to their current buisness and money.
    I say to hell with them. Let them burn to the ground.
  • Kot_Leopold
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    Kot_Leopold polycounter lvl 10
    Played a ton of violent video games since the age of 7 and watched some pretty messed up movies containing torture, gore, and extreme brutality (Hostel, Saw, Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and I'm not even talking about the days I was a frequenter of sites such as liveleak at the peak of the Iraq and Afghan wars (2007-2009). All being said, the worst thing I did in life was probably kill some insects just out of curiosity (haven't we all?)

    His parents are the ones to blame and well, some people are just mentally ill from the start - video games or not.
  • Zwebbie
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    Zwebbie polycounter lvl 18
    See, BoBo and illo, the problem with your driving after GTA is that you take those games seriously. If you'd just see it as camp it would have no effect on you whatsoever, despite being an active teaching medium.
  • almighty_gir
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    almighty_gir ngon master
    to me, games just like any other medium can influence the thoughts of people, particularly children. whether it's movies, books, or games, there are age limits on them for a reason, there are adult content books which young children probably shouldn't read, there are moviews children shouldn't see, and there are games they shouldn't play.

    it's my job as a parent to make sure my kids are only exposed to things that i think they are ready for. things that they can handle both emotionally and mentally.

    personally, i don't feel that either the games industry, movie industry, or book industry are responsible for events like this... why was he playing that game in the first place? who gave it to him? who decided it was okay for him to play it?

    that's where i'd point the finger.
  • Lamont
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    Lamont polycounter lvl 15
    Bigjohn wrote: »
    For me personally, the reason is that I simply don't take those games seriously.
    Most 8 year old kids don't take sh*t seriously ;P. That's why we don't let them run stuff... because they would mess stuff up. It's the nature of being 8 years old.

    Had I found my dads gun when I was 8, I would have shot something too.. and damn if I didn't try. I was curious to just see it again (I saw it when someone got crazy in our neighborhood). Clever bastard had it locked away somewhere... and I seriously looked for it.

    So, yes. Parents. Always harping on kids about "putting away your toys".. take your own medicine and put the guns away.
  • MainManiac
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    MainManiac polycounter lvl 11
    parents were in the wrong twice

    1. letting their kid play gta4 when its very clearly 17+, 12-14 is different to let it "slide" but 8?

    2. leaving a firearm accessible like that
  • McGreed
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    McGreed polycounter lvl 15
    We never hear about the 500.000 other cases where the kid does the same thing, but instead of finding the real gun, he used a toy gun...so really, where is the real reason a kid kills someone? I'm 100% sure that the kid didn't intent to kill anyone, he does what all children does when they play. We should arrest any parent who plays with their kids and allows them to 'shoot' them, such as cowboy and Indians, cops and robbers... "Bang, you got me!"...Surely they are the cancer of the society... Or maybe, MAYBE, the idiotic parents who let a kid get access to a real gun is blamed, screw their grief and watch for their feelings, they fucked up and should be told so.
  • reverendK
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    reverendK polycounter lvl 7
    I'm not opposed to personal fire-arms but i will NOT have a gun in my house until my youngest is at least in his teens. My kids get into things they aren't supposed to all the time. they seldom actually consider consequences. If you're going to own one it had better be really well locked up - they're cleverer than you think and WILL get it if they want to.
  • Torch
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    Torch interpolator
    I totally know what they mean when they say games have an impact, I was an avid Mariokart fan.

    When people try to overtake me on the main road I always end up throwing banana peels at them :(
  • littleclaude
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    littleclaude quad damage
    I have two points to make

    1 - An 18 rated game being played by an 8 year old?

    2 - Guns that are not locked away in a child proof locker!!!! the 8 year old picked up a loaded gun! LOADED GUN!!!! why do most American's insist in having them? shot gun! really!! what the hell would you need one for?

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    How many gun deaths are in the US every year?

    In 2011, the latest figure available from the Centers for Disease Control,

    Accidental discharge 851
    Suicide 19,766
    Homicide 11,101
    Undetermined Intent 222

    Total: At least 31940 people died from gun injuries in 2011. Each to there own I guess? Anyway I'm off to play some cricket and have a pint :)

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  • Geezus
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    Geezus mod
    I think we can safely stay away from the "herpderp 'murica!" commentary here. It's apples to oranges. The UK places second, to the US, in highest crime rate, with nearly half the crime of the US. The interesting, and key, factor is that the UK has a population of ~63m, while the US has a population of ~314m.

    Am I the only one who has no issue with a kid playing an M rated game, if their parents allow it? I have teenage nephews, who get a lot of video games from me throughout the year. If a title is M-Rated, I inform his parents of the rating and what they can expect their kid to be playing. Why do we laugh and make memes at all the 13 year olds playing CoD on XBL, but suddenly play the holier than thou M-Rated card when something like this happens?
  • Bibendum
    Guns that are not locked away in a child proof locker!!!! the 8 year old picked up a loaded gun! LOADED GUN!!!! why do most American's insist in having them? shot gun! really!! what the hell would you need one for?
    30%~ of U.S. adults own a gun. I'm not sure what "most" means in the U.K. but o'er hur in 'Murica 30% is a solid minority.
  • littleclaude
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    littleclaude quad damage
    Geezus wrote: »
    I think we can safely stay away from the "herpderp 'murica!" commentary here. It's apples to oranges. The UK places second, to the US, in highest crime rate, with nearly half the crime of the US. The interesting, and key, factor is that the UK has a population of ~63m, while the US has a population of ~314m.

    Am I the only one who has no issue with a kid playing an M rated game, if their parents allow it? I have teenage nephews, who get a lot of video games from me throughout the year. If a title is M-Rated, I inform his parents of the rating and what they can expect their kid to be playing. Why do we laugh and make memes at all the 13 year olds playing CoD on XBL, but suddenly play the holier than thou M-Rated card when something like this happens?


    Guns not allowed - UK Death rates involving a gun or firearm = 44 source (2013, url)
    Guns allowed - USA Deaths rates involving a gun or firearm = 31940

    "UK has a population of 63m"
    "US has a population of ~314m"

    Now I am not an expert statistician but I can see your figures for population vs death rate does not add up, could it be that nipping into a shop and buying a gun has anything to do with it…:shifty: Let me think.

    Ah yes maybe if an 8 year old boy could not freely pick up a loaded SHOTGUN! this statistic would not have happened.:poly142:
  • Bibendum
    I am not an expert statition
    Clearly.
  • Isaiah Sherman
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    Isaiah Sherman polycounter lvl 14
    Accidental discharge 851
    Suicide 19,766
    Homicide 11,101
    Undetermined Intent 222


    Jesus man... people are shooting themselves more than any other statistic.

    Does anyone else not find this insanely alarming?
  • Justin Meisse
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    Justin Meisse polycounter lvl 18
    Aww crap, I slept on the train and missed my stop, I hope I don't have to get off in Locksville.
  • Geezus
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    Geezus mod
    My stats were on crime and homicide, not specifically gun related. The UK still has crime. But, you obviously want to make this into a "boy those Americans sure are stupid." debate, so there's really no point. The fact that you think someone can just walk into a shop and walk out with a gun simply proves your ignorance.

    Who cares what weaponry anybody has in their home, so long as it's legal and the proper precautions are taken. This is a case of a guardian not taking the proper precautions with their weaponry, not a case of gun laws in America. The fact remains that the vast majority of legal gun owning Americans do not commit crimes with said gun, but arrogant individuals like yourself want to point the finger right where the media wants you to point it. For what? Some higher sense of being? Give me a break.

    I'll take the blame for a minor derail, so let's try and get it back on the track of game-related discussion here. I still have no issue with kids playing M-Rated games, with their parents consent. I've seen a few people mention the fact that the kid was playing a M-Rated game. Is this an issue with people?
  • Zocky
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    Zocky greentooth
    So, 8 years old kid gets a gun and shoots someone, yet the problem isn't that the KID got a hold on gun,but rather that he played violent game prior to it...

    Probably just me being weird, but i never got this mentality "no no, it's perfectly fine that kid had gun, problem is X"...Sorry, if kid has a gun, THAT's your problem, any farther talk is pointless and just wasting energy.

    Kids simply aren't old enough to really understand what exactly does it meana to take life, and that the gun can actually do it with such an ease. nor should they really understand; they should be out, play with other kids or something and not having to deal with something like that in the first place....

    That's how i see it atleast....
  • Lazerus Reborn
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    Lazerus Reborn polycounter lvl 8
    You have all missed a grave point here...

    Read the bottom of the news real. Are you taking the fooking piss? Why is some shitty little idiot family who let their son get a loaded gun and shoot someone on the prime spot when thats below it?

    original.png

    I think chemical warfare should hold more weight no?
  • Justin Meisse
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    Justin Meisse polycounter lvl 18
    It's Fox news, it's the video equivalent to the trashy tabloid you guys hate in the UK (is it the Sun? I can't remember).
  • wasker
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    wasker polycounter lvl 7
    ^ Yup, same owner as well.
  • littleclaude
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    littleclaude quad damage
    Geezus wrote: »
    My stats were on crime and homicide, not specifically gun related. The UK still has crime. But, you obviously want to make this into a "boy those Americans sure are stupid." debate, so there's really no point. The fact that you think someone can just walk into a shop and walk out with a gun simply proves your ignorance.

    Who cares what weaponry anybody has in their home, so long as it's legal and the proper precautions are taken. This is a case of a guardian not taking the proper precautions with their weaponry, not a case of gun laws in America. The fact remains that the vast majority of legal gun owning Americans do not commit crimes with said gun, but arrogant individuals like yourself want to point the finger right where the media wants you to point it. For what? Some higher sense of being? Give me a break.

    I'll take the blame for a minor derail, so let's try and get it back on the track of game-related discussion here. I still have no issue with kids playing M-Rated games, with their parents consent. I've seen a few people mention the fact that the kid was playing a M-Rated game. Is this an issue with people?

    "Who cares what weaponry anybody has in their home, so long as it's legal"

    Oh dear, your missing the point! ......I will make it easy for you to understand.

    If the law was that you could not own a gun, then what damage could an 8 year old boy have done to his 80 year old granny?

    Why do you need a shot gun or any gun for that matter in a home is beyond me?

    This not a dig at America like you say it is, I don’t like having guns around me in any country, I have family in Switzerland and all my cousins like to dig out there guns and ammunition and it just freaks me out as to why you need a gun in your house. I am always on the lookout for my kids worrying they might find one of the dam things.

    Like I said each to their own I guess.
  • maximumsproductions
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    maximumsproductions polycounter lvl 8
    "Who cares what weaponry anybody has in their home, so long as it's legal"

    Your missing the point! ......I will make it easy for you to understand.

    If the law was that you could not own a gun, then what damage could an 8 year old boy have done to his 80 year old granny?

    Why do you need a shot gun or any gun for that matter?

    There's many reasons to owning a weapon that range from a multitude of subjects..

    If the law was that you could not have children do you think over population would be solved too?

    Problem is the gun was loaded and was in reach.
  • littleclaude
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    littleclaude quad damage
    [QUOTE=Problem is the gun was loaded and was in reach.[/QUOTE]

    Errr....the problem was there was a gun in the first place!
  • Snader
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    Snader polycounter lvl 15
    Nah I think you're exaggerating there Claude. This whole thing wouldn't have happened if the gun-owner had properly stored his weapon and ammo; separated and out of reach.

    It's like leaving your kid alone in the car, on the passenger seat, with the motor still running.
    you-re-gonna-have-a-bad-time-o.gif
  • xvampire
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    xvampire polycounter lvl 14
    ^ sad that convinience mass killing tool , that mass produced , always compared to any other equipment that never meant to be used to kill or hurt people to begin with.

    anyhoo, not my problem, its a problem in a specific area in the world that happen to be loaded with gun all over the place
  • Isaiah Sherman
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    Isaiah Sherman polycounter lvl 14
    Here is an interesting point of dicussion: I bet the kid is going to be horrendously scarred for life.

    I couldn't imagine growing up with the guilt. Being young you don't understand the consequences, but as you grow you learn what you did and feel worse every day :(
  • Justin Meisse
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    Justin Meisse polycounter lvl 18
    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5ZSDCvUwN8"]Shut it Down! Shut it Down Forever! - YouTube[/ame]
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