April 29, 2008 -
While the make-pretend crime in Grand Theft Auto IV is the subject of an enormous amount criticism from politicians, activists and media pundits, a police chief says it's only a game.Kansas TV station KSWO-7 includes an interview with Lawton P.D. Chief Ronnie Smith in its coverage of the hoopla surrounding the GTA IV launch. Chief Smith told reporter Elaina Rusk:
Most of the young people who play these games know they're only games, they're smart enough to know they're only games. It's that small percentage that don't realize, or that start thinking the wrong way, and end up getting themselves in trouble by thinking, 'you know, this is cool, I can do this in real life.'
This is all fun and games when you're playing these games, but turn them off and forget about it, and know that that's not real life. Because in real life you don't get up and walk away... In real life it's a totally different ball game.
Comments
this is so great!
I'm the reporter who did this story -- and I'm so stoked to see it passed along! As a reporter, I strive to cover every story from both sides (uncommon, I know!), and luckily I'm in good with our police chief and got him to talk rationally about REAL crime on the streets, and how it's not commonly associated with video games. Of course I had to get the psychologist telling the other side, that it really is a causal link -- but sounds like the you guys got your voices heard, which is exactly why I moved to Oklahoma for this job! (yeah, the station is in OK, not Kansas, just for the record.)
Thanks for passing the story along, I'm going to share it with the Chief on Monday.
-Elaina Rusk
erusk@kswo.com
thing is Jack that their are at risk people who will kill because they saw someone eating an apple. This happens because they are insane and anything could set them off, video games should not take the blame for horrible tragedies, there is no cookie cutter solution (exept maybe reivigorating the mental health industry)
>:(
Not as fast as one would hope, but if stories like this keep popping up in major news places, we'll soon be as accepted as comic books.
Take that Jack Thompson.
We just need more people like this to stand up and tell the truth.
SSSSAAAAALLLLUUUUTTTTEEEE!
....
What?
So I'm a Hee Haw fan. Shut up! He deserved it! :)
Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
What the f*ck?!If only more level headed people like him would get air time,this country,nay the WORLD,would be a much better place.
Forget that his father sexually molested him.
Forget that his step mom psychologically abused him (or was it physically?)
What was the reason that he killed them?
A VIOLENT VIDEO GAME!
IDIOTS! F'ING IDIOTS!
This happened some time ago.
So, how long until Jackie boy sues him?
How much longer until Jack's bar card is
worth less than toilet paper and he's on
late night TV, selling books, which blow the
doors wide open about the conspiracy against
him, the corruption in the media, the Florida
Bar Department, etc? It'll be just like that
other yahoo selling books on late night
TV: Kevin Trudeau.
Is it me, or is there a facial resemblance
between Jack and Kevin?
In real life, you can't jump off a skyscraper (w/o a parachute) and survive (See GTA III and Vice City)
----
Papa Midnight
I dunno. I read this story a month or so ago about a skyscraper window washer who fell and dropped many many stories to land on his brother(?) who fell before him and he survived. Lots of broken bones, but he survived.
Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
The case you were referring to was the Cody Posey case. And there's a lot more to it. Wikipedia has a great deal of info on what happened prior to Cody choosing the path that he did.
Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
This guy obviously is sensible and can think for himself - far from the norm in today's politics.
The people like Jack Thompson - have an axe to grind and no amount of proof - scientific, clinical, or anything else will convince them otherwise.
thankyou Lord.. thankyou Lord...
Carpooling a bandwagon sounds like fun, but not when it's filled with stupid people. The game-hate band wagon is full and with its heavy load, will break apart any moment now. Looks like Fox News and Jack Thompson forgot to buy extra-strong axles for the treacherous river ahead!
Hopefully he'll receive ten less letters, the only one being a certain lawyer "advising" the chief be removed.
...and before I get flamed...
People with guns using them to hurt other people. Not just those who own them.
Article - human being makes sense!
*comment thread gives standing ovation*
Good man. Have some delicious and moist cake.
First off... wingnuts? What the crap? You're making up your own infantile insults now? Charming for a 57-year-old.
The point is that barely ANY take GTA games as more than a game. Not just 1%. We're talking a thousandth of that. So we should ban all copies of GTA because of the 0.001% of gamers that MIGHT go postal?
It's not going to happen, sir. Those chances are far too small.
"DavCube", Math Major, and You're Not
There you go again, using that witchcraft again -- what's it called, LOGIC?
But seriously, if I had a 360 I'd prolly check it out.
You're getting too worked up over nothing. Where are your balls? This is the risk we have to take for having violence in our entertainment.
It's funny that you call Dennis an industry whore, yet you defend street whores, especially because sexual prostitution is an abomination onto your lord, Jealous (see Exodus 34:14 for name confirmation)
岩「…I can see why Hasselbeck's worried about fake guns killing fake people. afterall, she's a fake journalist on a fake news channel」
So... Lemme get this straight...
You'd BAN GTA because it MAY (still unproven) provoke someone to kill another human being and EVEN if you take your current list of "cases" and the purported number of victims it's LESS than the number of people killed per year by lightning.
So if you're after the largest common denominator why aren't you handing out lightning rods? Or was that some sort of voodoo magic that the gay porn was to produce in your court submission?
Some people are allergic to peanuts. Do those people try and ban peanuts, or do they just be careful with what they eat?
I thought envy was a capital sin, Jacko. What would say God about that. Don´t worry, Jack, you will always be the biggest whore we had ever know.
By the way, thanks to you, I will buy GTA4 next month. Well done, Jackass...
We've said it before, we say it again you anti American terrorist
There are more things at work with those cases than just video games.
Mental instability
Problems at home
Problems in school
Financial troubles
The place one lives in
Of course a narcissistic, lying, satan worshipping attention whore like yourself can't see past the dollar signs in your eyes to notice that you're taking attention away from what REALLY causes these problems
Some movies will push someone over the edge, heck, having to work in the same office for several years has been known to push someone over the edge. You can't regulate something on the basis of how it affects the odd person, else everything would be banned. To quote Frank Zappa, Jack's hero, the colour of somebodies' tie might push someone over the edge.
@ Jack "Merciless Fax Murderer" Thompson
Big words for a soon to be disbarred head case. Industry whore? You sound like an angry 6th grader.
Bravo to him being intelligent. No more redneck jokes about Kansas, okay?
If only more people would rise up against the people like Jack Thompson. We'd end this "games kill people" bullshit.