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British Policeman Blames Grand Theft Auto For London Riots
firefly2003
Member UncommonPosts: 2,527
Remember the part in Grand Theft Auto IV where a riot breaks out during a protest over a father of four getting gunned down by police? Me either, but the London constable nonetheless blames the game series for inciting the violence that has resulted in over 160 arrests across the city.
While others are blaming Blackberry, Facebook, and Twitter for the senseless violence that has spread into four London boroughs over the last two days, an unnamed bobby speaking to the London Evening Standard reached deeper into the grab bag of convenient scapegoats. "These are bad people who did this," he said. "Kids out of control. When I was young it was all Pac-Man and board games. Now they're playing Grand Theft Auto and want to live it for themselves."
There you have it – in the age of Pac-Man, rioting over the actions of the London police would never enter into the minds of the innocent youth. But now, Rockstar has injected anarchistic tendencies into teenagers' brains. We couldn't possibly expect this old chap to remember the Brixton riots of 1981 and 1985, could we?
To read more about the riots, visit the Guardian's riot hub. To read more about video games being blamed for all of society's ills, google Jack Thompson.
[via GamePolitics]
Comments
I blame it on the food.
Good one!
Apply lemon juice and candle flame here to reveal secret message.
Violent video games would NOT be popular if there wasn't a violent tendancy in the people playing them. I once asked my 17yr old cousin (6yrs younger than me) to play Aliens vs Predator, and she ran out of the room screaming when the aliens started breaking the floor vents past that power switch the Marine has to reset (In the 2010 AVP).
I chalked it up to her being a "Girly Girl", to which I recieved a hard punch to the spine (ow >,<). So i gave her a chance to redeem herself by watching ME play as an alien. What did I do? First thing right off the bat, I ripped off a female marine's head (that annoying one with the ponytails & the bandage on her nose)...to which my cousin almost threwup as she ran to the bathroom. Whilst I was cackling meniacly, she was dry-heaving over the toilet 2 rooms away.
Two days later, I asked her AGAIN to come and watch me play some video games of mine (she only agreed to, if I NEVER turned AVP on again in her presence). So, I threw in Gears of War && quickly started taking chainsaw blades to my foe. THIS, at first, got some giggles from her and the question "did he just durp as the blade went into his gut?". UNTIL, that is, I cut one in half and blood went everywhere && you could see the organs. Again, she ran away in horror.
At the end of the day the following can be considered true:
-I like blood, violence, gore, and am an otherwise stable individual who would probably wince in RL if I ever saw someone's splean falling out of their gut due to an accident of some kind. Yet, I'd still ram a Predator's blade into the spines of some NOT REAL humans on a video game and cackle as I mounted their skulls as trophies on my living room mantel.
-My cousin, is not a violent individual by nature, and she's not REALLY a "girly girl". She curses a LOT more than I do, but at the end of the day she can barely play anything violent without it physically upsetting her. Oh, and she plays WoW. (god i hate that game -.-)
-Old people who don't play modern video games don't get "it". Video games ONLY appeal to audiances that are ALREADY geared towards them. Although there's something to be said about slowly working your way up to ultra-graphic video games (like the Resident Evil series), but you can't simply give a kid a REAL gun who loves Modern Warfare. They'll literally start crying once they fire it in RL (you ever watched the video of the kid who loves violent games allowed to fire a real gun? dude cried....literally).
Silly British Police officer isn't going anywhere fast in law enforcement if he thinks Grand Theft Auto caused those riots LOL!
The Theory of Conservative Conservation of Ignorant Stupidity:
Having a different opinion must mean you're a troll.
and cops shoot people because they play to much Call of Duty.
Most epic game of LARP ever.
Honestly though, being a Cop isn't easy, this may just be one man trying to understand what he sees as senseless violence.
"I swear -- by my life and my love for it -- that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine."
- John Galt
This police officer hit the nail on the head! I mean, back during the pac-man days, all I ever wanted to do was live out my fantasy of dressing up as a yellow ball with a mouth and eyes and eating ghosts and fruit while traversing a maze. So imagine what these kids are thinking!! lol
The world has never needed television or video games to show people how to shoot each other.
Why these days games are the only fault? Brevik kills = wow, cod fault
Riot in London = GTA
This is BUL CRAP i just get frustrated at these ignorant idiots.
I think dont think a bunch of people just finshed playing some video games and decided to riot. I play tons of video games with guns and everything else and after I'm through I have never wanted to go shoot someone or do anything distructive. I usually either want to make food, sleep, or go out and do something like spend money or hang with the girl. To say that games are to blame for this is pure ignorance.
Ummm... ok...
Before movies and games existed, people's psyche was plenty violent - or at least people acted out in violent ways just as often or more. To not understand this would be quite strange.
Hmmm, so who or what to blame for all the violence before the tv/video game era?
Religion?
Honestly, Jack the Ripper was a really big deal at the time.
Nowadays, Jack wouldn't even be considered that good of a serial killer. Might not even make the National Press Headlines.
"I swear -- by my life and my love for it -- that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine."
- John Galt
Cant say you can compare that. Placing any of DiVinci's inventions into todays times wouldnt make headlines either. Reason being that they dont use all modern facilities. Just like DaVincis tank wouldnt have armor plating, Jack the Ripper isnt using guns or bombs or some other killing device that didnt exist as much then.
I do agree games and movies affect or inspire people to do things.
How ever it is not the fault of the games or movies that the blame should be placed upon. The blame should be squarely pointed at the people who can't separate fantasy from reality in the first place.
-Azure Prower
http://www.youtube.com/AzurePrower
No, I don't know about that kid. It would be nice if you could link something about him.
Its the "senseless" violence we see more of nowadays. The "thrill" kills etc. Maybe we are just catching more of these people in the act.
Leonardo was designing weapons of war. He was also a vegetarian, and loved animals. War was very common back then.
Jeffrey Dahmer could of pulled out a gun, and went on a rampage, but he didn't.
I am not making arguments for blaming video games and tv, but I wouldn't rule them out completely as factors. In Dahmer's case, it might of been because he grew up in a culture that is not accepting of Homosexuality. He talked about wanting to make people into dolls so they wouldn't leave him.
"I swear -- by my life and my love for it -- that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine."
- John Galt
What a little wanker.
So I suppose the St Pauls, Chapeltown, Handsworth, Oldham, Bradford, and the several Brixton riots over the past 30 years, can also be blamed on GTA4? Racial tensions, unemployment, piss poor communications between the community, the man's relatives, and police department, after a fatal shooting by said police, had nothing to do with it? If this tw@t is so dissascociated from the lives and cultures of the people he is supposed to be policing, it is no wonder this kind of crap continues to happen.
"Gypsies, tramps, and thieves, we were called by the Admin of the site . . . "
good thing that officer didnt know about apb reloaded .he might have corrected his statement and sayd the fault wasa apb lol
People have to of played it to be influenced by it. Though i understand what you are saying.
(sorry apb, cheap shot!)
"I swear -- by my life and my love for it -- that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine."
- John Galt
so what video games did they play in 1884?
The Cincinnati Riots of 1884 started when a mob attacked the Cincinnati jail in an attempt to lynch William Berner, who had been sentenced to 20 years in jail for manslaughter after murdering his employer. Over 10,000 rioters gathered to attack the jail, and troops and the militia were called in the assist the police. After three days of violence, the jail and courthouse had been burned, over 50 people had died and many more were wounded.[6]
source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riot
It just seems to be more common nowadays.
I hear about riots all the time. I heard about riots last month, and the month before etc. I am not surprised when i hear of another workplace shooting, or another college shot up. I expect at least one of these events yearly now, when i was younger i never remember hearing about such things at all. (other then the riots, being a detroiter i know that word pretty well)
Maybe we are just more connected then ever that gives a preception of increased violence, maybe its our culture or the growing pains of cultures that are having trouble letting go of old beliefs. Maybe its the fact moral is thrown around like its a bad word, or a word used to supress someone.
Dunno, better minds then mine will figure it out someday.
"I swear -- by my life and my love for it -- that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine."
- John Galt
Just like the surge in super talented golfers since Tiger Woods '06 came out.