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An MCV piece on last Wednesday’s edition of BBC’s Newsnight, featured two boys saying that they know people who have “changed” after playing too much Grand Theft Auto.
“A couple of my friends, yeah… they just get addicted to [games] – and then become really violent,” said one of the boys who was playing a 15-rated game with his friend – both of them were underage.
“Really – actually violent?” asked BBC reporter Liz MacKean.
“One friend, it effected them a lot – they used to be normal and really nice, but because of a game called Grand Theft Auto they got really violent and use a lot of bad language.”
Oh dear.
By Mike Bowden
Viewing 7 responses
Psychotext said:
A friend of mine became violent after taking up golf… but that’s probably not quite as newsworthy.
Michael said:
I wonder how much they paid the kid for that. *laughs*
But seriously, didn’t they think of ask “Why was the kid exposed to this game by their parents in the first place?”
Wait, no, of course they didn’t, because then they might realise that the kids behaviour likely expanded well beyond one video game.
Not to say the game wasn’t partly responsible though; but then, that’s the whole bloody damn reason the game has a big fat 18s BBFC sticker on the front!
patlike said:
Was it a golf videogame? I’d do a headline feature on it if it were.
Axle said:
Leading questions? By the benign media institution that is the British Broadcasting Corporation? Shock and awe!
Blerk said:
Hasn’t anyone twigged yet that kids play up to the camera?
Tiger Walts said:
If I plotted a graph of GTA 4 sales and teen violence you would see no correlation at all. There, proven once and for all with SCIENCE and NUMBERS.
If you disagree I’ll just shoot you in the face, removing you from the DATA SET of opposition, further proving that I am RIGHT and that VIOLENCE does indeed WORK.
Tonka said:
Kids Say The Darndest Things innit lolamirite?
I see teenagers mimick Al PAcinos characters everytime one of the Carlitos Way/Scarface/That Jonny Depp film has been on the TV. Of course they will behave like that thug in GTA.
Pretending videogames won’t influence kids is stupid.