'Grand Theft Auto', video game violence and murder

Ever since its release, 'Grand Theft Auto 4' has been labeled as one of the most violent video games in the market by many parents and concerned observers. And now, I don't think that tag will further be disputed because 'Grand Theft Auto 4' has apparently led to another senseless murder.

Authorities in Thailand have recently stopped the sales and distribution of 'Grand Theft Auto 4' after a teenager confessed to robbing and murdering a taxi driver while trying to recreate a scene from the controversial game. The youth, an obsessive player of 'Grand Theft Auto', has reportedly shown no sign of mental problems during questioning and had confessed to committing the crime because of the 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. The youth, described by his parents as polite and diligent, was arrested after he was found trying to steer a cab backwards out of a Bangkok street with the severely wounded driver in the back seat. He now faces death by lethal injection if found guilty
of robbing and killing the 54-year-old taxi driver.

Excessive violence in some of today's video games have always been the concern of many parents around the globe. There are games that glorify drunk driving, fighting, gang war, robbery, mugging, murder and other crimes. What's even scarier is the fact that kids and minors are among the many who patronize such video games, kids who can be easily influenced by such violence.

The 'Grand Theft Auto' series has been criticized for depicting excessive violence including beatings, carjackings, drive-by shootings, drunk driving and prostitution. In May, an organization of parents, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), has called for stricter ratings and implementation of video games after the fourth edition of GTA was found to include an option for players to drive while intoxicated. Several years ago, 'Grand Theft Auto' was allegedly also the cause the murders of two police officers and a 911 dispatcher in the US by another teenager obsessed with the game. Though these seem like isolated cases, I shudder at the thought that there are many more undocumented video game related violence out there. What about playground fights, bullying, school brawls and gang wars? Video games seem to give kids the impression that fighting is cool, and harmless. Moreover, it somehow gives them the feeling of invincibility, invincible enough to try it on their own in the real world.

There are a lot of these games in many households around the world. We have a few of them. My nephew was even so addicted to the GTA series that it was all he played for a time. That's when I became familiar with the game. I even enjoyed watching it at first. However, I soon realized that it was no game for my nephew, or any other kid for that matter. We quickly looked for alternative games and, luckily, his GTA obsession was forgotten in no time.

Reading all of these made me appreciate Guitar Hero even more. Now that's a video game with a difference! As one of my readers put it, Guitar Hero not only saved her children from all the violence from video games, it also developed their interest in music. That's something many parents will be eternally happy about. More video games like Guitar Hero please.

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