A policeman has laid the blame for the recent riots in London at violent, crime-related video games.
Grand Theft Auto - game or real life?
Quoted in the London Evening Standard the unnamed police constable advised residents in Tottenham: “"Go home, get a takeaway and watch anything that happens on TV.
"These are bad people who did this. Kids out of control. When I was young it was all Pacman and board games. Now they're playing Grand Theft Auto and want to live it for themselves."
The newspaper reports that the police are hunting mobs of children who joined the riots across the capital “when parts of the city descended into lawlessness for a second night”.
Grand Theft Auto is set mainly in American cities but was created in the UK, with the original release featuring an expansion pack set in London.
The violent game in which players act out the crime-filled lives of various gangsters and lowlifes is frequently blamed for encouraging youths to commit crimes.
The looting and arson that has spread to several inner-city boroughs began in Tottenham on Saturday night, sparked by the fatal police shooting of a local man (reportedly armed with a replica firearm) on Thursday.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said that over 160 arrests had been made so far, and that 16 people have been charged for a range of offences including burglary and possession of weapons.
Comments
Ross D Lane said: Video games are not to blame believe me right now if mw3 and Bf3 become banned in the UK im sure there will be more riots than ever if you are going to ban a game make it GTA there is no need to ban games like mw3 or bf3 because they arent encouraging riots if anything GTA is encouraging gangs n stuff so dont ban games like mw3 and bf3 just ban gta
Matt Egan said: Can I point out that we are merely reporting what a police officer said, and in no-way endorsing that viewpoint. After all, we review a lot of games, and have a games forum. This is not a site that is against gamers.
Guest said: And I play ALOT of violent games, yet I haven't commited any crimes and I am a decent, nice guy... Bloody leftists/morons don't know what they are talking about... here's something i learned from my dad: IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT, THEN IT'S BEST TO BE QUIET ABOUT IT! unless a credited psychologist (valid one) says so, I don't believe these headline grabbers! Screw you pcadvisor
Guest said: they* not we... oh and why don't you guys stop spending on the world, spend on fixing those slum societies that makes 3rd world countries look good and try to control police brutality? Oh and the police shot the guy, the guy was unarmed and he was defending the girl who was beaten up by police from throwing rocks at them... hence the spread, hence the snapping of the community and all who knew him, hence not taking any shit and hence the shitstorm of protests and destruction (the people who kill, steal and plunder are all idiots! they are innocent, the police are guilty as hell so dont kill any by-standers!)
Stalker said: I wrote something about this on a battlefield 3 thread where the 'uk' are 'threatening' to ban those games... And yeah, you are right just stupid governments and ppl playing what we call here in australia the 'blame-game'... God save england, screw the queen she can rot in hell for all i care... corrupted governments suck, oh whats next, we strip other minorities's rights by feeding other people more lies like these ones and have more idiot media's paying journalists to lie in their article and their interviews... seriously, fuck the media...
Stalker said: biggest load of crap i swear...
Alexander Williamson said: if they ban mw3, i will riot.
sirjohng said: Eastenders blows a huge hole in all the pre-nine o'clock rules but is still on before the "watershed" whatever that is now. Apparently the sex and violence in this heart-warming programme has nil effect on little minds. Perhaps if it came out as a video game it would be banned.
Derek Champ said: It is so obvious that violent games have an effect on young minds, though so many people try to deny this.
Petehammond2008 said: right i think we need to start a partition to ban eastenders that will teach the stuped idiots
Link said: Of course it was grand theft auto 4. These silly kids were just enjoying the game for 3 and half straight years...and now they felt like rioting. Of course that makes sense. OR........ another group of conservative idiots want to find a new "Marilyn Manson" to use as a scapegoat so we don't have to blame politics, or lack of family guidance, or a class-based economy as part of the riots. People who blame video games sicken me.
seeyouentee said: A police set up as usual . 330 people have died in police custody in the last 12 or 15 years and not one copper has been held accountable . The man Mr Duggan who was murdered by police was set up. If anyone here would like to take their eyes away from the mainstream media, from your corporate newspapers, and look at it from another view for once please do .
MillionlittleE said: I like how they don't say it was the kids who committed the crimes-_-
Millionlittlee said: Ok so a smart cop and a dumb cop sees a 100 dollar bill who takes it? The dumb cop, smart ones don't exist
Jack T H said: to mutch gunnshop
Thantos said: god this cop is retarded video games are not to blame this is the end result of bad parenting and the pathetic lack of severe punishment from the lawjesus christ am i getting sick of these retarded people blaming video games for everything you can bet your ass if they start bannign video games Rioting is going to be the least of thier worries
Grant Sullivan said: Wow, some people are just way over the edge, he's just mad because he cant't complete the first mission of GTA.
Daniel said: Actually no, it's probably about bad parenting, but it doesn't have anything to do with video games. There was violence and riots before video games and, contrary to this article, it has been proven that video games have reduced the acts of violence.
Dsa said: The cause of this is the most important
taxiturtle said: I'm working on a paper currently about how gaming has the exacty opposite affect and, in fact, has contributed the the crime drop we've experienced in the last two decades. Hopefully I can make it good enough quality to be published and finally people of authority can be shown that perhaps their perceptions of video gaming and media entertainment being the source of many violence-related offences is fundamentally flawed and needs to be reconsidered.