Kotaku
A stabbing reported by the BBC to have occurred by a perpetrator waiting in line for a midnight UK launch of Grand Theft Auto IV may be completely unrelated and the result of "media panic" according to conflicting reports. VNU cites GamesRadar as the source, which credits a GameStation employee who told the outlet that the crime committed against a passer-by "had categorically not pre-ordered the game" and that the victim was not in the store's queue.
Theories abound that drunken pub goers nearby had been the ones getting all stabby. We're not sure who to believe in this case, the BBC (sorry, who?) or some guy who works at GameStation who cracked the case for GamesRadar. It's all so confusing and tangential, but at least we got a fun story out of it! :(
Grand Theft Auto stabbing disputed [VNU]
GTA stabbing "nothing to do with GTA" [GamesRadar]
Comments
anything for the news media to talk about
Surely the pic's touching on bad taste?
Before I fly off the fucking handle, I will beg of you to explain the "fun story" we got out of a man being stabbed. Because honestly, if I thought it was in bad taste to have the FIRST Kotaku story talk about the stabbing in relation to how it affects us, imagine how angry I'll be when any part of a guy being stabbed in real life is considered "fun."
Noooooooooooooooooooo.
MOAR GAME BASHING BY PROXY PLOX!
This answers my biggest question, how the dude got away. Of course now I have a new question, how did a stabbing a quarter of a mile away suddenly get moved in front of a Gamestation with hundreds of people waiting in line?
@Maldron: I'm pretty sure the :( was meant to convey sarcasm.
@Pezdispenser: Simple: It sells a better story that GTA and games in general promote all those evil crimes the media keep trying and failing to link to them.
Anything for a story.
Main stream media promoting a violent video game story without getting all the facts? -gasp- who saw that coming.
You could take out the 'video game' part of the above and it wouldn't still be shocking.
The media merely shifted the facts to provide a better story. It's sad they are so quick to do this. As if there weren't enough problems in the world they exaggerate the "threat" video games are to society. Anything to sell the story to the unsuspecting masses who believe these stories at face value.
@TeknoVagrant: <.< Didn't see that the first go-'round.
@skullkid: The picture reminds me of SSBB more than anything else.
this side of the story will be buried. whereas the first "story" was all over every media outlet, this one will be six feet under for the mainstream media.
Ohhh it's not a GTAIV stabbing you say?
Just a drunken fool who stabbed someone like millions of other alchohol related crimes? Not newsworthy anymore! We have to find other ways of banning these DANGEROUS videogames.
Let's say we call it a day and go get wasted! News team assemble!
As expected... no watches BBC, they have to be the worst news station ever. They always say a buncha BS biased stuff...
@Maldron: Good thing you didn't fly off the handle then.
@Pornosaur: I know, it's a good thing I waited!
I figured the MADD thing would come in at right about 24hrs after the game's release. I did figure it would take at least a month for the first violent crime to be related to the game by the media. I fogot to consider people assualting gamestop employee's for the game itself. Although that crime can't be admissible as being a direct influence from playing GTAIV. I gave up on news a long time ago, but have they been running any "Red Alert" warnings to parents, I'd say FOX would be the most likely canidate.
i dint pre order but got it when it cae out...dude should have went to another store instead of stabbing someone
Well too bad everyone in line couldn't help the victim out, eh.
@redrabbit: No one wanted to lose their place in line? Sad, but true.
@Captain Impulse: Unfortunately... Instead of the headline "Gamer stabs victim in crowd line and makes off with violent game", it should be replaced with "Gamer stabbed, perpetrator caught by other bystander gamers while trying to flee." Too bad that's not the case... It's not even safe to go out and buy a game anymore. I must wonder though still, if the victim did/will end up playing GTA, or if he's too shocked to go around killing people in a game anymore...
@redrabbit: Note to gamers: As we've seen with the PS3 and GTA launches, if you're going to wait in line for a release, arm yourself. And please, keep an eye on each other's backs...we're all brothers (and sisters), you know?
*Cue "The More You Know" rainbow.
BBC?, how could you let me down so?; my only source of un-biased worldly events.
A friend of mine happens to know the victim. While of course being highly distressed she did stress that the bastard attacker was NOT in the queue, and rather making fun of the immature people queuing up to buy a silly videogame, shortly before deciding that the best way to solve his problems was to stab them.
@Fyren: To be fair, it says in the article that he was walking past the queue - it doesn't say he was in the queue at all.
I like the BBC. I don't even trust the Broadsheets here any more :(
My cat coughed up a hairball today, and it did it while sitting next to a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV!
Okay I made that up to get some media attention, but Grand Theft Auto IV made me do it!
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