Teens Shoot At Police, Video Games Blamed

[dgridley]

Yesterday morning's drama unfolded when police in Te Puke, Bay of Plenty, spotted a stolen high-performance Ford Falcon XR6. It ended when the pair aimed a rifle at police and tried to steal a patrol car before being tackled to the ground by two unarmed officers and a police dog.

"It was like one of those video games the kids play where they steal a car and shoot at police," said Inspector Karl Wright St Clair, of Tauranga. Asked if he was making a direct link between video games and yesterday's incident, he said: "Well, they don't come up with these things by themselves."

Mr Wright St Clair would not name the games he was referring to, but there are several on the market, including the controversial Grand Theft Auto, in which players steal cars and tear through city streets causing death and destruction.

more: http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4106551a6662.html

:hehe: :imho:

I keep going back and forth about whether I believe video games can actually influence bad behavior in teens or adults, but have yet to try and emulate one myself (well there was that one time...)

 

[whitebark]

First it was those damn rock/rap stars filling children with ideas, then it was television, now it's video games. Hundreds of millions of kids play those games, watch those television shows and listen to that music and what percentage goes out and does something stupid - .001%?

stupid people do stupid things - it's really that easy.

 

[Sabre]

I find I get influenced by video games. I played tetris once. It wasn't pretty :blink:

 

[dgridley]

I become more inclined as time goes on to feel that impressionable people, not just kids, are influenced bu the media (games, films, etc).. it's not just stupidity anymore.. if you've never been exposed to certain values, chances are you might not exhibit them yourself.. rap music brought a whole new subculture into being, online chat has invaded everyone's speech and writing habits, etc... it's become fact, not just fiction anymore. :imho:

 

[The Equivocate]

I think everyone is so quick to blame video games and music when maybe they just were crappy parents and didn't discipline their kids. People have been murdering, raping and robbing for thousands of years before the words "video game," "television" and "rap music" even existed.

 

[_FLIP_]

Asked if he was making a direct link between video games and yesterday's incident, he said: "Well, they don't come up with these things by themselves."

Yes they can!

 

[.X.]

I don't buy the "Video Game " Music" Crime theory, When they make video games, Thier goal is to make it, to where you are a bad a** for a couple hours while you play the game, They expect people to contain reality after the gaming is over, Barring having a underlying mental illness, People do maintain reality, The same with music, You can let go and rock, or rap, after the music is over, You return back to your normal self-lol....Games,Music,Movies, Nor anything else in my opinion, Makes a person go out and comit a crime, violent or otherwise, The person does it, There is no influence, That is complete BS, And is becoming a popular use for defense when people comit crimes, " It was blow them away, You know sir, the video game, Or ..It was that famous musican sir, he was sending me subliminal messages, All i can say is, If you are really influenced and feel the need to act as you do in a video game, or follow some lyrics of music, Go see a psychiatrist immediately, Because when you go in front of judge, he wont be buying that defense, Hopefully anyway.

 

[dgridley]

You might like this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRKjMv3hblA

I don't buy the "Video Game " Music" Crime theory, When they make video games, Thier goal is to make it, to where you are a bad a** for a couple hours while you play the game, They expect people to contain reality after the gaming is over, Barring having a underlying mental illness, People do maintain reality, The same with music, You can let go and rock, or rap, after the music is over, You return back to your normal self-lol....Games,Music,Movies, Nor anything else in my opinion, Makes a person go out and comit a crime, violent or otherwise, The person does it, There is no influence, That is complete BS, And is becoming a popular use for defense when people comit crimes, " It was blow them away, You know sir, the video game, Or ..It was that famous musican sir, he was sending me subliminal messages, All i can say is, If you are really influenced and feel the need to act as you do in a video game, or follow some lyrics of music, Go see a psychiatrist immediately, Because when you go in front of judge, he wont be buying that defense, Hopefully anyway.

 

[ChrisChris]

I think its just a matter of everyone just wanting to point the finger at someone else. The city/ government doesn't want to take responsibility for those kids getting their hands on guns, so they blame video games. Just like whitebark mentioned, first it was music, then TV and now video games.

 

[James]

its a quick fix, pointing the finger at something with violence and killing, games can't push you to pull the trigger, its hate or insanity. I agree with you -X-

 

[{insert name here}]

I guess I should stop playing Madden, I might actually start to think I could play in the NFL, or maybe I should play more Final Fantasy games, I might be able to start having magic powers, and I will shoot fireballs at flying dragons.

Oh, and another thing, how come when I played Doom, and Wolfenstien 3D when I was in high school, I never got the urge to go kill people, even though I was killing them in the video games I was playing.

As stated earlier by whitebark, its alwass something, I remember when Rock music was the work of the Devil, and the Supreme Court had Dee Snider come speak before them on the issue, and they expected him to be a complete moron, drug loving devil worshiping fool, just because he sang heavy metal.

 

[Ixix]

who hasn't had the urge to drive over bus stops after playing Simpson's road rage?

as for shooting cops, that points a deeper problem that has nothing to do with video games.

 

[monaco]

I find I get influenced by video games. I played tetris once. It wasn't pretty :blink:

HAHA...anyone want to start a class action suit for people with OCD and sue the people behind tetris?

 

[.X.]

You might like this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRKjMv3hblA

...That was good! Thier actually was a documentary on A&E i think it was on A&E, On a guy who was addicted to video games, He played for 18 hours straight some times, It showed him playing his video games, When he was playing, His eyes looked he was psycho or something, It was determined that he did have an illness, I can't remember exactly, But i wish you guys could see the documentary, But despite his addiction, He did not comit crimes related to the games he was playing.

I guess I should stop playing Madden, I might actually start to think I could play in the NFL, or maybe I should play more Final Fantasy games, I might be able to start having magic powers, and I will shoot fireballs at flying dragons.

Oh, and another thing, how come when I played Doom, and Wolfenstien 3D when I was in high school, I never got the urge to go kill people, even though I was killing them in the video games I was playing.

As stated earlier by whitebark, its alwass something, I remember when Rock music was the work of the Devil, and the Supreme Court had Dee Snider come speak before them on the issue, and they expected him to be a complete moron, drug loving devil worshiping fool, just because he sang heavy metal.

Ditto, And they take these musicians to court and try to sue them over lyrics in thier songs, I have yet to a case to where someone actually won thier case...It is ridiculous, And the fact is, In todays world, Alot of people will not take responsability for thier actions, Rather it be in the work place or a simple mistake at home..pretty sad imo.

 

[dgridley]

I believe I read somewhere that the brain cannot distinguish between virtual reality or the plain garden variety.. that when stimulated, it fires the same ol' pleasure centers.

Anyway, on a different level, if you take a look at the availability of fan-related merchandise, it does affect people's live in some manner.. how big a stretch to assume that it might not induce someone with "problems" to emulate the action in a video game.. still wondering!

 

[Epic]

I'm annoyed by the people that blame video games for everything, mostly because the idiots that commit crimes like these were probably going to do it anyway, even if they'd never played video games...

 

[dgridley]

That may be true.. but what about on a sub-liminal level? Just playing the devils advocate, but how about video games warning that it may cause epileptic seisures? Maybe it can cause other reactions we're unaware of?

I'm annoyed by the people that blame video games for everything, mostly because the idiots that commit crimes like these were probably going to do it anyway, even if they'd never played video games...

 

[iNod]

Sure video games are so easy to blame.. A simple life form that can't fight back.. Just like fur wears.. Why pick on leather? They are worn by gangs which would kick your arse.. Instead pick on French women. They can't harm you.

Sure.. Video games probably had a part in giving the idea.. BUT WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!! Doesn't movies also have this kind of violent cop shooting action? Or what about websites.

I know lets blame the MPAA/Hollywood/and RIAA for infecting our children with bad songs/movies.. Than we can blame Bill Gates for developing the console the game was made on and EBGames/FutureShop for selling it, and than the maker of the game.. And than we can go on and blame the person who sold it.

But if you actually go and buy a video game (atleast in Canada) that has a 17+ rating they will ask for id .. So that means their parents bought it..

So.. We now take all this blaming and put it on the parents.. I believe parents should stop sitting behind their work and careers and begin to actually give an interest in their kids lifes. For once and for the rest of their lives.. You made them and you got to make sure they are the best damn kids ever made.

Or atleast thats how I look at it.

- Steve

 

[Ixix]

That may be true.. but what about on a sub-liminal level? Just playing the devils advocate, but how about video games warning that it may cause epileptic seisures? Maybe it can cause other reactions we're unaware of?

maybe if we run the games backwards we'll get a recipe for chicken noodle soup?

sorry, i couldn't help myself

 

[dgridley]

:lol: I've tried that recipe.. made me want to kill people

maybe if we run the games backwards we'll get a recipe for chicken noodle soup?

sorry, i couldn't help myself