Video games can't be blamed for humanity's problems

Sorry, but I refuse to believe that video games can be the scapegoat for all of our problems. Call me a video game apologist or just another gamer hack, but it's true. Why should the video game industry be blamed for the problems all of humanity faces?

According to reports, Thailand has halted the sale of Grand Theft Auto 4 after a teenage boy confessed to robbing and murdering a taxi driver in an attempt to recreate a scene from the game.

"We are sending out requests today to outlets and shops to pull the games off their shelves and we will replace them with other games," Sakchai Chotikachinda, sales and marketing director of New Era Interactive Media, told Reuters.

Always one to jump on the bandwagon, Reuters found an anti-video game hack to tell us all that it's only going to get worse, but we also should watch out for those GTAIV-wannabes.

"This time-bomb has already exploded and the situation could get worse," Ladda Thangsupachai, director of the ministry's Cultural Surveillance Centre, told Reuters. "Today it is a cab driver, but tomorrow it could be a video game shop owner."

Millions of copies of GTAIV have been sold around the world and when one crazed kid decides he wants to rob and kill a taxi driver, we need to stop selling the title for fear of more disturbed people resorting to violence? That doesn't make sense.

Sorry, but I fail to understand how a video game showing pixelated violence is somehow worse than a movie showing even worse violence. I know, I know, "it's the participatory element you're forgetting." Uh, no.

The fact of the matter is this: more than 99 percent of individuals playing video games don't kill people, don't want to reenact what they see in a video game, and don't perform these kinds of acts. Sure, it may be difficult for the average anti-gamer to fully comprehend when they don't hear the other side of the story, but it's true: video games are not the root of all evil and they shouldn't be the scapegoat when people try to make them evil.

This is just another case of an obviously disturbed person acting out in a way that doesn't fall in line with the norm. So he blamed it on GTAIV. Are we now supposed to believe that the video game is telling kids to go out and kill taxi drivers?

A dog told the Son of Sam to kill people. Should we start killing off every dog we see for fear that dogs are sending us subliminal messages telling us to kill other people?

It doesn't make any sense.

It's easy to blame video games when we don't want to blame ourselves, but it needs to stop. This person obviously suffers from some unique problems that the vast majority of gamers simply don't. I played violent video games all my life. You don't see me running out and finding the nearest taxi driver to kill, do you?

Each and every individual is different and there's no telling what might set them off. Sometimes it's a cheating wife, other times it's a dog, and still other times it's a video game. Until we start eliminating every cheating wife and dog in the world, I don't think we should eliminate violent video games.

Instead, let's try for some common sense.

Check out Don's Digital Home podcast, Twitter feed, and FriendFeed!

[vincenzof]

These folks need to read Grand Theft Childhood IMMEDIATELY.

[G-hero47]

I couldn't agree more friend! Of course the kid just could have blamed GTA just to get away with it easier. I mean seriously parents; if you have a psycho child, don't let him/her play M rated games, ok? Everyone else is fine.

[MarkButler1000]

It seems preposterous that ONE kid does something, out of a country with 5100 murders and 20,000 assaults in 2002, and the game must be banned. This is not a pattern, where an abnormal amount of crime is tied to a specific product, this is a single incident.

"The time bomb has already exploded" indeed.

[cporpheus]

The problem of this unwarranted blame is that the general public wants a simple cause to their problems and want their politicians to get rid of it. Is any societal problem simple?

No. I'm sure that violent video games play a part, but it is minimal even when bundled with violent tv, movies and web sites. The most important factor in juvenile violence is their home life. Violent video games are a scapegoat as was motion pictures, radio and rock and roll in their respective introduction to society.

[G_Slade]

The other day after playing crackdown I tried to pick up a car and throw it at a gang leader.
What i think we should do is find these people who are blaming GTA for violence and mug them, steal their cars and go on a killing rampage. That will show 'em.

[fosterjt2]

Yeah, as a child of the 80's, I blame my obesity on Pac-Man. Boy that guy could eat and eat and eat........ Sometimes I still find myself hunting ghosts.

[drake1001]

Should we start banning movies too since there's lots of nudity, violence, politics etc inside. Perhaps we should start banning history subjects because it involves mass murders etc. Ban everything, that'll help. Perhaps the best thing to do is to ask everyone to go suicide, then it'll b ok. Crimes is part of us, is it possible to say that without all these media, crime rate will decline to 0%? We know the answer. So, let's not scapegoat games. We're who we are, face it. Even the authorities have sins.

[strathmeyer]

This is all even more interesting, since GTA4 is not out yet in Thailand.

What bothers me is that video games get singled out for the abuse. After all, how many people have killed/injured/maimed in the name of their bible or religion? How come no-one ever gets indignant about that and calls for a ban in church attendance?

[pingpong111]

Banning things actually makes people more violent by making them afraid of others and themselves, leading to isolation, depression, and anger. Teaching people to trust in the good nature of mankind, to insist upon non-violent behavior regardless of peer pressure or threat of punishment, to learn to deal with one's mental issues through honesty, reason and forgiveness; that's how morality is built in a society and a mind.

[jshertlein]

"Today it is a cab driver, but tomorrow it could be a video game shop owner."

What makes a video game shop owner more valuable than a cab driver? I'm sorry but people with that kind of stupidity should not be in a public position of power. A human life is a human life, I don't care what the person does for a living. She should not be in a position to pass judgment on video games and blame them for everything. It's really a cheap and easy way for her to get out of doing her job.

[psychokillerdeathmachine]

I wonder what this planet was like b4 video games? garden of eden perhaps.

[aaasolanki]

Hilarious comment...Very witty. You cheered me up. PacMan, obesity and ghosts...lol.
Thanks, Dexter_Greycells.