Calgary Police Concerned About Grand Theft Auto IV

The pending release of Grand Theft Auto IV has police in Calgary, Alberta, worried that the game may end up training criminals of the future.

A report in the Calgary Sun tabloid said Calgary police spokesman Kevin Brookwell expressed concern over the desensitizing effects of violent videogames, television shows and movies on youth. "From the Calgary Police Service perspective, we see these types of videogames as a grave concern," he said.

"Because of the lack of consequences and even reward - [youth] don't understand the impact violence can have," he continued. "In some cases, those very games may be training grounds for people to commit criminal activity." Crookwell said parents must make themselves aware of the games their kids are playing through the warnings on the boxes, which provide detailed descriptions of the game's content.

The Calgary Sun is part of the Sun Media chain of tabloid newspapers, known for its conservative stance, short, easy-to-digest articles, daily swimsuit-clad Sunshine Girls and an outstanding sports section. Grand Theft Auto IV is rated M (Mature) by the ESRB and is set for release on April 29.

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...it just never ends

...Oh No.

Have they said anything about Die Hard 4?

...didn't think so...

Don't they understand that pressing A to kick someone in the head and actually kicking someone in the head are completely different. I have played thousands of violent video games and can't imagine curb stomping someone in real life.

this reminds me in britain the prime minster wants to introduce "movie style age ratings for games" ...now lets just look at ANY game box and what do we see?
and honestly tom and jerry. hitting each other with hammers and shovels. ok? shooting pixel people is baaadd

i say if children get that influenced by games blame the dumass parents for raising them

Wait, they have "Swimsuit clad Sunshine Girls" in their paper, and then come up with the brass to complain about the morals of today slipping? Shame on you Mr Kevin Brookwell sir!

I guess that Canadian police are just as lacking in common sense as their United States counterparts.

Yes, because criminals turn to games when they want to learn the art of the gun. They don't go to a shooting ground at all.

This is getting on my tits, just drop it you cumbuckets. This just furthers evidence that the Po-lice are stupid, and they enforce OUR laws?

The sun is less than drivel. In 20 year's it will only serve as a catalog for prostitutes and cheap dates.

And to hell with the calgary police.

'I didn't rob the bank and kill hostages...games made me do it!'

Now hire Jack Thompson as your lawyer and you've gotten yourself a "Get out of jail free" card.

Grand Theft Childhood

Actual book by I think a Harverd study saying that children who play over about 12 hours of violent video games AND children who don't play video games are more likely to get into more trouble, and I say more LIKELY, not absolutly, but likely. It helps to note how I learned of this not from a news paper, not a news station like FOX, but from watching an episode of X-play. Everyone ignores this except a show based on video games. So F*** you Calgary Police! I played violent video games since around 7, and I felt guilty killing a bee that wanted to sting me! So take that and shove it!

P.S.
This happened to movies, it happened to comic books, and it will happen to video games untill kids who grew up on violent video games are in charge.

EDIT: Here is a link to the book on the Barnes & Noble website.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Grand-Theft-Childhood/Lawrence-Kutner/e/9780743299510/?itm=1

My feelings about this kind of articles can be summed up by the sound Yahtzee makes in the beginning of his Smash Bros. Brawl review. It's like aging 2 years in 2 seconds.

There's a festival here in Denmark, where they had a tent where you could borrow a prejudice, like a cop or a homosexual og a christian, muslim etc. Maybe we should set up stands where parents, cops and other gamehaters could talk to a gamer for a couple of hours to get a positive vibe about gaming and gamers in general...

On second thought it might not be a good idea....

People are fast to bash this guy, but hes got a good point, parents should be careful about what game they get there kids, some parents would be horrified if they knew what they were actually getting there kid. GTA generally has a cynical attitude about society and crime, when is fine when taken from an entertainment point of view, but to a young kid might just seem cool.

Im not saying games dont get unfairly bashed by the media, but often gamers go on the hard defensive, often times shooting down good cautionary advice.

The idiotic parents shouldn'tbuy it for them. It took me three years to convince my father to buy me grand theft auto, and frankly, I respect him enormously for that (and myriad other things) because he had the will and determination to not only stand up to a whiny, aggravating little bastard like myself but also research and find out about the game before making any decision around allowing me to purchase it.

That is responsible parenting. Parents who instantly buy these videogames for little Joshua should be publically humiliated for being downright stupid.

And Rupert Murdoch should be fed to ravenous wolverines, crotch-first.

I remember when I was about 12 I saw Robocop, and the scene where the dude got his arms and legs blown off was like the most violent thing I have ever seen, but you never hear anything about violence in movies

oshin:
People are fast to bash this guy, but hes got a good point, parents should be careful about what game they get there kids, some parents would be horrified if they knew what they were actually getting there kid. GTA generally has a cynical attitude about society and crime, when is fine when taken from an entertainment point of view, but to a young kid might just seem cool.

Im not saying games dont get unfairly bashed by the media, but often gamers go on the hard defensive, often times shooting down good cautionary advice.

Oh my goodness, someone who's not readily agreeing with the horde of pissed off Escaptist gamers. Purge him!

I just wish expert scientists would do some credible, long-term research on how violent video games actually affect people and society...then compare that to violent movies and how messed up some kids get going through high school.

oshin:

Im not saying games dont get unfairly bashed by the media, but often gamers go on the hard defensive, often times shooting down good cautionary advice.

"parents must make themselves aware of the games their kids are playing through the warnings on the boxes, which provide detailed descriptions of the game's content."
:Good cautionary advice:

"Because of the lack of consequences and even reward - [youth] don't understand the impact violence can have," he continued. "In some cases, those very games may be training grounds for people to commit criminal activity."
:Ill informed, Reactionary & unfounded:

If the people who say this sort of stuff could stick to the former without saying the latter, I expect "gamers" would be less defensive when things like this appear. But whenever a decent point is made they almost always blow it by spowting some deamonising tripe in the same speech/article/press release etc.

In a country where guns are legal, people are scared of a video game. It is the government who do everything they can to get kids into the army so they can teach them to kill, and then honour them for it. This behaviour makes all video games look tame.

"the desensitizing effects of violent videogames, television shows and movies on youth."

There is some mention of other violent media's that would have effects on youth. Though I guess mostly video game basing is at hand. Anyone have the full article handy?

Why are we still talking about this? There's nothing to say. "Moralpanic" strikes middleaged people because they are guilty for not creating a better tomorrow for their kids. Who's the easiest to blame? Games, music, movies and other entertainment media or government, culture, religion, law and lest we forget : their ignorant selves.

EDIT: I just wanted to add that this is in the US, the country that has banks saying "Open an account, get a free machine gun!". The same kind of stupidity the rest of the world makes fun of. And the Housers LOVE takin' the piss outta yanks, looking forward to playing GTA at my friends house (i would never buy a console myself, allthough GTA IV.... :D).

Royas:
I guess that Canadian police are just as lacking in common sense as their United States counterparts.

Keep in mind it's Calgary police we're talking about here. Calgary's in Alberta, which is Canada's equivalent of Texas and the deep south. They're way more right-wing than the rest of the country.

What moron would actually believe that games are violence simulators?

Such rubbish indeed.

Perwer:

EDIT: I just wanted to add that this is in the US, the country that has banks saying "Open an account, get a free machine gun!". The same kind of stupidity the rest of the world makes fun of. And the Housers LOVE takin' the piss outta yanks, looking forward to playing GTA at my friends house (i would never buy a console myself, allthough GTA IV.... :D).

You actually get machine guns? My bank won't even give me lolipops anymore, the cheap bastards.

Kogarian:
You actually get machine guns? My bank won't even give me lolipops anymore, the cheap bastards.

You've never watched 'Bowling for Columbine'?

Anyways, we all know all this videogame bashing is shit. But, why hasn't anybody sued for defamation yet? Normally, I'd call the plaintiffs over-emotional twats, but in this case, it is pretty bad, and about high-time someone called these people out on their claims.

- A procrastinator

Digikid:
What moron would actually believe that games are violence simulators?

Such rubbish indeed.

The military uses games as violence simulators prior to sending groups into combat and as a form of PSTD therapy to simulate the violence experienced in the field; often virtual reality sims are also used to practice combat and team tactics under simulated violent situations. It's not really a stretch.

One argument you could use is the one from Designing Fun - that the story is just a cover for the gameplay, and that the fun is the learning that occurs while you're discovering patterns. , not necessarily the content itself. For example, it's not fun to repeatedly beat up hookers, but it's enjoyable to discover how to recover health without losing money.

Don't you all see? What this man says is a good thing. he is saying that kids should not be playing this game, that parents should pay more attention to the game their kids play. This is fantastic. Sure the rest is crap but the rest is great.

Fire Daemon:
Don't you all see? What this man says is a good thing. he is saying that kids should not be playing this game, that parents should pay more attention to the game their kids play. This is fantastic. Sure the rest is crap but the rest is great.

He's got a point, GTA is not something you want to have running in the playroom

one moment, i have to go turn something off... in the playroom

Violent video games don't make people violent, people saying violent video games make people violent make people violent.

Crap_haT:
Yes, because criminals turn to games when they want to learn the art of the gun. They don't go to a shooting ground at all.

This is getting on my tits, just drop it you cumbuckets. This just furthers evidence that the Po-lice are stupid, and they enforce OUR laws?

Thats a bit stereotypical, imagine a world without police before you knock them like that.

Also I don't know, It might be fine for adults to say this is full of shit but I can see where the police are coming from, imagine a bunch of 8 year olds thinking physical violence was cool . It would probably make them even more annoying, although I doubt it get as far to become serious.

Edit: Grammer and stuff.

Cousin_IT:
[quote=oshin]
"Because of the lack of consequences and even reward - [youth] don't understand the impact violence can have," he continued. "In some cases, those very games may be training grounds for people to commit criminal activity."
:Ill informed, Reactionary & unfounded:

If the people who say this sort of stuff could stick to the former without saying the latter, I expect "gamers" would be less defensive when things like this appear. But whenever a decent point is made they almost always blow it by spowting some deamonising tripe in the same speech/article/press release etc.

I agree with you there, society had violent criminals long before video games, and movies etc. Its important parents dont buy these games for there kids because, despite what your mutt kid says, these games can be quite shocking and secondly its just spoiling the kid and giving in.

Kids will always get a way to play gta, either because they managed to get the game from some useless shop, or one of there friends has parent who just got it for them. Its good parenting that will stop a kid from thinking violence is cool or whatever.

Sigh.

Though I have to admit there ARE alot of impressionable fuckwits out there, the chances are that they're not going to grab a gun and go out on a rampage because they did in GTA. Even if there was a rise in aggression, it's HIGHLY unlikely that the only cause is video games, in this case GTA. There are other factors, mostly home and school life, that contribute to rises in stress and aggression. Also, there's the whole "Let's blame TV/the internet/video games/advertising/whatever for my bad parenting skills" thing to consider.

I hate this. I can only hope that once the young generation grows and starts to run things that this sort of shit will be unheard of or at least less common.

Does that mean A.P.B., Condemned, Police Quest, Robocop and Resident Evil are ok because they train the Police of tomorrow?

Piemaster:
Violent video games don't make people violent, people saying violent video games make people violent make people violent.

Try saying that after a few drinks.

When statements like this are made, it is clear that these people have not played these games. I have seen alot of violence, participated in alot of violence, and have been on the receiving end of alot of violence. Violence is scary. I've been playing video games like Doom since I was about 6, and have been virtually killing people since then, so about 13 years, and it has NEVER made me want to go out and inflict harm on others. Brutality is fun when its pretend. When its real its frightening.

I honestly don't think that there is any connection between violent games and real-life violent actions. Only a sick person would be so influenced, and sick people were doing sick shit before video games were around. Like that guy who posted up in the clock tower at that college in texas and sniped a few innocent people. Video games didn't exist then. The huns didn't play GTA. Hitler didn't spend every night playing his copy of manhunt. And I think people underestimate most kids ability to reason between real and pretend. Only a handful of dumb asses can't and they would be doing stupid shit regardless of whether or not they had played a gory game recently.

"Because of the lack of consequences and even reward - [youth] don't understand the impact violence can have,"

This statement would only be true because you moronic, politically correct parents don't beat your precious snowflakes enough as they are growing. Son steals a candy bar, smack son on back of head, son understands if he steals he will experience violence first hand. Better this than someone shooting son between the eyes because he broke into the wrong house to feed his crack habit.

Beat your damn kids.