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Sources from God's own Russia (lead by Christian Republican Vladimir Putin) tells me that the reason for the shootings in D.C yesterday was not because of free access to guns or anything like that, but GTA V.
Should the makers of GTA V be held accountable for mass murder?
Should the makers of GTA V be held accountable for mass murder?
DC gunman Alexis might have adopted his shooting habits from GTA
Today is the release date of the world’s most popular computer game Grand Theft Auto, fifth edition, the game notorious for its extreme violence and gruesome content. It just so happens that the alleged DC shooter Aaron Alexis was a big fan, which fact once again raised concerns about whether the DC tragedy has become another example of how this game might trigger a surge of violence in its addicts, eventually leading to such large scale disasters.
At least 12 people became victims of the latest mass shooting in a DC naval office buildings. Though the reasons which drove the suspect Aaron Alexis to commit this heinous act are still under investigation and debatable, there has been one assumption which clearly has grounds to it.
It was voiced by Wayne LaPierre, the National Rifle Association Vice President, on Monday, as he laid blame on the entertainment industry.
According to LaPierre, it is the massive spread of the video games which had plunged America into violence. Noting, among other things, the game’s devastating effect, he stated that since the first game’s release date in 1997, America had witnessed 40 mass shootings.
As far as Alexis case is concerned, LaPierre had a very adamant understanding, “The evidence against Grand Theft Auto is not to be disputed. Clearly, excitement over the imminent release of this game led Mr. Alexis to commit celebratory murders… Either that, or [Alexis] was going on a ‘practice run’ in anticipation of playing this degraded piece of garbage.”
Though his hard-line statement that pointing fingers “at anything other than Grand Theft Auto V for this tragedy is morally irresponsible,” LaPierre obviously had the point.
It’s for a reason that GTA has been named the most controversial video game of all times by Guinness World Records. It goes without saying, that it is extremely attractive and absorbing, missions carried out by various thugs are very life-like and customized, they happen in a variety of surroundings. Added to that, the game’s exceptional graphics offers the players a nearly real life experience. At the same time, in some of the scenes players are instructed to pull out victim’s teeth with a pair of pliers, smash a victim’s kneecap with a monkey wrench or give him electric shock using spark plugs.
Obviously this kind of game should only be accessed by mentally healthy adults with strong nervous system. However, there is no law which requires gamers have a medical check-up before taking up a round. Nor is there any type of permit or regulation for purchasing it.
LaPierre sees the solution in the Congress imposing regulations regarding the game purchase, and many of the NRA members appear to be on the same page with him, “It’s high time Congress and our president backed sensible video game regulation. Anybody that wants to purchase a copy of Grand Theft Auto V must undergo a background check, a psychological evaluation, and a five-day waiting period. Most importantly, all copies of the game must be kept under lock and key when not in use.”
The Association of Teachers and Lecturers are in sync with the concerns voiced by LaPierre, as they, too, are worried about the game’s extreme violence and the plausible harm it might do little children.
Alison Sherratt, president of the Lecturers and Teachers Association, roots for total ban of violence in the video games, inferring that mere parental control is no longer enough. It is clear where she is coming from, since children are by nature curious and can find anything if they want to, and they always have eager peers to share what they had found. Aside from that, many children have older brothers and sisters, who might be able to sacrifice their gaming hours just to keep their younger siblings away from the gore on screen.
Total control is impossible, and Sherratt points out that “Children in our playgrounds are displaying more violence and we have conducted polls and found they are viewing games like GTA.”
The perfect graphics of the show in the case of children also has a downside. Sherratt says, “They [children] don’t understand the difference between reality and fiction because it’s so awfully graphic and real. And they do copy it.”
Ms Sherratt also recalled an incident when children had been crashing into others in toy cars, and when asked, where they got that idea from, named GTA.
However, looks like the game could provoke an incident a lot more gruesome than just violent playground entertainment. In August of this year an 8-year-old shot his 90-year-old grandmother to death after playing GTA IV in Slaughter, Louisiana. Though there has been a very heated discussion as to what the real reasons for such act were, and why the boy had a free access to the gun, the obviously negative influence of the game on a young boy’s vulnerable psyche was may not be underestimated.
Kristopher Kaliebe, a LSU Health Sciences Center child psychologist told Fox8live.com about the case, "So if you have a video game where someone shoots at a target, that's sort of practicing shooting at a target. When you have a video game that is shooting at a human being, that is practicing shooting at a human being."
All in all, the game remains extremely popular. Out of 10,995 readers, asked by the IGN gaming site, 46 per cent said they had booked the day off as holiday while 19 per cent said they would phone in sick. Obviously, the game manufacturer is not going to pull the game from the market, nor is it likely to reduce the level of violence in it, as the game’s popularity hinges mostly on these “juicy” components.
It is most likely those willing to play the game will eventually have to go through a special check-up and fill out certain forms which will probably violate their personal space, but will be inevitable to preserve the country’s sanity.
Today is the release date of the world’s most popular computer game Grand Theft Auto, fifth edition, the game notorious for its extreme violence and gruesome content. It just so happens that the alleged DC shooter Aaron Alexis was a big fan, which fact once again raised concerns about whether the DC tragedy has become another example of how this game might trigger a surge of violence in its addicts, eventually leading to such large scale disasters.
At least 12 people became victims of the latest mass shooting in a DC naval office buildings. Though the reasons which drove the suspect Aaron Alexis to commit this heinous act are still under investigation and debatable, there has been one assumption which clearly has grounds to it.
It was voiced by Wayne LaPierre, the National Rifle Association Vice President, on Monday, as he laid blame on the entertainment industry.
According to LaPierre, it is the massive spread of the video games which had plunged America into violence. Noting, among other things, the game’s devastating effect, he stated that since the first game’s release date in 1997, America had witnessed 40 mass shootings.
As far as Alexis case is concerned, LaPierre had a very adamant understanding, “The evidence against Grand Theft Auto is not to be disputed. Clearly, excitement over the imminent release of this game led Mr. Alexis to commit celebratory murders… Either that, or [Alexis] was going on a ‘practice run’ in anticipation of playing this degraded piece of garbage.”
Though his hard-line statement that pointing fingers “at anything other than Grand Theft Auto V for this tragedy is morally irresponsible,” LaPierre obviously had the point.
It’s for a reason that GTA has been named the most controversial video game of all times by Guinness World Records. It goes without saying, that it is extremely attractive and absorbing, missions carried out by various thugs are very life-like and customized, they happen in a variety of surroundings. Added to that, the game’s exceptional graphics offers the players a nearly real life experience. At the same time, in some of the scenes players are instructed to pull out victim’s teeth with a pair of pliers, smash a victim’s kneecap with a monkey wrench or give him electric shock using spark plugs.
Obviously this kind of game should only be accessed by mentally healthy adults with strong nervous system. However, there is no law which requires gamers have a medical check-up before taking up a round. Nor is there any type of permit or regulation for purchasing it.
LaPierre sees the solution in the Congress imposing regulations regarding the game purchase, and many of the NRA members appear to be on the same page with him, “It’s high time Congress and our president backed sensible video game regulation. Anybody that wants to purchase a copy of Grand Theft Auto V must undergo a background check, a psychological evaluation, and a five-day waiting period. Most importantly, all copies of the game must be kept under lock and key when not in use.”
The Association of Teachers and Lecturers are in sync with the concerns voiced by LaPierre, as they, too, are worried about the game’s extreme violence and the plausible harm it might do little children.
Alison Sherratt, president of the Lecturers and Teachers Association, roots for total ban of violence in the video games, inferring that mere parental control is no longer enough. It is clear where she is coming from, since children are by nature curious and can find anything if they want to, and they always have eager peers to share what they had found. Aside from that, many children have older brothers and sisters, who might be able to sacrifice their gaming hours just to keep their younger siblings away from the gore on screen.
Total control is impossible, and Sherratt points out that “Children in our playgrounds are displaying more violence and we have conducted polls and found they are viewing games like GTA.”
The perfect graphics of the show in the case of children also has a downside. Sherratt says, “They [children] don’t understand the difference between reality and fiction because it’s so awfully graphic and real. And they do copy it.”
Ms Sherratt also recalled an incident when children had been crashing into others in toy cars, and when asked, where they got that idea from, named GTA.
However, looks like the game could provoke an incident a lot more gruesome than just violent playground entertainment. In August of this year an 8-year-old shot his 90-year-old grandmother to death after playing GTA IV in Slaughter, Louisiana. Though there has been a very heated discussion as to what the real reasons for such act were, and why the boy had a free access to the gun, the obviously negative influence of the game on a young boy’s vulnerable psyche was may not be underestimated.
Kristopher Kaliebe, a LSU Health Sciences Center child psychologist told Fox8live.com about the case, "So if you have a video game where someone shoots at a target, that's sort of practicing shooting at a target. When you have a video game that is shooting at a human being, that is practicing shooting at a human being."
All in all, the game remains extremely popular. Out of 10,995 readers, asked by the IGN gaming site, 46 per cent said they had booked the day off as holiday while 19 per cent said they would phone in sick. Obviously, the game manufacturer is not going to pull the game from the market, nor is it likely to reduce the level of violence in it, as the game’s popularity hinges mostly on these “juicy” components.
It is most likely those willing to play the game will eventually have to go through a special check-up and fill out certain forms which will probably violate their personal space, but will be inevitable to preserve the country’s sanity.
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