GTA4 Made my son into a murderer
Friends,
Every time we think the culture of death has invented it’s final insult to American society, the evil ones in our midst come up with something new, yet more horrors -
Grand Theft Auto 4: A game that includes more than just car-crime - which invites players to take the role of Russian immigrant Niko (above) who must go on a murderous crime-spree in order to win video game points.
today Mary from NY writes:
Dear Shelley The Republican
All my life, I’ve tried to be a good mother. I’ve kept my son Peter away from drug-pushers, homosexuals and atheists. I’ve kept him out of trouble, but recently it’s all gone wrong:
As a young child my son attended church regularly. At school he got good grades and won prizes for memorizing the verses Holy Bible. In short, he was a great kid with a great fututure: But last week he was arrested by the police for beating up and allegedly killing a local homosexual kid who was notorious for spreading his vice around the neighborhood.
Shortly after Petey was arrested I found out from one of his friend’s moms that he had been playing a video game called “Grand Theft Auto 4″ which featured exactly this kind of scene.
The evidence is clear - this evil video game turned my son into a murderer. It’s time for all concerned parents to take action against this evil that is ruining our society.
Mary R, Schenactady, NY
Mary, thanks for your letter. Evil video games like GTA4 are responsible for a crime-wave that is sweeping across America. According to our own survey over fifty percent of crime in America may have been caused by this pernicious game.
This New-York suburb has been tainted with a pornographic image of a woman sucking on a lollipop. Please re-read Shelley’s informative article on this subject and then tell me if you believe this is a responsible way to advertise a XXX rated video game!
We agree with you - there can be no doubt that video games are killing our children. We must unite against this hellish force of corruption.
Yours in Christ,
Jimmy Goddard
77 Comments so far
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Bush made yours sons into murderers!
And main main player character of GTA4 not Russian - just from fiction country in East Europe.
Blaming bad things on video games is ignorant (though you can’t expect anything else from STR) Remember that GTA4 is not a game for young kids, as it does have a MA15+ rating (not a XXX rating)(and there is no such thing as a XXX rating). The morale of this story kids is that the game is not to blame, but it’s the dumbass parents that buy the game for their kid regardless of its content, then when the kid does something wrong says “it was the video game that changed him”, and also the lunatic adults that can’t make a differenct between fantasy and reality.
The morale of this story kids is that the game is not to blame, but it’s the dumbass parents that buy the game for their kid regardless of its content, then when the kid does something wrong says “it was the video game that changed him”, and also the lunatic adults that can’t make a differenct between fantasy and reality.
Typical games-industry apologist. If the games industry made a game about going to hell and arm-westling demons you’d argue that it was a good and healthy thing for our teens to be playing.
The fact is video-games like cartoons and comic-books are for kids. How on earth could joining the Russian mafia be a “kid-safe” topic.
I’ve looked through this GTA4 and the facts are horifying - the game is an encyclopedia of crime. Children are told how to hot-wire and steal vehicles and receive a primer on gang-violence.
New Yorkers should be afraid: The next terrorist attack on their city will have been designed and planned in “Liberty City”.
The sad truth is that this is one liberal mistake that could easily be avoided: Simply take GTA4 off our shelves and burn every single disc. That’s all I’m asking - it’s just common sense!
“Typical games-industry apologist. If the games industry made a game about going to hell and arm-westling demons you’d argue that it was a good and healthy thing for our teens to be playing.”
Not nessesarily (although they did make a game similar to that one you described, aka Doom)
“The fact is video-games like cartoons and comic-books are for kids. How on earth could joining the Russian mafia be a “kid-safe” topic.”
Again, not nessesarily, those ratings are there for a reason, my dad plays video games and he’s over 40 years old, hardly a child, and you don’t join the Russian Mafia in GTA4, the played character (who is not the one in the picture btw) isn’t even Russian.
“I’ve looked through this GTA4 and the facts are horifying - the game is an encyclopedia of crime. Children are told how to hot-wire and steal vehicles and receive a primer on gang-violence.”
There is no how-to guide in GTA4, and yes, the game is violent (WOW… A violent video game! Such a big rebelion against society!) but again, that’s why there are ratings, and the violence in GTA4 helps my arguement that it is not a game for kids.
“Simply take GTA4 off our shelves and burn every single disc. That’s all I’m asking - it’s just common sense!”
No, that’s UNcommon NONsense.
Btw, litle Jimmy, don’t try to argue gaming with gamers if you don’t know shit about games.
The main character has a Serbian first name and a Croatian surname, and speaks Serbian during the game, thus placing him as an emigrant from the former state of Yugoslavia.
“A game that includes more than just car-crime”
Gee, it´s not like all GTA´s involved a bit more than car-crime…
PS: There are no “points”. It´s cash, and it only helps to reach the end of the storyline. GTA IV isn´t like those old Arcade-games,it´s story-driven.
“Shortly after Petey was arrested I found out from one of his friend’s moms that he had been playing a video game called “Grand Theft Auto 4? which featured exactly this kind of scene.”
Erm, scuse me, but I own GTA IV and I can´t remember a scene where you kill someone simply because he´s a homo.
“The evidence is clear - this evil video game turned my son into a murderer. It’s time for all concerned parents to take action against this evil that is ruining our society.”
The evidence is clear - Mrs. Mary has failed in her role as a mother and has neglected watching her own son. Games like GTA IV have an age rating determining the age from which on the game is appropriate. That Mrs. Mary actually let her son play a game unsuited for his age is to be blamed on her.
Censoring or taking games like GTA IV out of the stores is not what will help here. Educating the parents and the kids about the age-regulations found on any game-package as well as teaching them some responsibility is what´s needed instead of burning another strawman. Mrs. Mary´s appeal is only a sign that she still either doesn´t can or doesn´t want to realise that her neglegience is likely one of the causes of her son. (And also that fundamental christian upbringing. Religious fanatics are never a good thing.)
“This New-York suburb has been tainted with a pornographic image of a woman sucking on a lollipop.”
That´s no pornography, she´s still wearing clothes. It´s only skimping the border.
“We agree with you - there can be no doubt that video games are killing our children.”
Wrong. Irressponsible and/or uninformed parents are killing children.
The game industry can only popint out the age-ratings, whether the parents and kids obey them is their decision.
“Typical games-industry apologist. If the games industry made a game about going to hell and arm-westling demons you’d argue that it was a good and healthy thing for our teens to be playing.”
Which kinda hell? If it´s a cartoony caricature, it might even be harmless enough.
“The fact is video-games like cartoons and comic-books are for kids. How on earth could joining the Russian mafia be a “kid-safe” topic.”
Funnily, I know a lot of adults, including myself, who enjoy video games. World in Conflict ftw!
“I’ve looked through this GTA4 and the facts are horifying - the game is an encyclopedia of crime. Children are told how to hot-wire and steal vehicles and receive a primer on gang-violence. ”
Erm, no, you are not told how to hot-wire a car. You only see Niko fumbling around with the wires beneath the steering wheel from outside the car. Prety hard to learn hotwiring that way.
“New Yorkers should be afraid: The next terrorist attack on their city will have been designed and planned in “Liberty City”.”
Too bad that Google Earth or the Microsoft Flight Simulator are far better tools for such planning, as Liberty City is very much inspired by, but not nearly identical to New York. Can´t say that about the Google Earth and MC Flight Simulator cities…
“The sad truth is that this is one liberal mistake that could easily be avoided: Simply take GTA4 off our shelves and burn every single disc. That’s all I’m asking - it’s just common sense!”
You know, it would also be common sense to hack this site and shoot it down completely. It´s producing nothing but garbage and takes away valuable webspace after all.
You´re trying to burn a strawman instead of adressing the real root of the problem. How very republican.
Ok now, I´m off for a Multiplayer-game of WiC. Seems like the Soviets are about to hit Seattle, will be fun.
The German Guy
IMPEACH BUSH!
These things have happended before,and every time it has been proven, that the video games, music or whatever, never was the main reason for something like this.
It may have been the trigger, but there is allways some deeper reason….
Mainly it´s because of neclect an bad parenting, which has corrupted the minds of the youngster.
If the kid was brought up the right way, he would have been able to differenciate between reality and fiction.
And STR,..Don´t give me the BS about him beeing brought up in a Christian way, so it couldn´t have been the parents fault….Even Christians can be a failiur as parents… Just take a look at your self.
He had probably been brainwashed (Just like the STR crew are trying), to believe Homosexuals are all evil, and should be killed. He also probably got physically punished by his parents on a regular basis…..
If you put 2 and 2 together, you would only need an IQ, slightly higher than those of the STR crew (Which isn´t much), to figure out who´s to blame….. Bad Parents.
Here are some lyrics, which says it all. I now the topic in this disgussion are “Video games”, but you can easely see the similarities.
Title: Who’s To Blame
Johnny can you hear me turn that music down You’re making too much
noise I mean it do it now all that stuff is evil Ozzy, Judas Priest there’s
backwards messages in that stuff that leads you to the beast
Jonny don’t you hear me open up that door I’ve been calling you for hours
I won’t say it anymore just wait until your dad gets home and sees what
you have done kicked out of school you’ve got no job you’re a useless
delinquent bum… oh my god it’s Johnny hanging by his neck all those metal
albums have led him to his death
Now it’s time for parents to open ears and listen maybe it’s too late to see
what you’ve been missing music is no cause of death it’s you that
suffocates if you had opened your eyes and ears you’d see just who’s to
blame
Who’s to be responsible for a life that’s gone off track who’s the one who
must be there to see it gets put back where were you to hear the cries of a
person in need were you there to see the signs or were you too busy
Now it’s time for parents to open ears and listen maybe it’s too late to see
what you’ve been missing music is no cause of death it’s you that
suffocates if you had opened your eyes and ears you’d see just who’s to
blame
Who’s to be responsible for a life that’s gone off track who’s the one who
must be there to see it gets put back where were you to hear the cries of a
person in need were you there to see the signs or were you too busy
Who’s the cause, who’s the blame for a life that’s not worth living is it
parents, family who take without giving so next time that you close your
eyes and choose to shift the blame remember you can save a life so really
who’s to blame?!
/True Christian
Her son is simply following the Gods command from the Bible which tells us to kill homosexuals. The game had nothing to do with it.
i swear to fucking god jimmy goddard you and STR are always bitching and whining about bull shit like this. ond minute jimmy and STR your blaming crimes on video games and heavy metal music you always got to shift the blame on somethings such as video games and heavy metal music.GTA4 did not turn that woman’s son into a murderer. he made the decision to commit murder and breaking the law.you cannot place the blame on a video game or any other type of entertainment.that woman is in the wrong a video game is not the reason he commited murder he chose to commit murder plain and simple quit blaming video games and other type of entertainment the one who’s at fault here is the boy who decided to commit murder. GTA4 did not make her son into a murderer he chose to be a murder plain and simple you stupid repubocrats.
The degradation of the West will be it’s downfall. Because we cannot save society from corruption, we upright Christians may be forced to nuke the World, for we may not hand G-D’s creation to the heathens and the tools of Satan. I have already made certain that there will be no Computer games for my children in my fallout shelter, except maybe Tetris and an interactive tutorial on how to live a healthy Christian life devoted to G-D in a nuclear wasteland.
Yeah, STR’s own survey… Once again credibility is being flushed down the toilet.
Greetings from liberal Holland,
Thomas van der Meer
@mildly insecure german you cannot blame this video game GTA4 for the reason that idiot turned to a life of crime. he made the decision to commit murder and to break the law that video game did not what so ever turn that boy into a murderer he made the decision to murder i’m getting tired of so called christians trying to shift blame on entertainment such as video games and music parents don’t want their children playing violent video games then don’t mother fucking buy the fucking games it’s simple as that and they put ratings on games such as GTA4 so shut the fuck up and get that fucking flag pole out of your god damned ass. sorry but it to be said.not everybody wants to read the damn bible there’s actual people out there that want to have fun instead of having their god damned nose in a fuking bible STR you tightass phony christians get a life STR stupid repubocrats.
Ya know what? I’ve got my own study. And it’s just as credible as STR’s: Jimmy Goddard and the rest of the STR writers have smoked exactly three bajillion times the amount of weed Willie Nelson has. They are also 100% tree frogs feeding off the sap of a bleeding pine in the forests of Narnia.
You say that 50% of crime in the country was inspired by this game. That would imply that one in every two people who play it will go on to be criminals. I’ve played the game for a couple hours a day since it came out. Five of my friends have done roughly the same. And I’m happy to report that none of us have killed, stolen, or raped anything since then. Rejoice, eh!
If in fact the letter is real, which I seeeeriously doubt it is, homophobia killed Peter. Not GTA.
And the guy in the picture is Vlad, not Niko. You 110% jackholes.
That photo isn’t even of the character named Niko, Jimmy boy can’t you get anything right?
Read it and weap!Weap like the little bitches you are!
Hahaha. You’re gonna blame a video game because your son is a homophobe? I would actually blame your parenting skills and your religion first…
Erm, scuse me, but I own GTA IV and I can´t remember a scene where you kill someone simply because he´s a homo.
You obviously never played the game very far - look it up: The game even provides the ability to go on “man dates” - it’s just sick. Why are “entertainment” companies allowed to peddle this disgusting filth to our kids?
Hahaha. You’re gonna blame a video game because your son is a homophobe? I would actually blame your parenting skills and your religion first…
God hates fags - that’s the plain honest truth - the bible says so:
God he commands us to use legal means to campaign against their evil: We need to make homosexuality illegal and punishable by death. STR.com is strongly opposed to the kind of “street justice” that GTA4’s makers advocate.
Yours in Christ,
Jimmy
“God hates fags - that’s the plain honest truth - the bible says so:”
When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?
My parents would like to sell my sister (their daughter) into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?
I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness -Lev.15:19- 24. The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.
Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can’t I own Canadians?
I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?
A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination - Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don’t agree. Can you settle this?
Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of
God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit
that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be
20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?
Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?
I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a
dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play
football if I wear gloves?
My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread(cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? - Lev.24:10-16. Couldn’t we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)
NOTE- SARCASM
“You obviously never played the game very far - look it up: The game even provides the ability to go on “man dates” - it’s just sick. Why are “entertainment” companies allowed to peddle this disgusting filth to our kids?”
Complete playthrough. No homo-killing, no mandates. You are a fucking liar.
And hell, the game´s story actually makes for quite a bit of drama. No wonder Nico´s such a emotionally handicapped person. Whoever would get through the shit he got through would be. Luckily, it´s fiction. Unluckily, people have happening such shit to them in real life.
Pfft, and if you amerifags could really get politically butthurt about a video-game, World in COnflict would be it.
The German Guy
IMPEACH BUSH!
@ sara carter
DO NOT FEED THE TROLL KIDZ!!!
@Jimmy Goddard just how the fuck do you know that god hates homosexuals did god call you up and say hi it’s me god just wanted to tell you that i hate homosexuals if so dude you damn you must have one big long distance bill.
and by the way Jimmy Goddard god hates repubocrats like you if he hates homosexuals.
and another thing jimmy goddard if god hates fags then he sure hates you jimmy goddard cause your a fag wow that must suck for you dude.
Ewwww! Yours in christ, I would never have sex with my personal savior. Thats Fucked up.
Scooter
p.s. Bukkake party at my house!!
So, being repressed by “the society” can turn innocent people to a life of crime and degradation, and we must be merciful if a criminal had a hard life, but playing computer games that teach you to solve everything by killing, whoring and running amok when you’re bored obviously does nothing. I have come to expect nothing more from people with a lie-beral agenda. You ignore how the innocent minds of our children are corrupted by the filth that is the heartless entertainment industry.
You even see that opinion from my fellow (sic) countryman.
“Oh, look, that guy I play had a hard life! No wonder I have to play him slaughter, rape and steal my way to New York!”
This game subtly advances the relativistic agenda of the devil.
@Mildly Insecure German it does not it’s just a damn game for fuck’s sake get off that damn high horse sheesh. Mildly Insecure German are you blind that you cannot see the damn game rating on games for the love of fucking god the next time you look at a god damn fucking game look closely at the fucking game rating and i do believe it is rated m for mature therefore a store cannot sell a minor a game if it is rated m for mature only the parent can buy it for their child if they choose to.damn quit trying to ruin people’s fun for fuck’s sake not everybody is gonna wanna open up a damn bible and read it none of us want to be as boring as STR.and i will say this for the very last fucking time if you are so offended and find it so relativistic agenda of the devil then don’t god damn mother fuicking buy it for fuck’s sake. so just lay off of people who do play it or play other games. just lay off entertainment all together. damn Mildly Insecure German you and STR are the most boring people to ever walk the earth. get a life and quit trying to make people’s live a living hell with your stupidass christianity. and quit putting the blame on video games and types of music cause someone turned to a life of fucking crime it’s not the video games or music that makes a person to commit criminal acts. it’s the person who chooses to commit crime. people are not influenced to commit a crime cause of video games or types of other entertainment that person chooses to walk down that road. therefore you cannot blame video games or other types of entertainment. get a life STR
“You even see that opinion from my fellow (sic) countryman.
“Oh, look, that guy I play had a hard life! No wonder I have to play him slaughter, rape and steal my way to New York!””
I have to admit, you´re better at twisting words than some politicians.
All being said, the whole intent was to simply state that GTA IV at least has a background and a story, which is much more than you can get of many action games and, ironically, so called christian games sorely lack. And hey, point me to that rape scene or I´m gonna call you a fucking liar.
That being said, it´s a game about crime and doesn´t ahve any qualms telling you so. How do you think it got a high age rating?
You are, very unsubtly, advancing the idiotic agenda of blind fanaticism.
The German Guy
IMPEACH BUSH!
now that proud german was absolutely beautiful man.
@Mildy Insecure German:
“Mildly Insecure German May 19th, 2008 7:28 am
The degradation of the West will be it’s downfall. Because we cannot save society from corruption, we upright Christians may be forced to nuke the World, for we may not hand G-D’s creation to the heathens and the tools of Satan. I have already made certain that there will be no Computer games for my children in my fallout shelter, except maybe Tetris and an interactive tutorial on how to live a healthy Christian life devoted to G-D in a nuclear wasteland.”
Didn’t yo’ mother never teach you to share?
How long has GTA 4 been out again. I think only a couple of weeks. So you honestly believe that intelligent people ( those are people that read and laugh at your article STR) are going to actually buy into the thought that a “Gawd-fearing” young person bought a game and instantly (or within 2 weeks), completely turned from the brain-washing you people call religion and then went on a killing spree. Even for you Neo-Nazi Christian fundamentalists that has to be a hard sell…
It takes years, sometimes a life time, to allow a person to break down the natural barriers that people have against harming others. Notice I said Natural barriers, as they are not religion based, but a nature based principle. No, IF this actually occurred then it was because of two factors, bad parenting, and a bad child.
@Proud German:
I hear the rape scene is unlockable with a so-called “spilled coffee patch”. Seeing how SINstar Games normally do business, I believe this without question.
I hear again that “It’s just a ****ing game”. Well, it’s also just a stupid society. What can that do to people who are constantly exposed to it? To the young and influencable minds? If you let some young boy watch Nazi propaganda for years, don’t you think he will believe the Nazi agenda to be true with some chance? If you let him kill people on his PC all the time, don’t you think he will see killing as pretty normal? Will it not desensitize him?
And that argument about the games being M-rated is pure nonsense. If you wanted to smoke a cigarette as a child, how hard was it for you to get one. And you couldn’t even copy cigarettes over the internet.
“I hear the rape scene is unlockable with a so-called “spilled coffee patch”.”
Firstly, that wasn’t a rape scene, it was a sex scene, secondly, that was on a different game you genius.
“If you let some young boy watch Nazi propaganda for years, don’t you think he will believe the Nazi agenda to be true with some chance”
Propaganda and video games are terrible things to compare to each other, propaganda is made to change people’s thinking, games are made for entertainment.
“If you let him kill people on his PC all the time, don’t you think he will see killing as pretty normal?”
Nope, I’ve been shooting CGI figures for 10 years, and I haven’t become a murderous raving lunatic (although without a doubt STR will disagree and make up some bullshit story about how I killed JFK 30 years before I was born)
“If you wanted to smoke a cigarette as a child, how hard was it for you to get one.”
Again, terrible comparison, and it is very hard for a kid to get his/her hands on a cigarette long enough to smoke it, and if he/she did smoke it, it’s the parents fault for either A: leaving some cigs and a lighter around in a place where their kid could pick them up, B: Buying cigs for their kid or C: Not being able to control their kid
Hi - In this letter are too much absurd or illogical associations and comments - I believe, this is a scam letter. For instant - I passed a convert school for 8 years and we never mamorized the Holy Bible verses - cause our clerics told us, we have to understand the meaning and it makes no sence, to repeat the Bible word by word like a tape. I hardly believe, the STR crew wrote this letter.
Peter Vienna
I would agree with Random Aussie.
This should sum it up:
If you are trying to shame something, choose the analogy properly. Otherwise you make yourself seem like an utter windbag, blowing hot air all about.
I would also like to add my input here, as well:
“If you let him kill people on his PC all the time, don’t you think he will see killing as pretty normal?”
The answer is no. First of all: I the child is killing them on the game *all the time*, (key prase there) then he/she will have little or no time to apply it to reality. Secondly: If you teach them properly *and kindly* (that means to beat the snot out of the poor child) that killing is wrong in reality, you should have no problems with them applying it to anything but that fictional world on the screen. Lastly: Seeing a pixilated nobody die is defferent than seeing it happen in flesh and blood, that little voice in our head that tries to guide us (I am trying to use simple terms here) will be either ringing in their ears, or send their nervous system into a panic. That voice is some extra help God gave everyone, so they have some reasoning is this fallen world.
Trying to explain subjects so more people may understand,
~The Caged
Now, on the article that was posted above…
That boy was arrested for hatred of another person’s sexuality. By the way it is described, I would not be surprised if his mother and/or father put all the hate in his head.
Kids are not the only ones to blame for commiting crimes of hatred against someone for who that victim is. At least half of the blame should fall on the shoulders of the parents for shoving prejudice down the child’s throat.
Hate, in this case, has quite literally been breeding more hate. That hits just too close to home for me: lost a sister to a hate crime. The one who did it said God told him he had to do it…
I digress, it is not the game that drove the boy to kill, but the parent’s overzealous bigotry. Too much emphasis was against homosexuality, and not enough attention was placed upon how much worse it is to kill someone.
Asking for prayer to calm my nerves,
~The Caged
i to will agree with random aussie/zealander.
“Niko (above)”
-That’s not Niko…
“who must go on a murderous crime-spree in order to win video game points.”
-Not exactly… he saves his cousin’s life which leads him down an unfortunate rabbit hole of crime which he himself admits, several times, to wishing he could escape.
“But last week he was arrested by the police for beating up and allegedly killing a local homosexual kid who was notorious for spreading his vice around the neighborhood.
“Shortly after Petey was arrested I found out from one of his friend’s moms that he had been playing a video game called “Grand Theft Auto 4? which featured exactly this kind of scene.”
-Niko saves a homosexual friend from a prejudiced asshole that has been stalking him and intended to kill him.
” According to our own survey”
-STR dictionary:
Survey; (1) A collection of imagined results (2)What we think God might have said once
“a XXX rated video game!”
-Which GTA IV is not…
“Typical games-industry apologist. If the games industry made a game about going to hell and arm-westling demons you’d argue that it was a good and healthy thing for our teens to be playing.”
-I’d argue that allowing them to play it and see another view on life is better than wrapping them in bubble wrap and blaming everybody else if a bubble pops.
“The fact is video-games like cartoons and comic-books are for kids. How on earth could joining the Russian mafia be a “kid-safe” topic.”
-It’s not, hence being rated “M; For mature” (Canadian slogan, not sure if anybody else gets that one) Besides which, Niko stays abstract from all gang affiliations. He wants *out* of the life of crime but is constantly forced into it to save friends and family.
” Children are told how to hot-wire and steal vehicles”
-Not really, hot-wiring occurs, yes, however you never visually *see* it.
“You´re trying to burn a strawman instead of adressing the real root of the problem.”
-Well put my friend.
“no Computer games for my children in my fallout shelter, except maybe Tetris and an interactive tutorial on how to live a healthy Christian life devoted to G-D in a nuclear wasteland.”
-Tetris could be seen as an anarachaic attempt to destroy the culture present in the game by forcing like types to suicidally detonate. In this horrific game children learn to tearn down a well structured establishment by making well planned tactical moves…
“Ya know what? I’ve got my own study. And it’s just as credible as STR’s: Jimmy Goddard and the rest of the STR writers have smoked exactly three bajillion times the amount of weed Willie Nelson has. They are also 100% tree frogs feeding off the sap of a bleeding pine in the forests of Narnia.”
-That was amazing… that was beyond amazing… like… wow… I… that… I want a drawing of that…
“The game even provides the ability to go on “man dates””
-Jimmy Goddard; A man who has never hung out with another man in his entire life. I seem to recall an STRticle about how in heaven Jesus will lovingly hug you… Jimmy would go on a man date with Jesus, as that appears to be Jesus’ mandate (bonus points for use of shakespearean humour?)
“STR.com is strongly opposed to the kind of “street justice” that GTA4’s makers advocate”
-If you were an animal you’d be the Hippo-crite; The bible says we should stone people to death on the street. That’s not exactly legal, but it’s what the bible calls for… Stone them, then burn the city to the ground, then gather and burn their possessions, and make sure you’ve killed everybody in the city… that’s how you properly deal with he who does not preach Christianity.
“how the innocent minds of our children are corrupted by the filth that”
-By the filth that they shouldn’t be playing? By what their parents shouldn’t have bought them?
“I hear the rape scene is unlockable with a so-called “spilled coffee patch”.”
-That would be a user created modification to ressurect some poorly disposed of coding from the *last* game (San Andreas) in which the main charcter, CJ, had sex with his girlfriend(s).
“I believe this without question.”
-Which makes you the sheep and we the peanut gallery.
“Will it not desensitize him?”
-Not if he’s properly taught. You know, that thing where you explain the difference between reality and- Wait.. you don’t? Oh, that’s right, you favour bubble wrap and bibles.
” If you wanted to smoke a cigarette as a child, how hard was it for you to get one.”
-Hard if your parents cared enough… mine actually had spies at my school. That drove me nuts. I’d come home and they’d ask me why I traded my yogourt for a poptart… to this day I don’t know who their source was. Moral of that random story is that if a parent cares they can have a constant eye on their child without smothering them.
Alright, work in the morning so I’m off to bed.
Take it easy all,
-Wraith
@Peter i also think that it is scam letter also.
and STR stop being so damn pathetic by writing false letters you ignorant repubocrats.
GTA 4 is so cool .. if your son is getting murder feeling because of it then he has got a poor education… my whole famlily plays GTA 4 just to release the presseure of normal day live.
@jimmy I would like to address this honestly, and respectfully… You are a liar… If you “own GTA IV” you would at least be able to tell that the picture you posted of Niko is not him. You’ve obviously never even seen the opening credit let alone “played the game very far” I mean no disrespect to STR in general (ahem) but everything you write Jimmy is either a lie, irrelevant, un-researched, or just plain retarded. And like i said, no disrespect, but you should be banned from writing anything at all.
“lost a sister to a hate crime. The one who did it said God told him he had to do it…”
:( that’s awful, my heart goes out to you bro.
“Which makes you the sheep and we the peanut gallery.”
Woot! Amen!
“i also think that it is scam letter also.”
Just like everything else to do with STR…
“I mean no disrespect to STR in general”
Very little point in trying to be civil with the STR crew(hence the reason why I have a reputation of using more crude language than nearly all the peanut gallery :P)
“And like i said, no disrespect, but you should be banned from writing anything at all.”
Welcome, welcome, don’t forget to take a jacket and a gift basket :D
People have a right to an opinion in america. However, prejudice is greatly looked down upon in civilised society. Jimmy, and all of you other people at STR, I know it is hard to grasp the fact that your washed up and negative hovel you all call a home is not worthy of even being called patriotic. Crawl on out from under your rocks and take a look around, the world is trying to pull itself together as you use things to split us up.
The ways you do this are (but not limited to) the following:
-”Race” (though I only believe there is one humanity)
-Sexual orientation
-Musical preference
-Area of living
-Any religion other than Extremist
-People by what someone else did (Germany is a nice place now, and I plan on visiting over the sumer)
-Gender (yes, including bi-gender)
That is just off the top of my head, but I could add more to the list if I took the time to go galavanting around the site.
Providing truth,
~The Caged
“I hear the rape scene is unlockable with a so-called “spilled coffee patch”.”
1. It´s Hot Coffee Mod.
2. That´s in GTA San Andreas, not GTA IV.
3. It´s not rape, but regular sexual intercourse.
4. It was not put into the game by the actual programmers, but by a bunch of script kiddies.
“I hear again that “It’s just a ****ing game”. Well, it’s also just a stupid society. What can that do to people who are constantly exposed to it? To the young and influencable minds? If you let some young boy watch Nazi propaganda for years, don’t you think he will believe the Nazi agenda to be true with some chance? If you let him kill people on his PC all the time, don’t you think he will see killing as pretty normal? Will it not desensitize him?”
And that´s why it´s a bad idea in general to let your kid sit in front of the TV/PC all the time like many parents today do. Matter in fact, parents should actively take part in their childrens free time and educate them, for god´s sake.
“And that argument about the games being M-rated is pure nonsense. If you wanted to smoke a cigarette as a child, how hard was it for you to get one. And you couldn’t even copy cigarettes over the internet.”
1. Copying licensed games isn´t called pirating just because. Highly illegal here.
2. The game industry can hardly be blamed for parents that are unresponsible enough to buy games rated M for their kids.
And then again, STR is here cracking down on GTA IV despite the fact that there are other, more deserving titles out there.
Alas, I´m off to another match of World in Conflict. Let´s see how many tac-nukes are dropped into that west-coast-town, Pine Valley, this time. :)
The German Guy
IMPEACH BUSH!
I’m going to add a little something, not to my list, but to my comment before:
Would you rather someone take all the frustration and stress from the day out on someone who had nothing to do with it? (Kicking the family pet, beating a spouse/child etc.)
Or would you rather all that aggression be taken out on a pixilated and fictional target? (Blowing demons to kingdom come, flailing at nameless noones, decimating an enemy in a tactical warfare game (*hint* War in Conflict *hint*), and so on.)
I would prefer the fake people to take the beating, less crime in reality to worry about.
Tactical war games pwn,
~The Caged
Medieval 2 Total War > World in Conflict
“Medieval 2 Total War > World in Conflict”
Apples and Oranges.
The pace, game setting, play modes etc. are simply too differrent to really compare.
Medieval is a hugely complex and very fun game in the campaigns and nice for custom battles, WiC is imo superb for the easily accessable Multiplayer (and the sp campaign iss quite intense, especially the cutscenes. “Captain, I´m scared,” for those that know it.). Getting a net-game is ridicously easy and I prefer playing against fellow human beings, they are more of a challenge.
The German Guy
IMPEACH BUSH!
Hey, Proud German, wie ist dein Nickname in World in Conflict?
Ich spiele hin und wieder nämlich auch sehr gerne und würde dich gerne mal im Spiel treffen ^^
Magni
I´m pretty much still a noob, though. And mostly avaible on weekends. (Except now, because my Laptop is in repair. And my home computer can´t handle WiC without getting a dia-show.)
Wow, jetzt hab ich tatsächlich auf englisch geantwortet, aus reinem Reflex. Witzig.
Seeing as everyone else has said something in German, here’s my two cents (and the only 2 words I know in German): Nein dumkoft (yes I say that alot when I read STR)
It´s Dummkopf. ;)
lol, thanks for the spelling lesson :P
Hum video games, is just an European invention (collaborating with Russians and Nazis) for destroying America by increasing criminality. You, the Americans are the ones who feel threatened by everything in the world, althought the threat comes from you.
Video games don’t make criminals, your system do.
LIBERALS, TOWELHEADS, GAYS, LESBIANS, ABORTIONISTS, THEY ALL MAKE JESUS CRY. PRAY FOR FORGIVENESS, AMERICA!!! Did you ever think this kind of crap would turn your son into a homo hating screw up? because it clear to me that if you have been driling this kind of crap into your sons head then he wil obviously go on and commit atorsious acts towards those he has been taught to avoid and fear. People like you should have there childeren taken away from them blaming video games for your sons problems is pathetic. Did you ever think he could be a murder as simple as that?
ya ok you think a f’ing video game did this is probobly the fact u never let him have a normal life i mean seriously “he memorized the bible” so what that dosent mean hes the perfect lil boy. your fucking dumb … homos must die
video games, music and other ‘thoughts’ do not MAKE your kids do anything.Failure as a parent usually does that. A person is who they are from day 1…It makes it easier for people to blame video games and music because it may contain violence…but truth is, if your son was as sane as most of us…the video game would have just made him entertained and not murderous. core religious values are not the solution. Murders have been around since the dawn of time…some people are just plain insane sometimes. Religion caused the Crusades…lots of murders, Religion caused the Holocaust…lots of murders…this video game industry isn’t even close to that. If you think your son is mentally incapable of playing a game fit for those who are capable…and leave it as a game while your son decides to kill people..you’re not even thinking clearly.
As much as I am sorry to hear about your son, what is to realize here is that the video game only at best enhanced what was already in your son’s heart. Jesus says in the Gospels that out of a person’s heart comes things like murder, adultery, fornication, etc. I do not say this to condemn your son but the fact of the matter is something was wrong with your son’s heart if he had been in church all that time, memorized all those Bible verses and decided that it was okay to play that video game.
Temptations are strong in the world and Christian parents need to make sure that their children know Jesus Christ first and foremost. If they know “going to church” and “memorizing Bible verses” more than they know Jesus, they are going to struggle. Once again, I’m sorry to hear about your son.
its ur fauld cause i taught him that homo people r bad. u r prob a racist too
ironically, (having played the game myself) GTA4 has a set of missions where you WORK for a homosexual man named bernie, and in one of these missions you help your gay friend from being assaulted by gay-bashers (aka ‘haters’) in his local park. I suppose her son just didnt make it far enough in the game to know that GTA4 is against gay violence? just thought Id add that to the obvious irony of this article
I think that everyone has blown everything out of proportion. Life is cruel. Deal with it. I’m 17, a devoted Catholic, and a young man of morals. Just because I spend time on my days off from work playing a video game where I can run kill someone in about a dozen ways doesn’t mean I’m going to go around in my regular life and try anything I’ve seen in the game. First of all, it does not show you how to hotwire a car. All it shows is the character breaking the window and fiddling around under the dashboard. Second, Jimmy wrote, “According to our own survey over fifty percent of crime in America may have been caused by this pernicious game.” Ok. So according to this alleged survey, the bunch of dudes at my school this past year that beat up a gay guy were driven by their GTA 4 gameplay experiences. Hm…weird because the game hadn’t even come out yet when this happened. One other thing that’s gonna keep my mind boggling is that you claim that 50% of the crime in this country today is because of the game. Correct me please if I am wrong, but there has been crime no different than the one today for the past oh I don’t know maybe 232 years? Differences being technology changing and that’s about it. The point of this pointless late night sleep-deprived rant (first day off in 2 weeks + GTA4 = going to sleep when the sun comes up) is that in the few years I’ve been living, I’ve seen the rise of video games as I grew older alongside them. I mainly play games that involve a firearm and people to aim at. Terrorists, civilians, mobsters, and anyone else is fair game. I own a rifle and that’s because my parents raised me well enough that they know they can trust me to be exposed to these images and not short circuit. I’m sick of people blaming everything they do on a video game or a movie or a song they heard off the last Eminem CD that came out. Parents need to be responsible for their kids upbrining and actions. I’m probably not making any sense but it’s all good cuz you’ll never hear or see me again since I’ll probably forget this site by the time I’m awake enough to realize I wasted 5 mins of my life writing a comment on a bullshit website. God is good….but this is just ridiculous how you people act (yes, YOU people). You arrogant, 2 timing low-lives with nothing better to do than get rid of something that you’re using as a scapegoat to cover for a stupid kid’s actions. I hope he has fun in jail and realizes why he’s there cuz he’s probably not gonna be a virgin for much longer…
Reading through this article, I was finding it hard not to laugh.
You know that the mother could’ve just got her kid and locked him inside a closet and hello there is rating in the game. Before you buy your kid a game look at the damn rating.If all mothers go against this original game I’m going to frickin’ get the whole country against them. There is no way they’re going to demolish this game… never no matter waht.
2 things wrong here. The pic at the top IS NOT Niko. That is a character named Vlad and the game does NOT have a XXX rating. It is M for mature. It says “nudity” but there is no nudity. They put that on there because there are strippers that have tape over the nipples.
I just love how stupid and retarded you liberals are.
This game doesnt turn anyone in to a murderer its about the PARENTS (or lack there of) that turns a person to be a killer. I’ve played GTA 3, Vice City, San Andreas and now 4. When GTA 3 came out I was a minor and I did not become a murderer.
I have always been into FPS or third person shooter games. I was playing Tom Clancy Rogue Spear, Rainbow 6, Ghost Recon, Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter and Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2. So I have more then my fair share of video game violence.
I am perfectly fine. You just have to know thats its just a game and have the PROPER PARENTING and your kids should be fine.
you are an idiot. you are just hiding from the fact that your son is just not that fantastic prison you thought he was. a video game can do almost nothing and anyone that thinks otherwise is a dick. it lets kids release there anger and not take it out on other people. in this case the game problem helped your son out.
I have this game, and I’m a christian.
How is a picture of someone with a lollipop pornographic?
You’re sick minded.
And if you’re going to say something about it, at least check your facts.
The guy in the pic is Vlad, not Niko.
Anyone who is strong in faith WILL NOT be corrupted by a video game.
If a christian is corrupted by a single video game, they are not strong in faith and were not christians to begin with. Video games cannot turn you into a murderer, only necessity, improper parenting, and corruption can do that
Idiots make me smile, and republicans keep me out of constant depression. Always a good laugh indeed.
“According to our own survey over fifty percent of crime in America may have been caused by this pernicious game.”
Obviously a highly scientific survey. Jesus Christ, people.
what a stupid mom,if HIS mom wouldnt make him think homosexuals and atheists are evil he would NEVER do a thing like that,and whats pornografic about a lollipop anyway?!?!its because of the mom hes a criminal not a game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!oh and 1 thing,the game does NOT have an XXX rating,jeez
Thats fucking bullshit, You kid is a homephobic and thats it, dont go blameing video games because you didnt teach your child equal rights in sexual oriantion
The game didn’t make your son beat up a homosexual YOU did. By teaching him that it’s wrong to be homosexual, as you clearly state.
What the fuck, if you want to place blame in a video game for your child beating up a homosexual, at least make it make sence. The game isn’t about hurting gay kids now is it. and if some one is capable of doing that what would make them NOT do it for some other reason?!!!! ^.^
That’s not Niko. That’s Vlad, a character Niko meets through out the storyline. Get your facts straight.
It seems theres a lot of hostility here. But the fact of the matter is by shielding children from homosexuality and atheism you inadvertently create an idealism or even curiosity in their mind. I am the only teenager in my extended family that doesn’t smoke, yet we have a very strict anti-smoking family. By shielding them you leave a bigger step of understanding for them to climb. Its better that you gradually show them why a certain behavioural pattern is wrong rather than block it from them completely. I’v played all the GTA games and enjoyed them and yet i understand what the character is doing is wrong. If i can, why couldn’t your son? You must focus more on fixing your error than asking someone else to do it for you. It’s delayed, but not too late.
hahahaha you teach him that being gay is immoral and god hates them, and then you wonder why he kills one of them? FAIL
on a further note
how the FUCK is sucking a lolipop porographic
and who in the fucking world would make some shit up like “the game is XXX rated”
Seriously
do i piss you off because i resemble your thereapist?