August 13, 2008 -
Could executves of Take-Two and Rockstar Games be prosecuted for an alleged copycat killing in Thailand?
Following local police assertions that the murder of a Bangkok cab driver was prompted by the killer's play of Grand Theft Auto, a Thai government official has called for prosecution of game publishers for instances of copycat violence.
AsiaOne Digtal quotes Somchai Jaroen-amnuaysuk of the Welfare Promotion, Protection and Empowerment of Vulnerable Groups Office:
When a player copycats a crime he or she sees in the game, the game maker should be prosecuted. Prosecutions will automatically force game makers to act more responsibly.
Comments
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
so let me get this straight.. now ive thought even more about it...
If say i pickup a kitchen knife and stab somebody.... are we allowed to also sue the kitchen utensil manufacturer for not 'manufacturing responsibly' ...if so .. then ill guess we will all be eating with our hands again, because why would a company risk making a kitchen knife ever again.
in fact.. companies who make bricks n planks of wood n hammers n nails... yep shut up shop now, i mean if i kill somebody with your tools then ill sue you. Guess all manufacturing companies had best shut up shop now, n we can all live in holes in the ground. same goes for automobile manufacturers.
or.. if say i drink or take drugs, then go out n commit crimes under the influence can i sue the alcohol manufacturer for making the spirits i got drunk on?
absolutely LUDICROUS to DARE talk about 'acting responsibly' and then 1) ignoring the perptrator, and 2) talking about draconian measures like this. with stupidly huge knock on effects, all because of one person.
oh if i hit somebody, can i sue my mother and father for giving me the genetic code to make limbs n not giving it to me responsibly?
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
It's taking the idea of a gold-digger to the extreme.
Now that I think about it, frivolous lawsuits and prosecutions have a lot in common with the way insurance works. They all attempt in transferring the risk and responsibility from one party to another.
At least the insurance companies can decide who can get a policy, and they don't take a loss of money until it pays off for you in an accident. But with lawsuits and prosecutions the responsible companies don't have a choice and they always lose money. And if they refuse to comply the companies face other legal consequences. It's like threatening an insurance agent with death or blackmail.
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
Yup, when someone who breaks the law because they were stupid enough to reenact something from a video game. Something which is NOT REAL they can sue the company. Because we all know it was the company, in this case Rockstar and Take2, who made that guy kill that cabbie. Yup, it's all Rockstar's fault, they made the game so therefore they also told people to go kill random people.
WHAT ARE YOU F-ING STUPID?! I HOPE ROCKSTAR SUE YOUR ASS TO THE GROUND YOU BLOODY MORONS. Where the hell do you get your bloody screwed up ideas from, the back of a bag marked "Cocaine"?! Cause you must be taking some damn drug to think of something so UTTERLY RETARDED.
I hope Take2 and Rockstar wipe the floor with these morons. Wipe their floor like a MOP. Like a mop who just got owned in court.
-- Joshua Smellie
----
Randi Tastix - http://randomtastic.com
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
I tried to sue Nippon Ichi Software after playing Rhapsody. It caused me to break into song in public causing much embarassment to myself and my family. We're still awaiting a court date but I am willing to settle for a copy of Disgaea 3 and a 1:16th scale statue of Etna...
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
Nice use of bold. (No seriously, I liked that in the first paragraph.)
I am trying to understand how all of this goes. If you are in the car with someone who does a drive by shooting, you are an accessory to the crime. It is kind of like arresting a mob boss that never does anything illegal, never asked anyone to do anything illegal, and then some wanna be goons that have seen this guy carrying out crime lord mob like acts.
Wait wait wait, no... It is like a Muslim going through the airport and put in jail for doing nothing wrong because people in groups like Al-Qaeda being Muslim.
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
I know that Thailand has a different legal system than the US... but this is beyond stupid, and impossible to implement unless companies set up shop in Thailand... Which I doubt will happen
- Tim Kowalenko
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
Aww poor Thailand, not getting enough attention are we?
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
Thailand, the country with the mentally challeneged running the entire government. God bless.
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
<insert joke about Bush here>
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
<insert joke about how old and decrypted most of our government is here, hence senility.>
Re: Old and Decrypted
LOL
I really hope you meant "old and decrepit", since I think "encrypted" or "cryptic" would be better choices.
....I'm not so sure these people comprehend law, people, leadership, crime and punishment, cause and effect...and they certainly haven't checked up on their history, but that just makes it sound more like something our government would do, currently. <sigh>
Re: Old and Decrypted
ops... yeah... i was just blasting through it with firefox's quick spell check... my bad....
and yeah... our government... yeah.... and their government... this whole world needs fixing....
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
<starts to insert joke that further supports the previous jokes about the government, but then realizes it's his own government>
<goes and gets a drink instead>
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
<reads these posts> ...damn... <goes into a depressed state of mind> ...I need a pick me up now...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65I0HNvTDH4
Thats better...
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
<Points out that tyrants, while evil, are not exactly lacking in the brains department>
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
which tyrants are you talking about, if you mean the politicians, then you may want to look again. McCain doesnt even know how to work a computer, which is common for most politicians.
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
I meant the Thai goverment, not the US.
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
Doesn't matter. It was inevitable.
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
<dick bush and colin>
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
@ gp
'executves' typo first line
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
Another article saved by Anal McTypist
You provide an anal rebuke...
...by lambasting someone offering a friendly spelling suggestion to GP.
Re: You provide an anal rebuke...
Play nice, kids, We're all on the same side (more or less). Save the strength for the bad guys.
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
wow no need to be rude.
Just lettin GP know. usually appreciates these things. Wasnt meant in a 'im a better typer than you' way atall (hence the smiley)
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
The cynical side of videogames (spanish only): http://thelostlevel.blogspot.com/ My DeviantArt Page (aka DeviantCensorship): http://www.darkknightstrikes.deviantart.com/
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
That's just about one of the dumbest things I've read in a while... but then again I have friends that were deported from Thailand for teaching english. Apparently that's illegal as well. Messed up country, that Thailand
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
'Prosecutions will automatically force game makers to act more responsibly.'
HAHAHAH sorry i couldnt help but laugh at the irony there.
A civilian kills somebody, yet this is designed to make the game MAKERS 'act more responsibly'.
right... so no mention at all of making the actual person who committed the crime 'act more responsibly'... in any way shape or form..
so.. waste money making hundreds of thousands of game makers 'act more responsibly' or waste about 0.00001% of the money on making the 1 in a billion 'gamers' who do act irresponsibly.
Surely thats like knocking down your house and rebuilding it from scratch just because there is patch on the living room wall that needs a single stroke of a brush with some white paint.
In fact no... its like knocking down the houses of the builders who built your house, because there is patch on the living room wall that needs a single stroke of a brush with some white paint. And it was you who missed the spot. not the builders. see it doesnt even make sense.
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
I laugh at the very notion of Thailand prosuming to have the ability to prosecute North American and European game developers.
Stick to what you know Thailand, child prostitution.
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
UG - 2 to 1 Jack's on this thread as soon as he sees it. I honestly don't think we have much to worry about. Put another way, I realize I'm not a lawyer, but isn't there such a thing as burden of proof? Innocent until proven guilty? I don't know about Thailand, but it seems to me that something like this would be exceedingly hard to prosecute.
What if I went out and
What if I went out and crucified some prostitutes and stabbed them in the side, then claimed that I thought they were sinners and the Bible taught me that this you should do with them? They'd put me away and throw away the key, calling me crazy. But play a video game these days...
Re: What if I went out and
Every church in the nation would declare that you had had barely any contact with the Bible. You should read up on the religion you're trying to lambast next time.
Re: What if I went out and
Because there are no passages in the bible that encourage violence . None. At all. And churches have never done anything violent or been anything but a positive influence on people.
Re: What if I went out and
Read the teachings of Jesus, which the Christian faith is based on, then come back here.
Re: What if I went out and
Indeed, while there are many depictions of violence in the bible, it's intent is not to encourage violence. There's a difference.
Re: What if I went out and
I suggest you read the Old Testament.
Re: What if I went out and
GTA does not condone violence either, and let me correct by saying that while the whole church overall has means for the good of humanity, lets not forget the several scandals we had the past decade...
and even so, the church has not always be successful about getting throught to people.
Much the same, if someone were to see, hear or read something that aspires them to take on a bloodbath, its more of a individual responsibilty, not a; "Oh my god, that piece of S*&! video game made him do it!!!"
Look up the crusades people!!!
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
Will. Not. Happen.
---- There is a limit for both politicians against video games, and video games against politicians. http://www.goteamretard.com
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
Bonus Points +5
Exactly, they not only gave birth to him, they raised him, and if he was unstable enough to do this, then his parents should have noticed and should have seeked help for him.
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
Cho's (Vtech killer) parents saw the signs, gave him treatment, paid his mental health bills, hospitalized him, in essence, did everything they could to prevent his madness from taking victims. It was as Cho entered college and started refusing treatment that he went down that darker path. Same thing with the Chicago college killer on Vday last year. Blame the parents can only go so far. In many cases, the parents did what they could.
Frankly, considering he chose his victim and showed skills beyond what is shown in the game (ie: You can kill someone in GTA just by slicing their hand a lot) and premeditation, it's about time we start calling a spade a spade. This was a PERSONAL decision so the PERSON should be held responsible. No more, no less.
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
Vtech killer never played video games. Even more so, he scuffed at people who did, and he was extremely screwed up on the head and should have been forced into treatment by courts, but he slipped between the cracks of the system.
My point is more so leaning on the fact that video games are only a minor influence, and psychological treatment could counteract any type of minor influence. While there are people with more severe issues, some of which play video games, that should be taken out of society.
I personally have a beef against the board of psychology. There are many unqualified psychologists out there that are allowed to practice, but have no more ability or knowledge on how to help people with psychological problems than a high school student that only took one class in psychology. (There is a story behind that statement, but I rant too much the way it is.)
I guess if psychologists are going to fail people, and parents are going to fail half of the time. Then we are pretty much screwed. As sick as it is to try to find a bright side to the whole ordeal, at least it keeps the population of the world from growing even faster.
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
Be careful with that 'look for warning signs and send them to mental hospitals' way of thiking.
If there is a greater pressure to find and hospitalize insane individuals before they 'snap' the odds of them nabbing someone who isn't insane increases. On a different webiste I read posts from a guy who said he was wrongfully admitted. It wasn't pretty.
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
Also it should be noted that since that diagnosing mental illness is not an easy thing, especially since no matter how severe your particular flavor of mental illness is you still will have moments of lucidity where you are totally indistinguishable from everyone else. That's why it took a couple years for me to actually get treatment for depression and mood cycling. Yeah when I was alone I was a total mess, but I could be completely normal and very charming for short periods, at least until I tried to off myself. It is especially bad since your diagnosis is only as good as your psychiatrist, so get a crappy psych and you could wind up misdiagnosed.
Of course I would like to avoid being shot or institutionalized so maybe I'm biased.
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
He was an adult and made an adult decision. Forcing somebody to stay in a mental hospital when they haven't committed a crime is essentially government kidnapping. It should never be allowed. Ever.
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
You havent met the people I have then. There are many people in this world that should be forced to stay in a mental hospital/mentally ill community. Due to how our government is set up, that isnt possible. There are people who are schizophrenic that join cults, hear voices and have attempted murder (The case I am thinking about here, the guy was in jail for 6 months with no psychological treatment.), and many other situations. This guy clearly had problems and should have been not only court ordered to have to stay in jail, but also should have been put on a list of people who are to never be allowed to own a gun.
That wasnt an adult making an adult decision, that was a mentally ill person making a deadly decision that should have never came to be. In all honesty, it would be safest to kill people like him after testing to ensure he does have problems, because people with his kind of problems and schizophrenia quit taking their meds because their illness tells them they dont need them anymore because they are doing better and they dont realize that they will only stay that way if they stay on their meds.
Meaning killing or permit confinement are the only 2 answers, and not to be a prick, but a 10 cent bullet (which shooting someone in the head should be an allowed death penalty), is a hell of a lot cheaper than the later. Have a family member like that, I understand what the family would go through if death was the law, but that is a hell of a lot less painful and stressing than keeping these types of people alive.
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
"not to be a prick"
Everything that follows that statement, and your other posts, reveal you to be the "prick" you say you don't want to be.
You advocate the death penalty for the mentally ill (eugenics, anyone), pre-emptive incarceration, not to mention your complete lack of empathy for the parents of the killer (hey, maybe they DID seek help but it was ineffective - who knows?).
If you really don't want to be a prick, think a little more before you type.
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
Tell you what. I'll back down if you can give me a coherent arguement, legal, moral, societal, and constitutional, on why the government should be allowed to put me to death for my introversion, which is usually the only "sign" that a crazy will give that they will murder someone.
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
Everybody has a mental illness of some kind. Usually it's a phobia. As Cho was over 18, he is legally classified as an ADULT, and should be treated as an ADULT. The law has no right to be proactive. It may only incarcerate and force treatment as a reaction. It is IMPOSSIBLE to know how somebody is going to act, or if they are going to snap.
And you just encouraged exactly the type of eugenics Hitler practiced. Good job. Cho was not schizophrenic, and there was no way to know that he was not taking his meds.
Now, Cho was charged with stalking, and should have been confined, which he was, until he was no longer a danger to himself, which he was upon outpatient treatment. That's where the issue came in. What you just recommended is that the government round me up and kill me based on my history of depression.
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
This is just daft, the man hasn't even been tried yet... he's guilty as sin by all accounts, but whether he was influenced by a game will surely be proven/disproven during a trial.
This goes back to, do we therefore prosecute the store he bought the knives from? or the place he was playing the game?
Plus before the killing, it was perfectly legal to distribute the game in Thailand... how on earth can you prosecute a company for making and distributing something that was legal? had it been illegal, and it could be proven that it caused the crime, I would concede their point...
Re: Thai Official: Prosecute Game Makers for Copycat Violence
That won't be proven in court. You can never prove if someone was actually "influnced" by a game to commit a crime. Someone can say it till the day they die, but in reality, they're just lying to the world (and probably themselves). Games, movies, music, drawings, and art in any form does not influnce someone to pull a trigger or stab with a knife. A human being always makes the final decision in every case.