Grand Theft Auto creator Dave Jones has come under some serious fire, this time worse than previous times. He, along with developers Rockstar North, has been criticized for making such a profanity, sex, drug, and violence filled video game….but have Rockstar North and Dave Jones done it? Have they created the greatest video game since Super Mario Bros.? The Grand Theft Auto series has become the top ranking series in units sold and total sales. Their new addition, GTA 4, broke $500 million in its opening week. The chairman of the company Take-Two Interactive Inc., Strauss Zelnickwas, told the AP that “Grand Theft Auto IV’s first week performance represents the largest launch in the history of interactive entertainment, and we believe these retail sales levels surpass any movie or music launch to date.” The graphics and gameplay have also passed all expectations. With an estimated gameplay of 35 to 40 hours, not including the side missions, there is plenty to entertain yourself with.
You would think that with all these positive stats, GTA4 would be in the clear with everyone. Like the editions before it GTA4 has been criticized for its violence and sexual content, and the effect it will have on our youth. The game has a mature rating and you must be 18 years old to purchase it. Parents of kids under this age should pay closer attention to what their children are playing and they could keep these types of games out of their homes. Basically we here at randomgossip.com feel parents need to stop blaming everyone else but themselves for incidents in the lives of their children.
Jack Thompson, an attorney, has been involved in several lawsuits and has made several attempts to get families of murder victims to file lawsuits and hold GTA responsible for the deaths of their loved ones. Thompson has tracked cases down and tried to make the creators of the series somehow take accountability for murders, reckless driving deaths, and dismemberment cases. Mr. Thompson is currently not pursuing any lawsuits because he is facing permanent disbarment. We giggled right there, sorry Mr. Thompson.
In October 2003, the families of Kimberly Bede and Aaron Hamel, and their attorney Jack Thompson, brought a $246 million lawsuit against Rockstar North, Take Two Interactive (the distributors of the game), retail giant Wal-Mart, PlayStation 2, and Sony (who manufactures the PS2). The families did so after William and Josh Buckner shot Kimberly and Aaron, then blamed their actions on what they had seen while playing GTA3.
In February 2005, Jack Thompson again filed a lawsuit on behalf of Devin Moore against the makers and distributors of the GTA series. 17 year old Devin shot 3 police officers, but Thompson was there with his make-ready excuse… it was GTA’s fault. Thompson told CNN, “There’s no doubt in my mind that but for Devin Moore’s training on this cop killing simulator, he would not have been able to kill three cops in Fayette, Alabama who are now dead and in the ground. We are suing Take Two, Sony, Wal-Mart, and GameStop for having trained Devin Moore to kill. He had no history of violence. No criminal record.” Is Thompson smoking something? Seriously…
In September of 2006, yet another lawsuit was filed by… you guessed it… JACK THOMPSON! This time Thompson filed suit against Cody Posey, Rockstar Games, Take-Two Interactive, and Sony in the amount of $600 million. Thompson claimed that Cody played GTA: Vice City obsessively, then murdered his father, stepmother, and stepsister in Albuquerque, New Mexico. During Cody’s trial, it came to light that Cody was abused by his father, tormented by his stepmother, and was on the mood altering drug Zoloft at the time of the killings. Thompson alleged that if not for Cody’s obsessive playing of GTA:Vice City, the killings would not have taken place.
None of these lawsuits were found in the favor of Mr. Thompson or his clients. The makers and distributors of the game have not been held liable for any of these unfortunate happenings.
The moral of the story is, parents need to be parents. Raise your kids and stop blaming society, music, television, and video games when they screw up. The game isn’t for kids, so stop buying it for them! Pay attention to what they’re playing in case they’re able to buy it from a friend without the restriction of showing an ID at the store. Take precautions to protect your children, but realize that violent children are a product of their raising. Be a parent!!
Popularity: 21% [?]