GTA...The downfall of society?

[LeninCCCP]

I love the new GTA game and all the old ones to but apparently some people dont.

http://more.abcnews.go.com/sections/gma/go...theft_auto.html (http://more.abcnews.go.com/sections/gma/goodmorningamerica/gma021031grand_theft_auto.html)

"It's not so much the copy cat factor … but kids and teens are in the process of shaping their norms," Walsh said. "When you kill a prostitute after having sex with her — that's not something we want boys doing,"

I like this qoute its not ok to kill a prostitute after you have sex with her.

[Pickaxe]

for me GTA allows me to do things that i never would, so i think it is ok. But there are so many people out there that someone has to be getting some bad ideas. I am surprised that we dont see more all out GTA style sprees in this country. Didn't they ban it from Australia?

[IHP]

No, all the GTA's are in Australia.

--IHP

[Ian]

They released GTA3 but after about a month they ordered the company that makes it to only sell a 'cut' version of it that didnt allow you to pick up prostitutes.

[Exploited Class]

A cut version that doesn't allow you to pick up prostitutes? The game was 89% fun for me, till somebody showed me how to get my health back after having sex with a hooker, then I could get my money back by killing her. The game was then 100% fun.

Its fantasy, D&D, GTA3, Mario Bros, Doom and quake. All just fantasy, and that is all it is for 99.99% of us. So was it the thought that someday there might be a game like GTA3 that made Jack the Ripper Violent, or was it the violence on the TV back then that had him do it? Maybe it was that rap music?

There will be a few that perhaps this influences into doing actions of violence, but its not my fault that society created these suceptable individuals. I didn't make a society that forces two parents to work 80+ hours a week from home, away from their parents. And I didn't ask the world to reach a population of 4 Billion. The more people you add to the pot the more violence occurs no matter if it is pong or GTA3. If 1% of the entire population in 1700 did violent actions, and it is now 4 Billion but we still are at 1%. There is going to be more violence.

I guess if we did ban this game, which will be fine by me because of its violence, then I want the bible banned too. Talk about violence, and what was their excuse, pornography, video games? What drive those biblical characters to kill 10's of thousands. But if they aren't willing to meet me half way on this and ban the bible then no bans to the game or anything else.

[Dhul Fiqar]

I love the Jack the Ripper point. As a student of criminology, I find it amazing that people still think crime is on the increase. It is a fact well known in studies of criminal statistics that the biggest factor in raising crime rates is the amount of resources the police has, coupled with other major factors such as people's access to telephones and willingness to involve authorities in their affairs.

In the last half a century mostly everyone has had improved access to communication, expenditure to police work has been multiplied and insurance and liability lawsuits has given most people a reason to report any attack on their property or person.

There is no indication that an increase in crime is even a fact, let alone linked to a single factor like computer games or tv shows, let alone a single game like GTA! Making such a link is something only politicians would do, not responsible scientists who have actually looked at the facts.

--- G. Raven

[truthaddict11]

ive been a fan of the GTA series since 98 its a great video game series. I love to go around blowing up cops. but all because i do that in a video game doesnt mean i would in real life. its not like i am going to steal a viper and go on a mass driveby.
all those critics of video games (Joe Liberman) have their heads up thier asses