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Lawsuit: 'Grand Theft Auto' Led Teen to Kill


Kalshion
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quote:

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Associated Press

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ÔÇö A lawsuit claims the video game "Grand Theft Auto (search)" led a teenager to shoot two police officers and a dispatcher to death in 2003, mirroring violent acts depicted in the popular game.

The suit announced Tuesday seeks damages from the game's manufacturers and two stores that allegedly sold it to Devin Thompson (search), now 18.

An attorney for relatives of two of the victims said Thompson, who is charged with murder, had played the video game repeatedly.

Thompson is accused of killing the three men in June 2003 after being brought to the Fayette police station on suspicion of driving a stolen car. Thompson allegedly grabbed one of the officer's guns, shot him and the other two, then fled in a patrol car


Lawsuit: 'Grand Theft Auto' Led Teen to Kill

Found this article while browsing the net, and people think that game's don't kill... BS... apperently these teen's are an expection, funny, this is the only game out there that's been causing these problems, yet, no one has ever bothered to consider, not only the source, but the content of the game.

Or, more to the point, why this game is still being allowed on the market?

I posted this here cause it's about a game, but, it could very well belong in politics (shrugs) dunno

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Ya know, I am not even gonna go there...

OK, maybe I will, video games do NOT cause people to go on rampages and kill people.

People kill people, HE was the one that shot the cop, HE did it, HE is responsible, Not a video game, I don't care how violent it is.

A video game does NOT cause people to snap and go and kill other people.

THe whole nonsense is to pull responsibility from the idiot that did it, and blame some 3rd thing, a NONLIVING thing, that cannot force anyone to do anything.

Next thing you know, you'll have to have a mental evaluation to buy a video game so they make sure that you don't snap.

Total and complete unmitigated BS.

Video games do NOT cause people to turn violent and kill people, I REPEAT, a nonliving third entity with NO self awareness can change people from nice to killers. It ain't happening.

THe kid did it, HE IS RESPONSIBLE, not some video game....

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Jaguar

Then please explain why this is the ONLY GAME out there that has people going out and killing others?

GTA is the game that has those connections, no other game in history has had THIS much problems, don't you think that there is a possibility that the game IS influencing this?

Again, NOTHING is Impossible, there is ALWAYS the possibility

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quote:

Originally posted by Kalshion:

Jaguar

Then please explain why this is the ONLY GAME out there that has people going out and killing others?

GTA is the game that has those connections, no other game in history has had THIS much problems, don't you think that there is a possibility that the game IS influencing this?

Again, NOTHING is Impossible, there is ALWAYS the possibility

This is NOT the only game with this problem, it is the ONLY game getting the amount of publicity it does.

It is like blaming heavy metal music for kids taking a shotgun and blowing away their parents.

Games do not cause people to become homicidal, nor do they MAKE people go out and steal cars and then when caught blow away the cops.

Sure, it's in the game, but it is just that, A GAME, nothing more.

If someone gets so caught up in a video game that they act it out in real life, the person has a problem, NOT the video game, and it is NOT the manufacturers fault, nor is it the people that sold him the game.

If the guy was that far from reality to begin with, then his parents are at fault and the cops families ought to be suing them for raising such a fruitcake in the first place.

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Here we go again. Where the hell were the parents. What? Were they so busy they just plunked that kid (probably for years) in front of a game console (or PC) as the baby sitter and that was his only training on how to behave socially. Strange also that the perp in this episode is not mentioned in a law suit nor the Parents of the perp. You know why? It's the money. That family doesn't have any so guess what go after the millions and millions of the ones that do. The next item in this story I'm waiting for is the Parents of this person suing on behalf of him for the bad influence. That would be the cherry on top of the perverbial cake.

Could be that this person may be more clever than he looks knowing he could absolve himself of all personal responsibility by playing the GAME MADE ME DO IT card. Knowing all too well that quite a few in the public will buy this. Where did he learn this, from the mainstream media. What do I base this one. Well have a read:

KINGSTON, N.Y. - The man who opened fire in a crowded shopping mall with an assault weapon, wounding two, seemed to have a "lurid fascination" with the Columbine High School shooting, a prosecutor said yesterday.

Where did this person learn about columbine? From saturating the airwaves day after day mont after month, story after story, on every news media about the columbine event.

With some of the logic that I read in here, the victims of this shooting should sue the entire media world for exposing this person to the event of columbine. What was the culprit that initiated the columbine incident? The Matrix. So they should sue the film makers as well for starting this whole mess.

Now with this columbine copy cat and the media playing it is going to cause more copy cats.

I'm telling ya, this country is going to hell in a hand basket. No personal responsibility, losing personal freedom (little by little) etc....

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Exactly, this is similar to soldiers sing the JUST FOLLOWING ORDERS excuse, it didn't help the Nazis when they used it and, as a judge stated, it doesn't hold up in this country's courtroom either.

The basic cause is choice, the person chose to grab the gun, to steal the car, to shoot the cops, to blame someone else. You may be exposed to violent media or ordered to do something, but YOU ultimately have the choice of what you do and should accept the consequnces of YOUR actions.

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Guest Grayfox

it is the parents job to teach their kid the difference between right and wrong, the difference between a stupid game and reality.

i have no sympathy for people that blame others for their own mistakes. for gods sake grow a set, and take some responsibility for your actions intead of blaming everyone else!

keep the gene pool clean!

'nuff said

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Art mimics life, not the other way around.

To blame this game for the actions of a person, is like blaming the news channels for the tsunami.

That said, I also think that the GTA series has no socially redeeming qualities whatsoever.

Just my 2 cents ...

-Kreij

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Guest Grayfox

of course not lol... thats why i like it so much

i do play the GTA series... alot. however im not driving around capping people in the streets or stealing cars. mainly because i know the difference between reality and a game...

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I have to agree with Jaguar. Video games do not cause violence. Parents should:

1.) Know what their children are playing.

2.) Know their child well enough, that they can tell if a game will cause or is causing a problem in their child.

3.) Take the game away if they feel it's causing problems for their child.

Furthermore, Kalshion, you stated that GTA was the "only game" that causes people to go out and kill other people. A few years ago, it wasn't GTA...it was a game called Postal by a company called Running With Scissors. At Columbine, it was DOOM. About 15-20 years ago, it was a rock music.

People attempting to toss the preverbial "hot potato" to someone else so that they do not have to be responsible for their own actions....I don't understand how it can be seen as anything other than this?

Kalshion, does playing BC make you do violent things? There is technically violence in it... :shrugs: My two cents...

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I didn't know that Bandus, thanks for clearing it up.

quote:

Kalshion, does playing BC make you do violent things?

Does banging my fist on the desk everytime Resnig make's a mistake count?

Seriously, you all are missing the point I'm trying to make.

I will try one more time to explain it. People get influenced by what they see in a game, where as other people don't

My example:

The graphics and fleet battles in UC, influence me to keep on playing. Just like how the content in Eve-online influence me to play it on occasion. However, to other people, that might not be what influences them

In other words:

What might not seem an influence factor to some of us (Jaguar) might be to another person (like that man)

Who knows?

Killing police officers in that game might've been the influence factor that made him think of going after cops. Now, I'M NOT SAYING IT SHOULD BE BLAMED (stop saying I blame game's please)

What I am saying is that parent's need to seriously watch what they get there children, but what do you truely know about you're child? Most parent's don't know there children, they won't know how they will react to certain games.

Example:

When I was younger, my father bought me Thief (1st one) the first time I saw a spider in that game it scared me half to death and influenced me not to play the game. Stupid reason now that I think of it, but at the time it's what influenced me to stop (now I enjoy squishing spiders )

Edit: I bolded certain word's because they have meaning to my post please look at them and consider there meaning, although I already know what Jag is going to say (sorry Jag, but I know you to well )

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I think the only wrong thing here, is the fact he was not supposed to be old enough to purchase the game.

In that case a lawsuit has a strong chance of succeeding, in civil court you only need to sway a magistrate 60/40...no burden of proof here.

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quote:

Originally posted by Kalshion:

II'M NOT SAYING IT SHOULD BE BLAMED
(stop saying I blame game's please)

That's not the impression I got from your initial post:

quote:

Originally posted by Kalshion:

and people think that game's don't kill... BS

[edit]

this is the only game out there that's been causing these problems

[edit]

Or, more to the point, why this game is still being allowed on the market?

[edit]

I posted this here cause it's about a game


I think Shakespeare was spot on with these words: The fault lies not in our stars, but in ourselves.

I'll be damned if I allow anyone to take away my ability to obtain and enjoy these kind of products because of a few bone heads who can't deal with it rationally. I refuse to give up one more damn thing.

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What? Games kill people? Games influence people? All this is, is a bunch of BS with crocodile tears mixed in, a huge pile of it.

I play GTA, I played it for years. I have played tons of violent games, strategy games, FPS games, role playing games, you name it. The only thing those games do is provide entertainment. Why, because I am smart enough and was taught enough to understand what is WRONG and what is RIGHT. Why, because my parents took the time to educate me about such things, and to reprimend me when it was needed, to teach me what boundaries are and when they are needed. I, therefore, am a stable and productive member of society.

The problem here is with the waste of society that is taugh that they are not responsible for their actions. They have never been taught responsibilites, never been reprimended, never been educated. They have been let run free much like the animals in the jungle. They have never been taught to respect others. And things like that will continue happening un till WE, as a society will put our foot down and start reprimending and punishing not just those who perpitrated the crime but those who were responsible for these animal upbringins. Meaning, death penalty for the criminal (yes, even this "juvenile") and maybe even prison time for parents. Also, if the criminal is of adult age, then not only the death penalty for the adult, but also the seizure of all their property and assets with redistribution of it to those harmed. AND ALSO, to prevent the situations like this developing, when police catch these kids in *minor* acts, the family as a whole needs to be punished, not just some entry in the kids file with community servcie, but punishments for parents also. Then and only then will you see some changes.

You make people responsible and liable for their actions and you will see people who will actually THINK before they commit a crime, and if they still commit the crime, you take them out of socity by the penalty of death. Simple.

Go read a book called "Starship Troopers" by Robert A. Heinlein. And no, it's nothing like the movie. Then maybe you will understand the society and the thread that binds it and what separates animals from people. And maybe learn to distinguish that the person who commited that crime was nothing more than an animal, and his parents are to blame along with him. What do you do with an animal when it has commited an act beyond redemption? Well, my grandfather used to shoot dogs that were completly untrainable. So make your own conclusions.

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quote:

Originally posted by LostInSpace:

That's not the impression I got from your initial post:


I already knew people would misunderstand my first post, that's why I made the above post. But what still make's me mad, is how people make assumptions without asking for my input, no one bothers to ask me to explain my PoV in more details, if they had, they'd have learned by now that I don't blame game's for these killings

quote:

The problem here is with the waste of society that is taugh that they are not responsible for their actions.

Thing is, most of the time, parents are to blame cause they don't take the time to properly teach there children right from wrong. Which is when thing's go horribly wrong

quote:

Meaning, death penalty for the criminal (yes, even this "juvenile") and maybe even prison time for parents

Unless you can get rid of the ACLU, there will be no such thing a "death penalty for juviniles", trust me, I beleive in the death penalty and believe if you murder someone, you should be punished with the means that you murdered that person.

quote:

Go read a book called "Starship Troopers" by Robert A. Heinlein

Read it, had to do a report on it last year in school. Good book, scary in some sense

[ 02-16-2005, 11:57 PM: Message edited by: Kalshion ]

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I just re-read my own first post

I thank the person who sent me a PM asking me about what I said, thank you!

I didn't proofread it, so thats why people misunderstood my post

In my post, I thought I had placed before the "And people think game's don't kill" and after the: ,funny,

But, it seem's I didn't, I thought I did cause in my word document it's present

S - Sarcasm

Sorry to double post, my time to edit ran out

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All of this is really covering the much more important and mind boggling issue. That is, irresponsible uneducated immature people are allowed to reproduce. Its then up to society to parent and pay for what is now a burden. This is where TV, computers and video games become the parents... and all of which are far from ideal.

You want the largest internal problem the US faces? IMHO, here it is.

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Ahh, Kalshion, I understand much better now. Sorry, didn't mean to get "upity" on you. I really get upset over claims (by anyone) that video games cause violence.

I realize that if I sat in a room for most of my life playing only a violent video game, with no other influences, that it could potentially make me a violent person.

I also agree completly that the parents AND the kid should be strung up for this. If they want to try and blame the game, fine, but to use that "excuse" they need to then defend themselves on why their kid had the game and why they apparently didn't realize what a dramatic effect it was having on him. "Not knowing your child" is no excuse either IMHO.

This particular topic gets me so worked up it's difficult for me to stay coherent. Maybe I need to stop playing GTA?

Just kidding.

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quote:

Originally posted by Kalshion:

I already knew people would misunderstand my first post, that's why I made the above post. But what still make's me mad, is how people make assumptions without asking for my input, no one bothers to ask me to explain my PoV in more details, if they had, they'd have learned by now that I don't blame game's for these killings

My annoyance was not directed directly at you but all those who hold this particular mindset.

Let me give another analogy:

Year after year cars kill thousands (long before there were games like GTA) in this country. Year after year people handle their cars recklesly. Symptom: driving under the influence of whatever substance, agressive driving, road rage, crime and cancer from exhaust. Keeping in mind the mindset that dangerous game products should be removed from the market, should not CARS also be given this same treatment? But year after year we keep seeing thousands of adverts and car lots full of nice new (or used) shiny, life taking and very dangerous product.

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Here we go again,

Another wackjob loose in the streets and another wackjob reporting about it in the media.

Everybody pointing the finger of blame in whatever direction is going to result in free money. The story doesn't go into enough detail to make a lucid judgement about the incident.

The media only supplies enough information to make the story sensational.

Now, let's pick apart some of the information that was given...

    [*]The kid was in police custody under suspicion of committing a crime.

    Do the police not handcuff suspected criminals anymore?

    [*]The kid alledgedly grabs a weapon from an officer and starts shooting...

    Now it begs the question. "Why did a supposedly professional officer of the law allow a suspected criminal, in custody mind you, to grab his weapon?

    [*].

    [*]The parents, not wishing to take responsibility for the actions of their failure, decide to blame a third party, most likely on the advice of the attorney.

    [*]Some idiot reporter buys into the whole barrel of crap and slides it by his editor, who is getting pressure from the media owners, to print stories that will sell more newspapers.

    [*]Apparently the families of the slain hear the lame excuse in court,"GTA made me do it." So they decide to sue everyone associated with the excuse."

I don't know if you noticed it or not...

The story states that the victim's families were not only bringing suit against the game's makers, but also against two stores for selling the game to the kid. I guess he bought more than one copy of it. LOL

Such is the state of people. Lawsuits won't breathe life back into the victims.

If anyone should be at the top of the Blame List, it should be the police officer/s who weren't doing their job properly.

If anyone should be sued, it should be them.

Too many missing variables in the story, which, by the way, was written in a fashion used to provoke an emotional response from the reader/s.

Judging from some of your posts above, The writer succeeded. Or maybe you guys just don't like GTA.

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