I was up in Liverpool for a week a couple of weeks ago and even on the news there it's every single night... People say it's through violent video games and I guess that's got something to do with it. If kids are sitting up all night smoking super skunk [cannabis] and they come so desensitised to crime because they're playing these video games, it's really, really scary.

Wouldn't these kids not having jobs or getting an education have more to do with it?

Oasis star wants action on knives [BBC via Binge Gamer]

A popular video game for the Xbox 360 is getting a sequel this year - and it seems to be raising eyebrows with its level of gore and detail... The game certainly attracted attention for its realistic visuals and battle scenes, but caused some pause when game designers showed off a new attack players can use in the game.

The game presents the player with a number of projectile weapons, but also features a chainsaw for melee attacks. In the demo, the player can use the chainsaw to cut a person in half, starting at the groin and moving upwards. Also, players can pick up the corpses of fallen enemies and use them as a "meat shield" to protect themself from enemy fire as they engage in battle from behind the corpse.

Meh. This is nothing compared to the mainstream media shit storm Resident Evil 5 will cause.
Players Can Use Corpses As "Meat Shields" [AZ Family via Game Politics]

Nonprofit advocacy group the Parents' Television Council takes their position on enforcement beyond just demanding legal consequences for retailers who sell M-rated games to kids under the age of 17. The council wants games like GTA IV locked up behind store counters, like cigarettes, tobacco and porn.

Gavin McKiernan, national grassroots director for the council, has never played a GTA game and does not dispute the right of mature adults to have access to it.

"The PTC thinks that there's room in our society for adult products, be they video games, movies, magazines, guns, whatever you want," he said. "But scientific research has shown and common sense tells you also that until [as children] we reach a certain stage, your mind and body are still growing and things have a different effect on you than they do as an adult and you don't have the perspectives to make the best decision."

"I know I was a blithering idiot when I was 16, and most people were," he said.

McKiernan believes that violent media actually causes harm to young people, pointing to studies from the University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, Michigan State University, and the University of Oklahoma Medical School, among others, that appear to demonstrate a correlation between exposure to violent games and "aggressive" brain activity in adolescents.

"All of these correlations are the basis for preventative medicine... and the need for preventative steps to be taken, and the medical community accepts that on the whole," he said. "The potential for harm has been proven over and over again."

Video games like GTA IV are evaluated by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board and assigned a rating that indicates the age group for which it is - or isn't - appropriate. And these games are intended for adults, not kids. The Entertainment Software Association's data finds that the average video game player is age 35, and the average video game purchaser is 40 years old.

"If you go into your Wal Mart, the guns are not marketed at eye level to children," McKiernan says. "They are not promoted widely and broadly as something everyone should be heading over to the gun aisle to pick up... But the stores are not treating these games as adult products."

And the ESRB's voluntary regulations are not enough, he said. "Parents can punish their kids for drinking when they're 15, but we still have laws to keep alcohol out of kids hands to help the parents because they can't be everywhere at every time."

"Specifically with GTA, there is no legal ramification for selling this game to children," McKiernan said. "We ask that stores not promote it to the wider audience, to children, and that it be treated like any other adult product, like an adult magazine, that is kept behind counters and not at the sight line and within reach."

Dan Hewitt, the Entertainment Software Association's senior director of communications, said that the laws the Council hopes for have been found unconstitutional over and over again, at every instance.

Nonetheless, McKiernan is frustrated that the ESRB advocates a responsible use of its rating system without lobbying for adoption of these laws, and he feels industry groups like the Entertainment Software Association should be on the front lines of this battle. "It seems hypocritical, from our viewpoint," he said. "These rules should become law and that would increase the enforcement of them... voluntary things tend to meet with varying levels of success."

"An unconstitutional law that repeatedly gets thrown out by the courts is not an effective way to empower parents," said the association's Hewitt, who still feels the most effective regulatory methods involve a collaboration between parents and family advocacy groups to inform themselves, such as the efforts made through ongoing partnership between the Parent-Teacher Association and the ESRB.

"And it's setting up a parameter by which games are being treated differently than other First Amendment-protected material. Treating games differently than books, magazines and movies goes against the First Amendment. You can't codify the ratings system; you can't give it the rule of law, because then you're giving the power of government away to a private entity."

So according to Hewitt, information and communication is still the best way to protect kids from material inappropriate for their age level. "Really robust actions that drive the messages out there, that put tools and information into parents' hands are great ways to educate, empower and ensure that the games kids are playing are the right ones... the activities that we're talking about don't waste taxpayer money, don't waste state resources, and don't waste legislators' time," he said.

Thanks Ryan for the tip!

The world of Grand Theft Auto does contain violence and misogyny; but then, so does The Godfather, or Goodfellas. So, for that matter, does The Iliad.

It's exactly the same sentiment we've seen time and time again, honestly, and while I doubt it will have much impact on the bone-headed, brainwashed parents who read it, it is nice to see it in a major news outlet. Alderman uses Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (which she calls GTA 3) as an example in the article extensively.

Johnson is trying to clean up his neighbourhood. But as a dispossessed, orphaned young black man, he has no option but to re-form his neighbourhood gang to do so. The makers of this game, like the makers of any movie about gangland, can stand squarely behind the art they have created and say: this represents reality. If it offends you, don't criticise the art, but take action to improve the world around you.

Naomi's most effective point in the whole piece comes towards the end of the article, when she strays from the violent and tries to introduce parents to the more whimsical side of gaming.

Don't worry. The gaming world isn't filled only with violence and depravity. In fact, it's mostly enchanting. If you haven't already spent a little time online playing with the sweetly soothing Samorost game, or Eyemaze's whimsical Grow series, or Foon's delightful Hapland, I urge you to do so now. And then share them with your children.

If we deny children access to all computer games, we deprive them of a rich and magical experience [The Guardian - Thanks Everyone!]

More and more, [David Edison of GayGamer.net] sees a split between two extremes. "I see popular thought divided starkly between those who play, enjoy or appreciate interactive media and those whose feelings fall somewhere along the lines of 'I hate videogames,' 'Videogames are for kids' and 'There is no redeeming value to be found in gaming.' If you take the latter group, you hear two contradictory beliefs: that videogames are a children's medium, and that videogames are too violent and explicit for children. Just those two conflicting biases alone would be enough, I think, for a person unfamiliar with videogames to throw up their hands and be done with the subject until someone more invested works it all out."

There are some nice thoughts on the subject from a reasonably diverse (gaming) crowd, and it's worth reading if you have the time.

The Myth of the Media Myth [The Escapist]

However, someone sitting at a computer playing a video game, or someone with one of those small devices that young people have these days, the name of which I forget— [Interruption.] PlayStations or PSPs, something of that kind.

"Well, whatever they are called, when people play these things, they can interact. They can shoot people; they can kill people. As the honourable Gentleman said, they can rape women."

The gentleman he is referring to is the bill's author Julian Brazier, though being completely off-base when quoting someone else doesn't excuse you from being off-base in the first place. The man can barely remember what these horribly offensive rape-machines are. When you have to struggle to remember what you were talking about in the first place it's probably a good indicator that you should sit down and shut up.

Luckily for British gamers, the House isn't completely full of uninformed idiots. Conservative MP Edward Vaizey actually took the time to check this claim out with the BBFC.

"Is the honourable Gentleman aware of any video game that has as its intention the carrying out of rape or that allows the game player to carry out such an act? The BBFC and I are unaware of any such game."

"I cannot comment on the rape in games issue, but I can tell the House what Stefan Pakeerah's father said after Warren Leblanc had murdered his son. He said that "Manhunt" is a game using weapons like hammers and knives...The object of Manhunt is not just to go out and kill people. It's a point-scoring game where you increase your score depending on how violent the killing is. That explains why Stefan's murder was as horrific as it was."

Taken, and rebutted by Minister of State Margaret Hodge, who explained that not only was the game found to have played no part in the murder, it was the victim who owned the game and not the attacker.

Perhaps the real story here isn't that Mr. Vaz decided to claim erroneously that video games let you rape women, but rather the fact the the House of Commons debates had people present with enough sense to challenge the claim. Good show!

Pro Censorship MP Claims Games Glorify Nazis and Rape [SPOnG]

An investigation of violence in video games and the current rating system and its effectiveness is being carried out as we speak, the results of which will guide British Ministers in their reshaping of the guidelines. Some of the findings are expected to effect not only the access of adult games by children but also access to adult content on the web as well. A bill is also expected to come forth that would create a separate body of people to appeal the decisions of the BBFC and its ratings of DVDs and games. While this could potentially be a good thing, it also has a lot of room to be detrimental to sales and ratings of certain games and movies depending on the how conservative this "body" turns out to be. Once the UK system is overhauled, it will be interesting to see how long it takes before the rest of Europe follows suit.

Ministers plan clampdown on 'unsuitable' video games

Analysis: Huckabee up, Clinton down heading to Granite State [CNN via Game Politics]

Pick games that require the player to come up with strategies and make decisions in a game environment that is more complex than punch, steal, and kill.

Yeah, I couldn't keep up with the theme towards the end there, but you get the point. Yee decided that he would get himself a little more notice as a crusader against violent gaming by issuing a helpful press release warning all of the parents out there that their adorable little children want to play Manhunt 2 and will stop at nothing to try and get you to buy it for them.

One such violent video, Manhunt 2, is on many children's wish list. It was recently revealed that the game - which many have called the most violent video game ever produced - has accessible content designed for an Adults-Only (AO) rating. Despite the graphically violent scenes which were supposedly removed in order to receive the downgraded Mature (M) rating, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has refused to re-rate the game.

My personal favorite tip? "Avoid the "first person shooter" and "third person shooter" killing-machine games." Killing-machine games? Is this a genre I've never heard of before? Does it involve a thresher?

I think the point I am trying to make here is that we need a game where we kill people with a thresher. Happy Holidays.

Yee Urges Parents to Avoid Violent Video Games when Holiday Shopping for Kids
Monday, November 26, 2007

Ultra-Violent Video Games Top Many Holiday Shopping Lists

SACRAMENTO - Citing potential harmful effects on minors, child psychologist and Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo) today urged parents and grandparents to avoid violent video game purchases for their children this holiday season.

"Eighty-seven percent of children between 8 and 17 years of age play video or computer games and about 60 percent list their favorite games as rated M for Mature, which are games designed for adults," said Yee. "It is vitally important that parents and grandparents consider the content in video games before making holiday purchases. Regrettably, the rating system alone cannot be trusted, so parents should also carefully watch the content included in all their children's games."

One such violent video, Manhunt 2, is on many children's wish list. It was recently revealed that the game - which many have called the most violent video game ever produced - has accessible content designed for an Adults-Only (AO) rating. Despite the graphically violent scenes which were supposedly removed in order to receive the downgraded Mature (M) rating, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has refused to re-rate the game.

Manhunt 2 has been banned in England, and Target stores in the United States have refused to sell the game. The game is still readily available at Wal-Mart and other major retailers however.

Yee's 2005 law to prohibit the sale of extremely violent video games to minors in California is currently being litigated. A bill authored by Yee in 2004 which has gone into effect, requires video game retailers to post signs to inform consumers regarding the use of the video game rating system.

"Unfortunately, some parents don't realize that in many top selling games, the player actively participates in and is rewarded for violence, including killing police officers, maiming elderly persons, running over pedestrians, and torturing women and racial minorities," said Yee.

"These violent video games are learning tools for our children and can result in more aggressive behavior," said Randall Hagar of the California Psychiatric Association.

Parents and grandparents should consider the following before purchasing video games:

• Be aware of advertising and marketing to children. Advertising pressure contributes to impulse buying.

• Check the age ratings video game descriptors found on the box. Read other reviews, such as www.mediafamily.org, www commonsensemedia.org, and www.familymediaguide.com.

• Become familiar with the game.

• If there are violence and sexual themes in the title and cover picture, you can assume these themes are also in the game.

• Look for games involving multiple players to encourage group play.

• Pick games that require the player to come up with strategies and make decisions in a game environment that is more complex than punch, steal, and kill.

• Avoid the "first person shooter" and "third person shooter" killing-machine games.

• Discourage games that reward the player with more points or new scenes for anti-social and violent behavior.

For information on toy and product recalls, visit the United States Product Safety Commission website at www.cpsc.gov.

###

Then she wraps the whole thing up by suggesting that last week's Cleveland school shooting was prompted by violent games. "They're going to react in that same highly aroused, angry way and we saw what just happened yesterday..." Of course there was no link to video games involved in said shooting, but that's neither here nor there, is it?

The best part of the Game Politics article posted this morning is when they reveal Dr. Susan's area of expertise. What qualifies her to comment on video game violence and its effect on children? You dare to question the author of Dr. Susan's Girls-only Weight Loss Guide: The Easy, Fun Way to Look and Feel Good?

They've got the video of Dr. Susan's performance up over at Game Politics, complete with a brief cameo by our favorite lawyer. If these two ever team up it could lead to an extinction-level bullshit explosion.
Who is this Person & Why is She Saying These Awful Things About Halo 3 ??? [Game Politics]

"It is time for lawmakers to stop targeting video games and the retailers that sell them. They should recognize that all video games are rated, retailers are choosing to enforce the ratings in their stores, and the new PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 video game consoles and Vista computer operating system all allow parents to control the types of games that can be played on them. These voluntary steps, not government regulation, are true to the spirit of the American Constitution."

Oklahoma's Unconstitutional Game Law Permanently Enjoined [GameDaily BIZ - Thanks Lucious]

"We are never going to deal with crime unless we look at the broader context and say, 'Yes, tough laws, strong action on the police, but also action to strengthen our society'.

"And that includes, I think, video games and things like that where we do need to think of the context in which people are growing up."

So not only is he claiming that violent games are a cause of criminal activity, he wants to fix things by changing what children are exposed to at a young age in order to institute a societal change that will come to fruition once those children become adult members of society. Sounds like borderline brainwashing to me. I'm sure a very lovely little Utopian society could come of his plan once they ramp it up to include mandatory behavior altering medications and possibly brain implants. This is why Britain has the best science fiction.

Cameron proposes curbs on violent video games [Guardian Unlimited - Thanks Cocomo!]

What did the groups finally agree on?

One would place limits on who can see violent video games. It would make it a felony to sell violent and obscene video games to minors. In addition, manufacturers would have to equip game consoles with parental-control devices, retailers would have to label games that are violent and obscene, and the state would establish a committee to study the problem.

Deals elude governor, lawmakers [Lower Hudson Online, via Game Politics]

With the controversy that the Columbine-based game Super Columbine Massacre RPG! caused, the Virginia Tech tragedy was bound to receive a game version by someone. Flash site New Grounds has a flash game titled V-Tech Rampage. The worst part? V-Tech Rampage doesn't bring anything more than shoddy, tacky game play to the table. Free speech and free expression are great. Just make sure you've got something to say. Otherwise, it's noise. Brian Ashcraft

V-Tech Shooting [New Grounds Thanks, Colanga topanga!]

Over the weekend, First Person Shooter: The Play premiered in San Francisco. The play is set in a start-up video game company that has achieved big-time success due to a the "hottest, most violent game on the market." Things go bad when the company is blamed for a schoolyard shooting. The play was written by Aaron Loeb, former IGN writer and current game developer COO. Says Aaron:

My main goal was to show the "controversy" to be the inhuman and immoral boondoggle that it is. That we respond to something so horrible as a school shooting by trying to figure out a quick and easy blame-based sound-bite ("videogames did it" or "bullying caused it") is horrifying. In the face of these tragedies we need to talk more, not less. We need to connect more, not polarize into oppositional camps. I wanted the CEO and the father to be men caught up in this lunacy, who eventually have the courage to step out of it.

Ultimately, I hope people who see the play will, if they don't already, start questioning Dr. Phil's motives when he rushes out to say "videogames did it." I hope that they will ask, "Is this really what we should be talking about now? How about talking about the victims and their families instead?"

Admirable. But is the play any good? Brian Ashcraft

FPS Play [Firing Squad via GameSetWatch]

Our source for all things gaming The Harvard Crimson is running a piece on the university's first official video games tourney. US $400 in prizes were up for grabs, along with a Nintendo Wii. A hundred or so crammed into the Lamont Forum Room last week to battle it out in Super Smash Bros. Melee, Halo, Starcraft: Brood War and Warcraft: Defense of the Ancients. Says student Matthew R. McFarlane:

I generally like console games because you play them with your friends, and you can punch them in the face when they beat you. It's a great way to get your competition out.

America's best and brightest, folks. Brian Ashcraft

Harvard's First Game Competition [The Crimson, Thanks Joseph!]

Such games have come to represent a variety of social anxieties: about youth violence, new computer technology, and the apparent decline in the ability of adults to control what young people do and know.

do video games kill? [contexts via GamePolitics.com]

CNN has a sad piece up on a teen attacks against the homeless. Nathan Moore and his friends Luis Oyola and Andrew Ihrcke savagely beat 49 year-old homeless man Rex Baum. They threw rocks and a barbecue grill at Baum and punched and kicked him. They then hit the man with a baseball bat and a pipe before smearing feces on Baum's face and cutting him to "see if he was alive." The teens then went to McDonald's and bragged about this murder before police picked them up. Quoting CNN:

"Ihrcke told police that killing 'the bum' reminded him of playing a violent video game, a police report shows."

Tragic. Stupid. And unnecessary. Brian Ashcraft

Homeless Attacks [CNN via The Last Boss]

In the continuing effort to make the 360 appealing for those with "discerning" tastes, zombie chanbara game Onechanbara is slated for released at the end of the year in Japan. And well, we do love our zombies here at Kotaku. The game's title is a word play on "one" (sister, young girl"), "chan" (an informal name marker) and "chanbara" (sword fighting). Dubbed Onechanbara: vorteX, the game pits the cowboy-hat-and-skimpy-outfit wearing young heroine against hoards of the walking dead, whom she slices up with katanas in a Kill Bill-style blood bath bonanza. Anyone familiar with publisher D3's Simple 2000 Onechanbara for the PS2 would probably agree: This is the only safe-for-work imagine available. The words "Japan Only" mean, anything? Brian Ashcraft

More Here [D3]

Dead Rising shuffled-stepped into American stores yesterday. The zombie slashin', clothes shopin', picture takin' Capcom game racks up a high body count, which has lead to a "clean" version for the Land of the Rising Sun. I haven't had a chance to check out the Japanese demo (I have an American Live account), but this dude says it is heavily censored. What's more, the Japanese version of the final game has been changed so that it is not possible to kill innocent people. Only zombies can kill them. Fear not, Play-Asia is to the rescue. Again. The online retailer says that the US version is region free and is importing to Japan. Bring on those innocent bystanders! Brian Ashcraft

More Here [Insert Credit]

Game studio Eidos's adaptation of Quentin Tarantino's heist flick Reservoir Dogs has come under attack in the UK for being violent. The game has been given an 18 rating, and the British Board of Film Classification stated the game contained "nothing that is particulary stronger than things found in most 18-rated games." Tom McGhie, chairman of the West Yorkshire Police Federation, retorted:

Anything that encourages that type of behaviour, when police officers are suffering more attacks than ever before, should be banned. It's impossible to see how such a game can have anything other than a highly damaging effect on how people perceive and react to police officers.

The movie, meanwhile, with its scene of a police officer getting his ear sliced off and shot, is available throughout the UK. The logic astounds. Brian Ashcraft

More Here [Games Industry]

Gory gaming makes players desensitized to violence say three psychology professors. Their recent study had 257 students play Duke Nukem and Mortal Kombat for 20 minutes. Then, once an endless stream of questions regarding "finishing moves" and speculation on Duke Nukem Forever ceased, the students then watched a 10 minute clip of 100 percent real violent acts. The students had their heart rates measured before, during and after each session. These were then compared with a control group of students that watched the same video without muddling through those retro titles.

The findings? The video game group had higher physical responses to the games than the clip, and those reactions were similar to those of the non-gaming group when watching the 10 minutes of real gore. Good to see researchers proving that humans react to filmed brutality the same way to game onslaught. How bout next time having them watch a violent clip for 20 minutes and then play video games for 10 minutes? Brian Ashcraft

More Here [1Up]

"The Video Game Voters Network is a place for American gamers to organize and defend against threats to video games. This medium is fully protected speech under the Constitution, and receives the same First Amendment protection as books, movies, music, and cable television programs. The Network opposes efforts to regulate the content of entertainment media, including proposals to criminalize the sale of certain games to minors, or regulate video games differently from movies, music, books, and other media. The Network also enables gamers to stay educated about issues, reach out to federal, state, and local officials, and register to vote. The Video Game Voters Network is a project sponsored by the Entertainment Software Association, a trade group representing America's video game publishers."

The gamers strike back.

Video Game Voters Network [Official Site]

The much too talked about, consistently delayed, Bully is finding its way into the media yet again, this time via the Miami Herald. An article in this morning's Herald titled "Secretive New Video Game Might Inspire Bullies" consists of some interviews Miami-Dade school board members and the illustrious Jack Thompson. One school board member, Frank Bola os, has introduced a "resolution" to have local merchants refuse to sell the game and is urging families not to purchase it. In news from the future, Miami-Dade is not letting residents use the Internet for fear that someone might purchase Bully online.

Secretive new video game might inspire school bullies [Miami Herald]

GameSpot reports that Tennessee Senator Tommy Kilby is trying to shoehorn a bill through legislation that will make it illegal to sell or rent a violent game in Tennessee. This is a whole new level of legislation as previous bills attempted by other states have focused on keeping these games out of the hands of minors. If the law takes effect, Tennessee would become a dry state in terms of "extremely violent video games." However, the size of that "If" is pretty huge.

Tennessee Pondering Violent Games Ban [GameSpot]

In Utah, video games aren't porn after all.

GamePolitics reports that the Games-as-Porn bill was killed by the Utah Senate after passing easily through the house. The bill would've placed selling violent video games to minors beside selling pornography to minors - a bit of a stretch. For now, at least, the bill is dead. Thankfully, this is America and some other hairbrained video game related bill will pop up soon.

BREAKING: Utah Senate Kills "Games as Porn" Bill [Gamepolitics]
Utah House Passes Games-as-Porn Bill [Kotaku]

First video games as porn, now criminalizing their sales on par with reckless drunk driving? Harsh.

Utah House Overwhelmingly Approves Games-as-Porn Bill [Gamepolitics]
Utah's Violent Games Bill Passes House [1Up]

It wouldn't be President's Day without some politically flavored news, right? For that we thumb to GamePolitics who directs readers to an op-ed piece in the Salt Lake Tribune on the First Ammendment ramifcations of Utah's Violent Games Equal Porn bill. The op-ed, penned by First Ammendment experts Clay Calvert and Robert D. Richards admits that the concerns of Utah Rep. David Hogue are valid, but that his methodology isn't. The two experts pin the responsibility for what media children consume firmly where it belongs - back on the parents.

First Amendment Scholars Weigh in on Utah 'Games as Porn' Bill [GamePolitics]
Leave Video Game Choice to Parents [Salt Lake Tribune]
Violent Games Equal Porn?

GamePolitics reports that Utah representative David Hogue has slipped launguage into a bill that equates violent games and pornography as media that needs to be kept out of the hands of minors. The law would make it a felony to "exhibit or sell violent video games to minors." Everyone's heard of "gun porn," but this is taking the games and porn thing way too far.

BREAKING: Utah Games = Porn Bill Revived [GamePolitics]

Atari's Mark Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure was refused a rating from the Australian version of the U.S.'s ESRB. The Office of Film & Literature Classification granted Contents a 15+ rating back in November, but now that they've had time to think about it - they've decided the game promotes crime via graffiti. Sheesh, it's tough down under.

Ecko Getting Banned [Eurogamer]

As Clickable Culture points out, that maybe Jack Thompson isn't so far off when he calls video games "Murder Simulators." The debate comes from a Washington Post article titled "Virtual Reality Prepares Soldiers for Real War." A guardsman, Alfred Trevino said something pretty harrowing: "The feel of the actual weapon was more of an adrenaline rush than the feel of the controller," he continues. "But you're practically doing the same thing: trying to kill the other person. The goal is the same. That's the similarity. The goal is to survive."

The Post piece doesn't neglect the other side of the coin, however. One soldier's affinity for violent games was non-existent after he returned from Iraq in 2004. The piece, coupled with Tony Walsh over at Clickable Culture, certainly got this writer thinking.

Murder Simulators Get High Military Marks [Clickable Culture]
Virtual Reality Prepares Soldiers for Real War [Washington Post]

One can only assume that the mayor sees some sort of relationship between the horrific violence that ended three lives and something he's heard about on the news. Maybe the mayor ought to look more closely at Robida's obsession with Nazism and the Insane Clown Posse for clues about his motivation. Certainly we could all benefit from having the latter taken out of our homes (and pretty much the entire universe).

I hope this is just the angry, knee-jerk reaction of a confused man looking to place blame, and that clear heads will prevail when further investigation has taken place. The friends and families of the injured and deceased deserve better from their elected officials.

Mayor Lang's Statement [via Gamecloud]

Next Generation reports that the city of Los Angeles is suing the two companies behind Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for "leading a misleading marketing campaign and engaging in unfair competition." Reuters outlines the suit a little deeper. The suit wants Take-Two to "disgorge the profits from the estimated 200,000 copies of the game it sold for about $10 million in California." Take-Two's situation doesn't seem to be on the upswing just yet.

L.A. Sues Take-Two and Rockstar [Next Generation]
LA sues over Grand Theft game

Uh, ok. WebMD one of those online info spots for health information has an entry in the "Violent Behavior" section that talks about how children are easily influenced by television and video games. Actually let's just go straight to the quote: "Children are easily influenced by watching TV and playing video games. They learn by observing, imitating, and incorporating behavior. Video games teach children about violence and how to use it in their lives. Children who are exposed to media violence are more aggressive, and this aggressiveness lasts for many years."

Ready?
Set?
Wtf.

Violent Behavior - Topic Overview [WebMD]

In a surprisingly polite, cordial and well-behaved stint as the interviewee, Florida lawyer and enemy of the video game state, Jack Thompson goes one on one with Rick Healey of Netjak. One interesting point of contention I found with Thompson was his premature assumptions about Rockstar's already-over publicized Bully. From the interview:

Jack Thompson: I m also going to bring up Bully, which is a revenge fantasy and a murder simulator. The setting is Columbine. The setting is Paducah. I could go on for fifteen minutes on how many disasters have been brought about like this.

32_Footsteps: Considering that Bully hasn t yet come out, do you think it s fair to protest the game before its release?

Jack Thompson: Game Informer already has published screen shots of the game, and has done a brief write-up of what s going to be in the game. Nobody can claim that they haven t gone into the game s content; it s already out there. We don t need to play the game; it s irrelevant to the subject. It s going in there, and children shouldn t be playing it."

While he may end up being correct about Bully being a game to keep out of minors' hands, you've gotta play the games before you can make assumptions. It gives your complaints a little more gravity.

Thanks to John for sending this in.

Interview with Jack Thompson [Netjak]

It'd be otherwise hard to tell, since the The Daily Record is a website you have either pay to see online or be a subscriber to read (seriously, be more regressive), but the main story on the front page right now is on two new bills that were introduced to keep kids under the age of 18 from buying video games. Despite the fact that every time a law like this has popped up, it's been swatted away - they just keep coming.

Thanks Justin.

Prison time for retailers who sell violent video games to minors? [The Daily Record]

Sigh. Times Online has an article up called "Gory Games That Can Warp Your Brain." Are you kidding? The piece outlines some more "correlates" between violent video games and behavior and points to some studies that support video games as the great corruptor of the moral compass. The list of games the piece promises in the headline is at the end: Resident Evil 4, 50 Cent Bulletproof, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas and God of War. Another big win for journalism, here. /sarcasm.

Gory Games That Can Warp Your Brain [Times Online]

In a move that surprises exactly no one, GamePolitics reports that Democratic Utah Representative Jim Matheson intends to bring legislation that would make selling M-rated games to minors an offense. The Desert News spoke with Matheson about the bill and GamePolitics latched on to the same quote I did when I scanned the piece: "You know darn well the 13-year-old is not being carded when he buys Grand Theft Auto 2. You get points (in that game) for having sex with a prostitute; you get points for killing the prostitute."

It'd be nice if the guys who attempt to bring these bills to law at least knew something about games to begin with.

Utah Congressman Introducing Yet Another Federal Video Game Bill [GamePolitics]
Game Crackdown Urged [The Desert News]