[reiner]

I remember hearing about some comparative research done on violent crime rates among game players and non game players. Anyone know about that? Would be interesting to see.

[Shawnathan]

I don't understand why it's just "Video Games" that cause these things! These Parents seem to want to immediatly blame Video Games! There are extremely violent "MOVIES" out there that are more violent then games. Look at "Taxi Driver", that Robert Deniro movie! That came out before any violent video games hit the shelfs!

[Just your average movie goer]

It's whatever people don't like at the time of the shooting. The concept of the 'scapegoat' is thousands of years old. People seem to never get tired of it.

Personally, I hate Jessica Simpson's music. And the second that someone goes on a murder spree and it turns out he/she had a Jessica Simpson CD, I'm going to jump at the chance to say "Jessica Simpson's music drives people to violent crimes! It must be banned! Banned, I tell you!"

[Rory]

Also, I think anyone who is 14+(perhaps younger, but thats tough to say) should have the right to play any game on the market, no matter how graphic. If I were a game store guy, I'd consider it an act of Civil Disobediance to sell such games to minors! By the age of 14, any sensible (or even not so sensible) person should be able to distinguish fantasy from reality, and if they can't... well that would just be really awkward for all involved, i think.

[SimeSublime]

In Australia, games are actually rated by the same board who rate movies, and as such the ESRB is generally ignored in favour of the governmental rating. The move violent games are rated MA15+, meaning it is actually illeagle for the game shops to sell them to minors, but this doesn't seem to stop them. There is no R18+ rating for games, anything that is that bad is instantly classed as illeagle. It seems a bit unfair at first, but then again why would you want to play a game that was so violent that it was rated R in the first place. GTA3 was designated as R and was banned just after it hit the shelves. As such, they removed the mission where-in you buy a prostitute then kill her, and the game was dropped to MA15+ and re-released.

[Just your average movie goer]

As such, they removed the mission where-in you buy a prostitute then kill her, and the game was dropped to MA15+ and re-released.

I think anyone who chose to play games where you hire prostitutes and kill them should probably be put in prison before they commit said act in real life.

Prevention is the best cure.

[SimeSublime]

I myself quite liked the first two GTA games, but the third one never really interested me. It just seemed to get too 'real', and hey, that doesnt fit with escapism.

[Just your average movie goer]

Yeah, I thought video games were meant to be fun. For a shoot 'em up style game, I cannot go past Dark Forces. It is probably my all-time designed-for-PC Game.

But you've gotta love some of the old Atari and Nintendo Games. Space Invaders will never grow old for me. Asteroids rocks. And on the Super Nintendo, I couldn't get enough of F-Zero. THEY are fun games.


.... oh, and of course, Super Mario Kart.

[Jordan]

I've always hated gore and over the top bloody effects.

The only game I really got into was mortal kombat. Not because of Finishing moves. But because Sub Zero was so damn cool!


I like strategy games and RPGs. Warcraft is my all time favorite (simcity is 2nd place).


KOTOR was a big step in my video game career. I bought in based on what you guys said, and IGN.com.

When it works, I will probably enjoy it. Till then I'm all about warcraft!!!!!

[Rory]

Truth be told I often feel pretty bad about killing innocent people in games, especially since most of the games I play are roleplaying games and the like. I like to like the character I play.

However, if someone enjoys playing the bad guy and killing imaginary prostitutes and what not, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it, in my opinion. After all, who gets hurt? As long as the person can see the difference between fantasy and reality, I'm fine with them doing whatever they want to imaginary prostitutes and the like.

[Chefelf]

When I first started playing Grand Theft Auto I was very careful not to kill any innocent people. I felt bad when I ran them over accidentally, but I had important business to attend to.

[Amber-Nicole]

I'm fine with them doing whatever they want to imaginary prostitutes and the like.

That's dandy if they can tell the difference between reality and fantasy. But for the record, I would just like to state that I think people who fantasize about killing prostitutes are creepy.

[jyd]

And German teenager Robert Steinhaeuser, who shot dead 13 teachers and two fellow pupils before turning the gun on himself, was reportedly an avid fan of the game Counter-Strike.

okay 30,000 kids play counter-strike there were not 30,000 school shootings, there were like 3 thats one for every 10,000 kids that play counter-strike


im sure its also one out of 10,000 kids who drink milk..dont drink milk or youll shoot up my school

[Just your average movie goer]

But for the record, I would just like to state that I think people who fantasize about killing prostitutes are creepy.

Thank you, Amber-Nicole.

[barend]

RE:GTA...

at first I played GTA like a professional, very carefull, very smooth...

but there were one too many times when i was trying to get away from the bad guys... and really bad drivers where hitting my car, resulting in my death, or capture, and worst of all mission failure...

so i jumped onto the back of a random ute and as it drove me around I started pluging people randomly, I call it Serial killing Safari Style!
It's fun, I kill, I kill, I kill, and then I do some jumps, and then kill some more... I love it... and yet? No Psychopathic tendacies arise when i leave the game, no matter how rude people are to me on the street...

BECAUSE I'M NOT CRAZY!!! I just like violent video games...

that's no so bad...
but what gets me about the office of film and literature classification board in australia... is how they deemed the killing of a prostitute as being much worse than giving a granny a facefull of flamethrower... or blugeoning sunbathers at the beach with a hammer...

why that one mission? is there some personal issue we should know about one of the overlords at the OFLC? someone there got a second job? hmmm...

besides which, killing a prostitute after normal business has been conducted is technically murder/theft/refund. But not "sexual violence" or "rape" - which is what they said it was promoting...

. don't get me wrong, I agree with Amber-Nicloe about it being creepy, in fact it goes beyond that... all I want to know... is of all the things you do in that game why that one thing was considered the worst?

I did far worse things...

then you've got Deus Ex (sp). there's a girls school there... little school girls walking around, all of which you can kill, pick up the bodies and throw them at other people....

No problem there, according to the perceptive OFLC...

keep up the good work, lads.