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-The thoughts of an innocent citizen trying to solve a dangerous situation on the streets.
"I watched another guy walk towards our assailent, and at first I wanted to shout and warn him to stay back, but then I saw his eyes. Never before had I seen such confidence and determination on a man's face. As he walked closer, I thought that perhaps he might be able to sort out this mess, but I soon regretted my earlier decision not to shout. Without warning, the man with the gun fired his weapon, and in an instant, the man who's expression had conveyed such enormous confidence fell to the floor. A new expression now lay unmoving across his face: Surprise, mixed with shock. Gradually a pool of dark blood began to seap out from his clothing..."
-A statement taken from a witness stood closest to the victim.
"What followed was shocking to everybody involved - not just the victims, but the police, and the whole of the local community. The armed assassin never looked back at his victim. He was as cold as the ice on Neptune, and instantly moved on to his next target. He fired his gun again, two shots this time, and aimed at the tyres of a moving vehicle. The car swerved slightly, before braking hard and coming to an abrupt halt. The armed man raced over to the car, yanked open the door, and pulled the driver out. The owner of the car, who was also the driver, was only 23 years old, but in this brutal world, age didn't matter, and he was hurled to the ground as if he belonged in the sewers."
-A newspaper account written the day after the attack.
"The car pulled away, smoke surfacing behind its rear wheels. It began speeding through dense city traffic, causing numerous other vehicles to swerve and crash. Soon the emergency services arrived on the scene. Police and ambulance groups arrived as one. Some parted to follow the attacker, whilst the rest stayed to attend to the victim, who by now was surely dead."
-Report from a witness arriving on the scene shortly after the initial shooting.
"The police units on the ground followed closely behind the car, keeping with it, but avoiding any direct collisions or collateral damage. From the helicopter, we were able to keep track of the murderer from the air, meaning he had nowhere to go. With the air coordination, it was only a matter of time before the units on the ground were able to set and close a trap around him."
-Description given by helicopter pilot involved in the chase
"During the chase, and eventual capture of the killer, 3 cars were involved in a severe accident due to the reckless driving of the attacker. It resulted in 5 fatalities, and many injuries."
-Doctors report after attempting to treat the victims of the attack.
The question now is: How many people read that, and thought it was funny? Grand Theft Auto 3 frequently involves exactly this kind of violence, perhaps even on a larger scale, with lives lost so frequently, that these deaths go completely unnoticed by the player. I invented the above scenario, but it hardly required me to stretch my imagination. All I had to do was recall my experiences on the game, and suddenly I had a complete story, filled to the brim with violence.
So its not real. True, it isn't. All that you see is just computer created images receiving the same treatment we fear in real life. How far can the realism of the game be taken though before it looks exactly like it does in real life. How far can this be taken before people decide its actually cheaper, and more fun to do these things for real? I'm not saying it will be us, in fact I think most people here would never let themselves get affected by violence in games, but what happens when you put this game in the hands of somebody who is so close to the edge that the demonstration of this kind of violence is all it takes to make that person go and do it themselves?
Violence arises in almost all games these days, and mostly this isn`t a problem. For example, if you take TimeSplitters. The game involves shooting eachother, or computer players, and eventually killing them. However, it is all done in a less realistic, less cold manner, with cartoony characters, and perhaps a more valid reason to do it. You are fighting for your survivial in many games, and this appears to be a more acceptable form of violence. With GTA, there is no reason, no justification, and no excuse for your actions.
Is it OK for a rugby player to stamp another player causing harm whilst in the context of a game? If he repeats this whilst out on the drink is it his fault or a byproduct of his training?
The vast majority of us play these games as a break from reality and view it in the same context as a "black" comedy. People who are unable to cope with the gap between reality and fiction will find problems in everyday life not just from computer games. There are thousands of possible catylists each day whether it be a person cutting you up in their car to the guy spilling your pint in the pub.
We have had lunatics before the advent of computer gaming and when we move to the next level of technology we will continue to see more nutters on the front page. Changing games to be more cartoon like does not affect the message of killing someone it just makes it easier to defend.
Using realistic age guidlines and having realistic, informed censorship is the way to maintain a balance.
Why should a seventy year old who has never played a computer game decide what a 27 year old should spend there free time doing?
Did Hitler become what he did because he didnt beat England at Fifa?
Is Osmana Bin Ladden a nutter because of Desert Strike?
The world revolves in misterious ways and you cannot legislate for every situation
By the way mate good first post and not an obvious blag for a GAD
-The thoughts of an innocent citizen trying to solve a dangerous situation on the streets.
"I watched another guy walk towards our assailent, and at first I wanted to shout and warn him to stay back, but then I saw his eyes. Never before had I seen such confidence and determination on a man's face. As he walked closer, I thought that perhaps he might be able to sort out this mess, but I soon regretted my earlier decision not to shout. Without warning, the man with the gun fired his weapon, and in an instant, the man who's expression had conveyed such enormous confidence fell to the floor. A new expression now lay unmoving across his face: Surprise, mixed with shock. Gradually a pool of dark blood began to seap out from his clothing..."
-A statement taken from a witness stood closest to the victim.
"What followed was shocking to everybody involved - not just the victims, but the police, and the whole of the local community. The armed assassin never looked back at his victim. He was as cold as the ice on Neptune, and instantly moved on to his next target. He fired his gun again, two shots this time, and aimed at the tyres of a moving vehicle. The car swerved slightly, before braking hard and coming to an abrupt halt. The armed man raced over to the car, yanked open the door, and pulled the driver out. The owner of the car, who was also the driver, was only 23 years old, but in this brutal world, age didn't matter, and he was hurled to the ground as if he belonged in the sewers."
-A newspaper account written the day after the attack.
"The car pulled away, smoke surfacing behind its rear wheels. It began speeding through dense city traffic, causing numerous other vehicles to swerve and crash. Soon the emergency services arrived on the scene. Police and ambulance groups arrived as one. Some parted to follow the attacker, whilst the rest stayed to attend to the victim, who by now was surely dead."
-Report from a witness arriving on the scene shortly after the initial shooting.
"The police units on the ground followed closely behind the car, keeping with it, but avoiding any direct collisions or collateral damage. From the helicopter, we were able to keep track of the murderer from the air, meaning he had nowhere to go. With the air coordination, it was only a matter of time before the units on the ground were able to set and close a trap around him."
-Description given by helicopter pilot involved in the chase
"During the chase, and eventual capture of the killer, 3 cars were involved in a severe accident due to the reckless driving of the attacker. It resulted in 5 fatalities, and many injuries."
-Doctors report after attempting to treat the victims of the attack.
The question now is: How many people read that, and thought it was funny? Grand Theft Auto 3 frequently involves exactly this kind of violence, perhaps even on a larger scale, with lives lost so frequently, that these deaths go completely unnoticed by the player. I invented the above scenario, but it hardly required me to stretch my imagination. All I had to do was recall my experiences on the game, and suddenly I had a complete story, filled to the brim with violence.
So its not real. True, it isn't. All that you see is just computer created images receiving the same treatment we fear in real life. How far can the realism of the game be taken though before it looks exactly like it does in real life. How far can this be taken before people decide its actually cheaper, and more fun to do these things for real? I'm not saying it will be us, in fact I think most people here would never let themselves get affected by violence in games, but what happens when you put this game in the hands of somebody who is so close to the edge that the demonstration of this kind of violence is all it takes to make that person go and do it themselves?
Violence arises in almost all games these days, and mostly this isn`t a problem. For example, if you take TimeSplitters. The game involves shooting eachother, or computer players, and eventually killing them. However, it is all done in a less realistic, less cold manner, with cartoony characters, and perhaps a more valid reason to do it. You are fighting for your survivial in many games, and this appears to be a more acceptable form of violence. With GTA, there is no reason, no justification, and no excuse for your actions.