Grand Theft Auto inspires real murder
Categories: Teens & tweens, Health & safety, In the news, Toys & games
Opponents of violent video games often express concern that impressionable players may try recreate the violent crimes of the games they play in the real world. On the flip side, others feel that violent video games are harmless and in fact provide a healthy emotional outlet for kids to express themselves. I would be willing to bet that the family of a 54-year-old cab driver in Thailand falls into the former category.
The taxi driver was stabbed to death last weekend and 18-year-old Polwat Chino has been charged with the murder. Chino confessed to the crime and admits that he was trying to recreate a scene from the Grand Theft Auto video game. 'He said he wanted to find out if it was as easy in real life to rob a taxi as it was in the game,' chief police investigator Veeravit Pipattanasak said.
The backlash has begun with Grand Theft Auto's Thailand distributor halting sales of the game. New Era Interactive is also asking retailers and video arcade establishments to pull the games.
Thailand's Culture Ministry has been working toward tougher regulations for video games, including a rating system and restrictions on hours that kids can play the games in public arcades. An official with the Ministry says this murder proves that the time has passed for authorities as well as parents to deal with the issue of violent video games. "This time-bomb has already exploded and the situation could get worse," Ladda Thangsupachai, director of the ministry's Cultural Surveillance Centre, said. "Today it is a cab driver, but tomorrow it could be a video game shop owner."
As for Chino, he may have found it easy enough to copy a pretend murder scene from Grand Theft Auto, but the consequences he will suffers will be real. If found guilty, he faces death by lethal injection.
The taxi driver was stabbed to death last weekend and 18-year-old Polwat Chino has been charged with the murder. Chino confessed to the crime and admits that he was trying to recreate a scene from the Grand Theft Auto video game. 'He said he wanted to find out if it was as easy in real life to rob a taxi as it was in the game,' chief police investigator Veeravit Pipattanasak said.
The backlash has begun with Grand Theft Auto's Thailand distributor halting sales of the game. New Era Interactive is also asking retailers and video arcade establishments to pull the games.
Thailand's Culture Ministry has been working toward tougher regulations for video games, including a rating system and restrictions on hours that kids can play the games in public arcades. An official with the Ministry says this murder proves that the time has passed for authorities as well as parents to deal with the issue of violent video games. "This time-bomb has already exploded and the situation could get worse," Ladda Thangsupachai, director of the ministry's Cultural Surveillance Centre, said. "Today it is a cab driver, but tomorrow it could be a video game shop owner."
As for Chino, he may have found it easy enough to copy a pretend murder scene from Grand Theft Auto, but the consequences he will suffers will be real. If found guilty, he faces death by lethal injection.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mihir 8-05-2008 @ 10:40PM
oh please. the headline should read "idiot kills someone and tries to deflect blame by pointing at video game".
my friends and i all played leisure suit larry and none of us hang out at seedy bars with hookers.
then again, we all played donkey kong and I get an overwhelming urge to jump over barrels when i see them. go figure.
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ninainindia 8-06-2008 @ 2:34AM
Exactly, I'm not a fan of (violent) video games but still find it just stupid to blame the murder on the game instead of the person.
He probably hopes his sentence will be lower this way.
Paul Cyopick 8-06-2008 @ 7:04AM
Unfortunately, we live in a society where everyone knows their rights, but very few take responsibility for their actions. Before video games and the internet were the main evils ruining children, it was television, before that radio etc. I'm sure the invention of the wheel was blamed for disruptive children in its day.
This person was obviously a disturbed individual, and unfortunately, if he saw a cool murder on tv or in a movie, might have done the same thing. It's not the medium, it's the person that should take responsibility for their actions.
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Tamyu 8-06-2008 @ 10:50AM
Besides the obvious flaw in blaming someone`s actions on a media...
I find this quote very disturbing; "Today it is a cab driver, but tomorrow it could be a video game shop owner."
Cab drivers have somehow less valuable lives than video game shop owners? The wording implies that. I find it quite hard to believe the words of anyone who ranks people`s lives according to their employment.
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