London Constable blames GTA for Riots..

Iceboy

Apparently an unnamed London constable had the following to say about the rioting currently happening:

"Go home, get a takeaway and watch anything that happens on TV," one constable advised. "These are bad people who did this. Kids out of control. When I was young it was all Pacman and board games. Now they're playing Grand Theft Auto and want to live it for themselves."

This, to me, is completely offensive. Are modern video games ever truly to blame for violence? Did random violence occur just recently, with games like GTA or Call of Duty rising in popularity? Every time I hear someone trying to link violent video games to real-life violence I want to scream. What ever happened to social responsibility? If a kid plays a lot of Counter Strike, and then grabs a gun and shoots someone, is the problem the video game or the parents that apparently didn't care enough about their child to show him love? How many violent movies do movie-goers watch year in and year out? Has there ever been a violent movie blamed for real-life violent attacks? Why does the movie industry get a pass while the video game industry is the sacrificial lamb to be held responsible for every misdeed a deranged person does?

Ok rant over, how do you guys feel about this?

Zillah

He didn't say it caused it. At most I think he's describing playing GTA as a symptom rather than a cause.

Magill

Oh aye, the problem is obviously GTA's fault... nothing to do with horrible parenting or their absolute pathetic legal system and inability to punish young offenders with more than just a slap on the wrist for crimes that sometimes ruin peoples lives. Of course these idiots are gonna think looting a shop is a great idea.. especially when in the worst case scenario they'll get a telling off and an ASBO *AKA* the big lad stamp, best case they get a free 50inch tv !

johnny_ultimate

Tomorrow's headlines:

"GOVERNMENT BLAMES HARVEST MOON AS UNPRECEDENTED NUMBERS BECOME FARMERS"

"SHOCKING NEW POLL REVEALS ANIMAL CROSSING AND SEGA BASS FISHING RESPONSIBLE FOR WORLD'S DEPLETING FISH SUPPLY"

Retr0gamer

I heard that the PS3 cell processor is so powerful it sent GTA back in time and it caused the LA riots.

calex71

smk89

When I was young it was all Pacman and board games

By that logic the riots in the 80s and 90s shouldn't have happened.
Besides I don't see many rioters getting called by their fúckin' cousin to go bowling every 5 minutes.

deathrider

Of course GTA is to blame, sure isn't it always :rolleyes:

It's the new Marylin Manson. Anything and everything bad that happens, they can blame it on GTA. Why? Becuase it's the easy way out. "What? Something wrong as a people? Nah, it must be all them damn video games!"
As we all know- There was never a car stolen before GTA, there was never a war before Call Of Duty, and there was never violence before Mortal Kombat.

Solair

smk89 wrote: »

By that logic the riots in the 80s and 90s shouldn't have happened.
Besides I don't see many rioters getting called by their fúckin' cousin to go bowling every 5 minutes.

People fired square shaped lumps of plastic resembling over-sized pixels at each other!

Riots back in the 1980s/early 90s:

calex71

Solair wrote: »

People fired square shaped lumps of plastic resembling over-sized pixels at each other!

Riots back in the 1980s/early 90s:

That pic is so not safe for work if your mind works the way mine does

im invisible

Rabble rabble, darkened rooms, munchin pills, repetitive electronic music, rabble rable

deathrider

I guess I best not bothering opening the classic can of These-"kids"-shouldn't-even-have-GTA-in-their-possession-due-to-their-being-underage-and-all worms then...

amacachi

im invisible wrote: »

Rabble rabble, darkened rooms, munchin pills, repetitive electronic music, rabble rable

Does mood lighting count as a darkened room?

Harps

I havent heard video games mentioned once in the media, much the same as the Breivik story it seems to be a storm in a teacup situation over nothing

Overheal

smk89 wrote: »

By that logic the riots in the 80s and 90s shouldn't have happened.
Besides I don't see many rioters getting called by their fúckin' cousin to go bowling every 5 minutes.

You never played Monopoly with family then.

You'd understand.

jill_valentine

Or Christ, somebody else's family.

THEIR RULES NEVER MAKE ANY DAMN SENSE, OVERHEAL.

THEY DON'T MAKE ANY DAMN SENSE!

Azure_sky

Some people should read a history book. They would be shocked to learn there was far more violence before video games. Pathetic.

Grumpypants

Azure_sky wrote: »

Some people should read a history book. They would be shocked to learn there was far more violence before video games. Pathetic.

Nosense Hitler was a normal guy until his Xbox RROD

Is this cop saying that he used to live out Pacman in real life and run around swallowing pills and getting chased by ghosts...

PAcman was also out in the 80's which also saw massive riots in London unless im getting the dates wrong.

ShadowHearth

Wait. I thought games make you fat and not move for 12 hours so you got blood cloths and die, not run fast throw ****, turn over and burn cars, loot shops and houses....

Manach

Could video games cause violent behaviour. Yes IMHO. However this would be in a very tiny fraction of the population who already would be prone to so many other sources of asocial stress. Taken in balance, for the vast majority the fun part of gaming moderates the stresses of life, and communities of gamers (online or in forums like this) promote a positive attitude.

5uspect

What? No, I'll go out and riot later. I want to beat this section first, then I'm raiding with mates and then I have to go bitch about the tabloid media blaming games on the internet.

Can I bring my DS while you smash stuff?

Ross_Mahon

I blame this :rolleyes:

Iceboy

Its the last final frontier of the blame game. In the 50's it was started with Kids and there Rock and Roll. Now its Video Games. When in fact it was never neither. It's bad parenting and just bad Kids in general

deathrider

Iceboy wrote: »

...just bad Kids in general

This seems to be overlooked all the time. The fact that some people are just ar*eholes. Some people just get a kick outta being scumbags, and don't give a damn about anyone or anything else.

jhegarty

Things were so different when everyone was at home playing pacman in 1981.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_Brixton_riot

Local-womanizer

Pacman: running around eating pills and getting chased by ghosts while crazy music blares,

The 80s: Raves!

Case closed! :pac:

Myrddin

I played GTA before. Funnily enough the next day I didn't burn down Curry's, taunt riot ploice, & run over three innocent guys who were protecting their shops.

Another menber of 'aw the poor kids are bored brigade'? It's simple, whats happened in London is a result of a combination of local toe rags knowing their actions likely won't come back on them, & of the police losing control. The way I see it is simple, if there's a bunch of hard men looking for trouble, the police should be allowed to give it to them. It's be hard to burn down a branch of Dixons with two broken hands in plaster paris. Simple as.

deathrider

EnterNow wrote: »

I played GTA before. Funnily enough the next day I didn't burn down Curry's, taunt riot ploice, & run over three innocent guys who were protecting their shops.

Another menber of 'aw the poor kids are bored brigade'? It's simple, whats happened in London is a result of a combination of local toe rags knowing their actions likely won't come back on them, & of the police losing control. The way I see it is simple, if there's a bunch of hard men looking for trouble, the police should be allowed to give it to them. It's be hard to burn down a branch of Dixons with two broken hands in plaster paris. Simple as.

Couldn't agree more. I've been saying pretty much the same thing all week. Kick their asses and see if they seem so tough then.

DeVore

Frogger turned me into a jay-walker.


DeV.

Overheal

DeVore wrote: »

Frogger turned me into a jay-walker.


DeV.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-FbktgqCqY

briany

Sometimes I think that they only want to vilify that game because it's actually so adept at satirizing Western culture as a whole. I played the hell out of GTA Vice City, not to cause random mayhem but to finish the game and listen to the hilarious talk radio stations.

"Let's pressss the issue!!"