Okay.. all I can say here is where is our world going in the field of entertainment? I just got an email that there is a video game called Grand Theft Auto, and the person playing the game can have virtual sex with a prostitute and then murder her by clubbing her with a base ball bat, OR by cutting her in half with a chain saw.. or some other kind of killing.
Please tell me where the entertainment is? What does anyone get out of playing this game? Do you find this as sick as I do? Here is the link to the transcript about the game.
http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/9452/
[question posted by OreoCookie3]
responses and comments:
All of the GTA games are dispicable in my opinion I have NEVER allowed the game in my house BUT my hubby (behind my back) bought the newest GTA and said it was his anniversary gift from me if he wants to play it then fine but he is to NEVER play it while I am in the room or when the kids are home I dont want the kids exposed to that sort of violence and I dont want to see it either Its just disgusting In the game you actually get points (alot of points) for killing cops! Seriously and they wonder why children have become so violent? DUH! here is their sign! PS minus me please thanks [zukepr]
I agree they are despicable. I cannot even fathom that people find them entertaining. [OreoCookie3]
I remember when my ex-BIL bought the first GTA game about ten years ago. I have never got it. With all the violence in the world, why do you need a violent video game? [sedel1027]
Yep. The first version actually came out for PC in 1998. The console version - the one that catches all the media hype for being violent - didn't hit the scene until 2000-2001. There are a few version of GTA for PC. It has only been in the last 5 years that that version was phased out. [sedel1027]
Yes I think it is absolutely sick, I don't know what kind of crazed mind would make a video game like that. It just shows the depravity of our society. [winterose]
I so agree with you Rose. It is so sick, and to think that kids could get hold of this game and think this is how to behave with women in general. Think about the kinds of husbands and fathers this game might end up creating! [OreoCookie3]
Yawn. http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/1451795.aspx Just like others in the past Oreo, you fail to mention that textual fiction depicts things like this or even worse. Of course there is nothing wrong with that because...what? Uh huh. Its the same thing that was said with Lethal Enforcers (pretty tame compared to GTA) and Mortal Kombat (again tame). Fictions are just a way of release and entertainment, and people running around asking where is the entertainment for this... its understandable but discouraging. I could do something similar. Like why do people watch daytime "dramas", soaps, lifetime and other garbage. None of that is entertaining at all; most of it is a complete drain of time and intellect; and depending on what's being shown some of that is very disgusting itself! Now can anyone point out the enertainment of that?! In reality I don't care what you do for entertainment so long as its completely legal and not done excessively. By the way... fiction... was I the only one who saw in the dictionary that fiction meant "not real"? Or are we supposed to just have double standards and double talk as long as we want. Here's what gets me the most about arguments like this. People are afraid that fiction will be immitated. I'll admit there is a chance of it, but there are plenty of people playing "violent"(World of Warcraft, Warhammer, Doom, GTA) or even "inappropriate" games and they do nothing of the sort. Now here's the golden point... these people know the difference between fiction and reality and they know what harm they'll do if they bring it to reality. The children that try to immitate it, they are usually not parented propertly on this subject. And I couldn't help but see yet again (for the 945,678,232nd time) the blame entertainment game. Most people can draw differences and seperate fiction and reality. And there is also a rating system to help prevent this from ending up in the hands of kids. Heck if its so easy to blame games for everything wrong, why not blame TV or television shows for adults and some of their crap (adultery, alcoholism, shooting your husband in the back, hiring hitmen to kill others). But of course society isn't worried about that nope GTA IV, and any bloody game/movie(but ironically not other forms of thilth and empty TV) thats the source of all of what's wrong. What it looks like to me is what its always been in the past, blame the easiest and most visible target... plus no one has to exert effort on doing anything real for change. [theprogamer]
Cookie and Progamer, very well said! I remember when The Shield came out. My husband is a detective like the characters in the show and fell in love with it from the first minute of the first episode. The PTC and other groups were throwing a FIT over the violence in the game. In the first 5 minutes, a man's bare butt is shown and the detective rips a cocaine bundle off of one of his testicles. That is bad, but it's simple. If you don't want violent video games in the house, don't buy them. If you don't want to watch The Shield, then change the channel. I played Doom at work. I was on the ground floor and there was another nurses' station upstairs and we played against each other. We even and a tournament going at one point in time between the floors. Yeah, it's gory, but it's fun and like Progamer said, it allows us to escape reality and enter into a fantasy where the simplest errors can be fixed by pressing the reset button on the console. [MooPile]
Orea, I'm with you that there's somethig not right about these sort of messages. Young people particularly find it hard to discern reality from the screen, and we have to really wonder whether these are the sort of messages we want to be sharing. I had a friend who had a son who at that stage must have been about 10 or 11. One Christmas the boy's mother bought him Grand Theft Auto Vice City. I was utterly gobsmacked as I really don't think it's suitable for a child. She was an otherwise sensible, professional, loving woman so I do't know what got into her. I can only assume she didn't know the content, though I find that difficult to beleive as it had been all over the media. It left my friend, the father, in a difficult position. How do you take away from your child a gift that the other (divorced) parent has given? Tough! [GreenMoo]
Pheonix, would I be right in thinking that is a US ratings system? You'd think they'd be the same worldwide, but last time I bought GameBoy games they were rated something like 3+, 7+ etc. When I asked about the ratings, the guy told me that it was based on difficulty rather than suitability. [GreenMoo]
It is not only GTA...I just hate video games that involve violence. It beats my imagination that people can create something that teaches kids to be violent and claim that kids will be violent if they want to, video game or no video game. Everybody has the instinct to be violent but people stop resisting that urge once they have a feeling that society somehow condones it by allowing such violent games to be on the market. [ojassa]
You need to remember, though, that these games are not intended for children. GTA has a mature rating so that minors can not buy the game. Stores that do sell them to kids can face heavy fines and even prosecution. Children are not meant to be playing games like this. They are for adults, who should obviously know that the activities in the game are not things they should be doing out in society. [phoenix25]
Oh Oreo...whta on earth is it all coming to!!I was in the kitchen listening to the radio and they announced that the most violent vieo game had just come out,and I thought well if that just isnt plain stupid i just dont know what it!!!It made my blood oil to think that these sort of things are even allowed to be sold!!!Then the same afternoon i was shopping in Asda ..and there was an announcement over the tannoy,A delivery of Grand theft auto had just arrived instore an it was first come first served...when we have all that we havegoing on in the world..dont they think there is enough violence????...makes you mad doesnt it. [ruby222]
It is,its unbeleivable how they get away with creating stuff like this! [ruby222]
Yes Doll And it has been linked to crimes..The tips on how to are all there to be taken .. it just takes someone with scruples lacking and the crime is committed! xoxooxxoxoxoxo [raydene]
That's what worries me most Raydene. [OreoCookie3]
Grand Theft Auto has been out for a very long time. The newest one just came out this past week. As far as the virtual sex goes, I haven't seen the newest one but it really isn't virtual sex, its just implied. That being said, it is a very violent game, but there are tons of them these days. [MrNiceGuy]
i remember seeing a kid playing Grand Theft Auto San Andreas... It was horrible with prostitutes, car jacking, murder, etc. I was amazed that the teen ager was being allowed to play with it as it had a Mature rating. Recently, I heard that one immature teen actually stole this game from a family friend's house. I thought it was ironic that he stole to get something that is all about stealing. I think that these games should be outlawed or at least that parents should be required to keep them in a locked box away from the kiddies as the children and adolescents are indeed often easily influenced by games like this and have a tendency to accept or to embark on illegal behaviors or behaviors that harm other people. [whiteheron]
Fight nice Gloom... we already know how you feel. [OreoCookie3]
I just spoke about this very same game not too long ago. I did not know that all of this was involved in it. So apparently the game is a lot sicker than I thought. It is very sad that children are being exposed to such sickness. Most adults are even sickened by this mess. It is really sad. [Rozie37]
Just when I think that I have seen and heard it all, they come up with something even more disturbing. The things that use to cause my mother's mouth to drop open is now every day normal occurances. I remember her saying back in the seventies that they could not even advertise a bar of soap without putting sex in it. She passed away in 1980. If she could see the world today, she would do nothing but cry. All of this stuff was just too much for her. When we were little, she would watch the news and just cry. She couldn't understand it. [Rozie37]
Oreo, I heard about this horrible so-called "game" a long time ago and I can't believe it hasn't been taken off the market! I sure do find this as sick as you do and I can guarantee you no kid of mine would have such a game and if I ever heard of them playing it elsewhere...well, let's just say they better not! What DOES anyone get our of playing a game like this indeed? If that's entertainment count me out, I don't want to be entertained. Let's go back to Pac-Man and Donkey Kong! Annie [anniepa]
I agree Annie it is sick, and it speaks volumes for people that allow it in their homes.. is all I can say. [OreoCookie3]
I think this is a very sick game and alot of the games out there are sick. I remember my son in grade 8 did a speech on the ratings of video games. Teenagers are playing these games and then some of them are probably thinking of acting them out. Sick, Sick , Sick! [linda345]
How is Dungeons and Dragons sick? It's an imaginary quest and story that one of the people in the group makes up. Usually it's a quest to retrieve an object, find a person, or kill a monster. I don't know what you're thinking, but it's a lot like Warcraft that is played with figures placed on a map to show character placement. It's no more violent than watching a movie with swordfighting and it is not actually acted out between people. I'm not sure why that is sick. [phoenix25]
yes.. i do think it is a sick video game.. i really dont understand how people could play any games where you have shoot, kill or hurt a person.. or an animal or anything... enough of that on the streets, on the news and tv shows... dont think you need to play games with such 'story-line'.... [4mymak]
I'm with you on that. [OreoCookie3]
I sincerely do not see what the problem is and quite frankly, what I find to be sick are these countless numbers of yuppie soccer Moms who are too busy with lunch dates and salon appointments to actually raise their kids and therefore feel the need to blame video games when little Timmy turns out to be a d!ckweed. There's more violence in "American Psycho" and "A Clockwork Orange" than in any of the GTA games. And both of them are both literature and fiction that have been around for decades. But oh, no, if a child reads something like that, they're developing, but if it happens on a TV or computer screen under their control, it's degeneration. [GloomCookieLex]
I wasn't aware I was trying to "impress" you, or that I had a "number". [GloomCookieLex]
I love grand theft auto...you have to play it once before you knock it, lol. Yes it's violent. Sure it's terrible. No, you should not do any of these things the game shows. But man is it good for getting your aggression out!! Obviously kids should not play it. [vera5d]
That's just it.. kids are playing it... and parents don't even care. [OreoCookie3]
Well the game does say 18 on it,so i guess if anyone has bought this for either themself or a child then when it comes to nowadays anything is possible. My son has this game & plays it,he is old enough & mature to make up his own mind on what he does or does not play. i am not worried he will go out & do such things as you speak of,but at the same time i can understand why you & others are upset about it. happy [LoudnProud]
It's entertainment just as wrestling is entertainment, COPS is entertainment and so is The Sopranos. it's all glorified violence, but if you teach your kids that you can't go around clubbing people on the head with baseball bats, they'll be fine. My son has the first GTA game and the 2nd GTA game. He has beaten both of them, and has shown little interest in GTA 3 or 4. But if he wants to get them, I don't see why we'd not let him. He also has all of the Syphon Filter games and let me tell you, those games are fun. I had more fun playing them than he did. We've also taught our kids right from wrong and they know that if you club someone in the head with a baseball bat and they die, you can't just push restart on life and they'll come back like on a video game. [MooPile]
I totally agree with you on this one. Theguy also beats people up and steals there cars, motorbikes etc. I think it is an 18 but even so it encourages violence in all its extremes, and under 18's will get their hands on a copy that is for sure. People wonder why there is so much vioence in the world and then let their kids play this. Crazy. Ellie :D [ellie333]
perhaps we should event our own video game then and call it 'where is the love' and have the people searching for it, they get extra points and lives the more caring, sharing, love and hugs they give along the way of their quest. When they get to the end they could enveloped in an angels wings and ascended up to the next level. Lets do it. Ellie :D [ellie333]
GTA is old news. This is the seventh game of this series that has been released. Yeah, it's not the most tasteful game out there, but you can see just as much violence while watching primetime television or while watching some movies. The thing about GTA is that you don't HAVE to do those things. GTA is as violent as the person playing the game. Having sex with prostitutes in the game was added by the programmers as a way to recover health points. This scenario is just an option, though. There are other ways to recover health. Some missions in the game do require you to kill a certain person, but there are police in the game that will chase you and try to stop you whenever you commit a crime. The shooting and using weapons is no different than playing a game like Medal of Honor or Battlefield 1942. My husband plays this game and likes playing it because it's an alternate reality where he can do things that he wouldn't do in real life. People see all kinds of things in movies, in video games, and on tv, but they don't necessarily go out and do those things. This game is rated mature, so it is intended for people ages 17 and older. [phoenix25]
Well, it says a lot about the parents that are letting 10 year old kids play this game. It says that they are not paying attention to what their kids are doing...and they should be aware of what kinds of games their kids are playing. I would never allow a gun in my home even if I felt like I needed it because I know how dangerous it can be to keep a gun in the house. The problem with your argument is that there ar millions of people out there that play games like these and do not lead violent or criminal existences. I played the original GTA and have watched people play it and I am not a violent person by any means. Some people are going to violent regardless of whether or not they play violent video games. Unless you want to eliminate free speech in this country, games like this will continue to be made and parents will have to continue to monitor the games that their children play just as you would monitor the movies and television shows that your child watches. [phoenix25]
I have played the Vice City version of this game and YES it is VERY violent. I was thinking at first that it wasn't too bad until a mission came up that I had to chase down a man and kill him with a chainsaw. needless to say, that was when I quit playing. As far as the prostitute thing, I don't know much about it, but my nephew told me he had played it. Most of the games I have seen come from the Rockstar Game industry are very violent. One year my friends son wanted a game called MANHUNT for christmas. He told her it was about zombies. When she went to the store to get it, the clerk ask how old her son was. She told him he was 16, so the clerk filled her in on the game a bit. It seems the game is about killers who videotape thier killings and the more gruesome the kill the more points you rack up. I don't know if this is true or not, because I haven't played it, but that is what she was told. Needless to say, her son didn't receive the game for christmas. The latest version of GTA came out a few days ago and there was actually a guy that maced clerks in a game store and stole the game, so that tells me the violence from the game is catching on in the real world also. [sharkbiter]
Now, I will concede that MANHUNT absolutely IS sick. I have no problem admitting that I'm a bit of a sadist, but that game actually did go to far. My fiance and I actually returned the game because we couldn't stand to even have it in our house. THAT game IS mindless, sickening violence. There is no plot. It's a bunch of convicted serial killers and murders fenced into an urban area and filmed for "reality television" of them just killing each other in the most gruesome ways possible. None of the GTAs are anything compared to that pigswill. [GloomCookieLex]
Oh this is sad. Firstly, where have you been for the last 12 years?? Secondly - the way you have described this game makes it sounds more sick than it actually is. Thirdly - sex with a prostitute is only available through a hack - which most people did not even KNOW about until some twit came out a year or two ago crying foul and then they wondered why everyone was seeking out said hack! I am not mocking your opinion so please dont get me wrong, but I am however quite annoyed at the likes of comments like these made upon things of which the commenters have no experience or ACTUAL knowledge with so I am keen to respond to your post. I have been playing this game since the first edition came out (I am now 30). I own every edition. I was playing it before my boyfriend was playing it. Yes, you can kill people - no real big wowies going on there, I think just about every single nintendo game that I ever played as a child consisted of me having to 'kill' something. Oh wait - and so does majority of todays games! Just because you can use a chainsaw, bat or a gun does not make the killing any different to jumping on a turtles head to destroy it. Or wait. Shooting fire from your cute little Mario hands. The sex with the prostitute that you can have without using the hack..consists of this visual: The camera pans down whilst the characters are sitting in a vehicle and all you can see is the outside of the vehicle. You cannot even see the tops of the characters heads. The car moves and squeaks a little bit, theres a little bit of lingo which isnt very audible and then its over. Again with the Ooos and Aaaahs please. Now. Ive seen worse on TV thanks. Much worse. And its not like your character is married and expected to be in some sort of a committed, monogamous relationship for crying outloud. Again - if noone had made a public annoyance by announcing that there were hacks available to view other content throughout this game, noone would ever have known. Now, the most important part - THIS GAME IS NOT FOR CHILDREN. Never has been nor should it ever be. If you are irresponsible enough to buy it for your child, you should be shot. I know you cant police them 24/7 but you can control what they are playing whilst under your own roof. This game is for adults. It was made for adults, yet adults get punished because we are all so 'worried about the children'. I am more concerned about sick hardcore porn and snuff films, that kind of thing. Its all out there, its all sicker than these games and just as easily available to children, especially with the internet. By stating that you find this game sick, I am assuming that you find any other role-playing game sick as well? I cant think of anything besides games like Tetris and oo wait - I was gonna say Pac Man, but no - even HE kills things by eating them. Racing car games are about the only other thing besides puzzlers that dont involve 'killing' of some kind, but still..in some you have to get a little violent..ramming other cars and such...o.O Games like Halo...all war...kill kill kill...why has there been no uproar about these? Is it because they are strategy shooters? Is it because they represent our armed forces as such or something??? Quake and Doom which came out like 15-20 years ago, full blood and gore splatter and war, war, war...I dont see any big stink being kicked up about these. It is like watching a movie only you are playing the parts. And Im sorry, but majority of the crap that is throughout the movies and television shows these days...make games like these look no more harmless than comic books. Not to mention, in the news is nothing but this sort of crap. Murders, rapes, sick mind games, extortion, etc. Its all around us, every day. And how many people sit down and watch the news, shaking their heads and saying I cant believe that actually happened? Yet they all go on with their lives, they dont turn into mass murderers or rapists and they do not dwell on it. I just wish that ignorance would encourage people to think about, and actually find out the facts behind statements made in reference to controversial things like this rather than automatically assuming that what theyve read is 100% gospel. First and foremost, children should not be playing this sort of thing. Thats the only issue that should really be raised with regards to these kind of games - any of them that have high level gore or heavily detailed storylines. I think that if you dont like blood and gore, then dont play it. Dont look at it. Pretty simple. I dont like rap music so I choose not to listen to it - I dont run massive campaigns trying to ban it and punish people who enjoy it. [BunnehDoll]
You made some great points, BunnehDoll. What is offensive to one person might not be offensive to another. I find my neighbor's dog offensive, but I'm not trying to have him euthanised (sp?). One thing that I did think about that I had to add to this discussion is a study that I read about in one of my psychology textbooks. Researchers studied children in Japan and children in the United States and monitored their television and video game use and the level of violence exhibited in those children. Japanese children watch more television and play more video games on average than American children watch and play. Also, a lot of Japanese cartoons and video games are more bloody and violent than here in the US. Even with the increased hours of television and video game use, Japanese kids are nowhere near as violent as their American counterparts. Interesting study, isn't it? It really contests the theory that video games make kids violent. The question is, what is the difference here in the US that IS causing kids to be more violent if it is not TV or video games? [phoenix25]
Hi OC: I have only seen this game once, (and I wasn't playing it). It is discusting and why would anyone buy it? These games should be banned. Have a nice day. Ivor [TheSpy]
i love playing grand theft auto games because its all for fun. things you can't do in real life you can do in the game. like if you want to have a shoot out with the cops, drive cars, pick up hookers, do crazy stunts, kill pedestrians, and much more to do. so grand theft auto is all for fun and to enjoy. [shawnx718]
I dont think this game should be sold to or played by anyone under the age of 21 I almost had a heart attack when my 9yr old grandson was playing it I made him turn it off and I also told my daughter this game shouldnt be played by him when he was killing policemen her answer was "it is only a game" but it is one game that wont be played at my house by my grandchildren.Have a great day. [bfarrier1]
That is definitely not right for a mom to let a child that young play this game. It is not supposed to be played or bought by people younge than 17. [phoenix25]