Calgary Police Concerned About Grand Theft Auto IV

[Perwer]

Why are we still talking about this? There's nothing to say. "Moralpanic" strikes middleaged people because they are guilty for not creating a better tomorrow for their kids. Who's the easiest to blame? Games, music, movies and other entertainment media or government, culture, religion, law and lest we forget : their ignorant selves.

EDIT: I just wanted to add that this is in the US, the country that has banks saying "Open an account, get a free machine gun!". The same kind of stupidity the rest of the world makes fun of. And the Housers LOVE takin' the piss outta yanks, looking forward to playing GTA at my friends house (i would never buy a console myself, allthough GTA IV.... ).

 

[Razzle Bathbone]

I guess that Canadian police are just as lacking in common sense as their United States counterparts.

Keep in mind it's Calgary police we're talking about here. Calgary's in Alberta, which is Canada's equivalent of Texas and the deep south. They're way more right-wing than the rest of the country.

 

[Digikid]

What moron would actually believe that games are violence simulators?

Such rubbish indeed.

 

[Kogarian]

EDIT: I just wanted to add that this is in the US, the country that has banks saying "Open an account, get a free machine gun!". The same kind of stupidity the rest of the world makes fun of. And the Housers LOVE takin' the piss outta yanks, looking forward to playing GTA at my friends house (i would never buy a console myself, allthough GTA IV.... ).

You actually get machine guns? My bank won't even give me lolipops anymore, the cheap bastards.

 

[stompy]

You actually get machine guns? My bank won't even give me lolipops anymore, the cheap bastards.

You've never watched 'Bowling for Columbine'?

Anyways, we all know all this videogame bashing is shit. But, why hasn't anybody sued for defamation yet? Normally, I'd call the plaintiffs over-emotional twats, but in this case, it is pretty bad, and about high-time someone called these people out on their claims.

- A procrastinator

 

[xMacx]

What moron would actually believe that games are violence simulators?

Such rubbish indeed.

The military uses games as violence simulators prior to sending groups into combat and as a form of PSTD therapy to simulate the violence experienced in the field; often virtual reality sims are also used to practice combat and team tactics under simulated violent situations. It's not really a stretch.


One argument you could use is the one from Designing Fun - that the story is just a cover for the gameplay, and that the fun is the learning that occurs while you're discovering patterns. , not necessarily the content itself. For example, it's not fun to repeatedly beat up hookers, but it's enjoyable to discover how to recover health without losing money.

 

[Fire Daemon]

Don't you all see? What this man says is a good thing. he is saying that kids should not be playing this game, that parents should pay more attention to the game their kids play. This is fantastic. Sure the rest is crap but the rest is great.

 

[Ultrajoe]

Don't you all see? What this man says is a good thing. he is saying that kids should not be playing this game, that parents should pay more attention to the game their kids play. This is fantastic. Sure the rest is crap but the rest is great.

He's got a point, GTA is not something you want to have running in the playroom

one moment, i have to go turn something off... in the playroom

 

[Piemaster]

Violent video games don't make people violent, people saying violent video games make people violent make people violent.

 

[Markness]

Yes, because criminals turn to games when they want to learn the art of the gun. They don't go to a shooting ground at all.

This is getting on my tits, just drop it you cumbuckets. This just furthers evidence that the Po-lice are stupid, and they enforce OUR laws?

Thats a bit stereotypical, imagine a world without police before you knock them like that.

Also I don't know, It might be fine for adults to say this is full of shit but I can see where the police are coming from, imagine a bunch of 8 year olds thinking physical violence was cool . It would probably make them even more annoying, although I doubt it get as far to become serious.

Edit: Grammer and stuff.

 

[oshin]

"Because of the lack of consequences and even reward - [youth] don't understand the impact violence can have," he continued. "In some cases, those very games may be training grounds for people to commit criminal activity."
:Ill informed, Reactionary & unfounded:

If the people who say this sort of stuff could stick to the former without saying the latter, I expect "gamers" would be less defensive when things like this appear. But whenever a decent point is made they almost always blow it by spowting some deamonising tripe in the same speech/article/press release etc.

I agree with you there, society had violent criminals long before video games, and movies etc. Its important parents dont buy these games for there kids because, despite what your mutt kid says, these games can be quite shocking and secondly its just spoiling the kid and giving in.

Kids will always get a way to play gta, either because they managed to get the game from some useless shop, or one of there friends has parent who just got it for them. Its good parenting that will stop a kid from thinking violence is cool or whatever.

 

[babyblues]

Sigh.

Though I have to admit there ARE alot of impressionable fuckwits out there, the chances are that they're not going to grab a gun and go out on a rampage because they did in GTA. Even if there was a rise in aggression, it's HIGHLY unlikely that the only cause is video games, in this case GTA. There are other factors, mostly home and school life, that contribute to rises in stress and aggression. Also, there's the whole "Let's blame TV/the internet/video games/advertising/whatever for my bad parenting skills" thing to consider.

I hate this. I can only hope that once the young generation grows and starts to run things that this sort of shit will be unheard of or at least less common.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Does that mean A.P.B., Condemned, Police Quest, Robocop and Resident Evil are ok because they train the Police of tomorrow?

Violent video games don't make people violent, people saying violent video games make people violent make people violent.

Try saying that after a few drinks.

 

[YuppySlime]

When statements like this are made, it is clear that these people have not played these games. I have seen alot of violence, participated in alot of violence, and have been on the receiving end of alot of violence. Violence is scary. I've been playing video games like Doom since I was about 6, and have been virtually killing people since then, so about 13 years, and it has NEVER made me want to go out and inflict harm on others. Brutality is fun when its pretend. When its real its frightening.

I honestly don't think that there is any connection between violent games and real-life violent actions. Only a sick person would be so influenced, and sick people were doing sick shit before video games were around. Like that guy who posted up in the clock tower at that college in texas and sniped a few innocent people. Video games didn't exist then. The huns didn't play GTA. Hitler didn't spend every night playing his copy of manhunt. And I think people underestimate most kids ability to reason between real and pretend. Only a handful of dumb asses can't and they would be doing stupid shit regardless of whether or not they had played a gory game recently.

 

[Eminate]

"Because of the lack of consequences and even reward - [youth] don't understand the impact violence can have,"

This statement would only be true because you moronic, politically correct parents don't beat your precious snowflakes enough as they are growing. Son steals a candy bar, smack son on back of head, son understands if he steals he will experience violence first hand. Better this than someone shooting son between the eyes because he broke into the wrong house to feed his crack habit.

Beat your damn kids.

 

[YuppySlime]

"Because of the lack of consequences and even reward - [youth] don't understand the impact violence can have,"

This statement would only be true because you moronic, politically correct parents don't beat your precious snowflakes enough as they are growing. Son steals a candy bar, smack son on back of head, son understands if he steals he will experience violence first hand. Better this than someone shooting son between the eyes because he broke into the wrong house to feed his crack habit.

Beat your damn kids.

Hahahaha, hell yeah!

Granted, don't traumatize them. But a smack on the back of the head (a good one, not some little love tap), a spanking, and (if they are mouthing off) a smack across the mouth. Nothing too severe, you don't want to actually harm the kid, but the sting and the shock will set them straight.

My mom smacked me across the mouth ONCE. I was six and I told her to fuck off. I never took that tone with my mom again.

So yeah, if you hit your kids(again, nothing too crazy) they will probably turn out better.

The shittiest kids/people I know were spoiled, and were never given anything more than a time out.