"Grand Theft Auto" Caused Teens To Kill Motorist. That's Their Story Anyway.

In another video game-related incident, the family of a motorist who died when two stepbrothers crazed by overindulging in "Grand Theft Auto" have filed suit against Take2interactive, maker of the game.
The driver of one car died and a couple of other people were injured.
The boys, 16 and 14, told police "they were emulating Grand Theft Auto on the night of June 25 when they took shotguns to Interstate 40, near their Newport, Tenn., home, and opened fire on vehicles."

GTA Suit Filed

No doubt about it, by the time a kid's 14 he should have at least a vague idea that shooting at passing cars with a shotgun isn't a good idea. But I wonder - does the entertainment industry ever cross a line with its depiction of violence in products that are clearly aimed at an audience of teenaged consumers whose judgement and values aren't always fully developed? Or is this just a case of "suing whoever's got the most money?"

It's been a pretty bad week for Take2interactive lawsuit-wise. A couple of days ago according to "Entertainment Law Digest"...

"Graffiti artist Christopher Ellis filed suit against two software companies for allegedly using without permission his artwork in the video game, “Grand Theft Auto III”.
In the suit, Ellis asserts that Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive Software copied, used, and distributed his artwork, “Daze” in the videogame that is played on Playstation2 and other medians.
The suit says that Ellis has gained an international reputation for his work, which has been reproduced in books, magazines, and film."

If parents cant teach thier kids basic values in 16 or 14 years, the fault lies with them, not with games.

Why don't the families sue the maker of the shotguns? After all, the gun manufacturer should have known there was a possibility his product would be used by two morons to kill people for no reason. He should be made to pay through the nose for his lack of foresight.

the game company isn't responsible. If you look at the game you will see that it is rated M. It is rated that because of its violence. If the parents allowed their kids to play it, well then they should be held responsible to some extent. Not fully responsible though, the kids need to definately bear some of the responsiblity. Even if a store sold them the game, If it isn't against the law in that state then the store isn't responsible at all. Parents should know what their kids are doing, especially if it is computer game. Parents shouldn't allow their kids to have a computer in their room which can be locked in my view.

I can't believe the kids are going to be free at the age of 19. Juvie isn't going to correct them, it'll probably just mess them up more. Then they'll be released either onto the street, completely unprepared to be members of society, much less sane, or they'll be released into the custody of their parents. The parents are obviously incapable of the responsibility, and even if they were in five years, what are they going to do, spank them? The kids would be a little too big and be known to have the capacity to shoot back...

Well this is how I look at it. THey commited a shot gun driveby murder on a freeway while driving underaged (I'm assuming). This is a combination of crimes and they mostlikely took a few shots with this shotgun thus they had time to change thier mind. It was premeditated, they went out with the gun intending to kill. They should be tried as adults. Throw them in jail and throw out the key. Yes they are young, but I'm sorry once they serve an adult sentence stick them in a mental institute. I don't wont kids like this to go and see terminator 3 in 25+ years and then going around killing people because they want to emulate Arnold. THey have a serious f*cking problem with their thinking processes, they aren't fit to be around in society.

Its a harsh view but i don't think you can deny that these kids had some serious problems if they were so easily influenced.

Originally posted by Furry Spatula
...- i don't think you can deny that these kids had some serious problems if they were so easily influenced.

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I agree wholeheartedly. It's probably just coincidence that they played that game in particular. It's just as likely they could have nuked people in Civ3 or arranged for drownings in the Sims or just needed some fresh air after hearing the crap on MTV. Does the spark really matter when the powderkeg is packed?

Forget the games, music, etc. As Chris Rock said of his theory: "What ever happened to crazy?"

How did those stupid guys get their hads on the shotgun anyway?

They live in Tennessee. Well, hell, for that matter they live in the deep south.

(I live dangerously close to where this took place, so I'm talking from experience.)

The two of them should be publicly executed to set an example to rest of the idiots out there. People this dumb don't deserve to share oxygen with the rest of us.

This type of garbage runs rampant in our society......some nimrods go out and do something unbelievably stupid, yet they (and others) find something to place blame on other than the individuals actually responsible. Friggin' sickening.

I've played GTA3 & Vice City, yet somehow refrained from murdering anyone afterwards. Those games have sold millions of copies, yet two jerkovs go and do something stupid and all of a sudden it's the game and the game creators fault. Riiiiiight.

Put these two out of our misery and file it under Too Stupid To Live.

Originally posted by superslug
They live in Tennessee. Well, hell, for that matter they live in the deep south.

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I'm not sure I would call Tennessee the "deep south." South yes, but to be in the deep south you have to border salt water. Florida, Alabama, Mississipi, South Carolina, Georgia, Texas, and Louisiana are all deep south states. A case could be made for North Carolina too. But Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland (and perhaps Kentucky and Missouri) aren't that deep.

Urban Tenn isn't deep south, but rural areas of Tenn are, IMHO.

EDIT: Shotguns are easy to pick up in any rural area of the states, although I won't go into how.

They should be tried as adults.

The 'auto theft' defense is total BS, they're good games, and they don't make you want to kill people. If anything, they allow you to release your rage upon pixels and code rather than other human beings.

Originally posted by PresidentMike
Why don't the families sue the maker of the shotguns? After all, the gun manufacturer should have known there was a possibility his product would be used by two morons to kill people for no reason. He should be made to pay through the nose for his lack of foresight.

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I really hope you were being ironic with this post...

I assure you he was, metalhead.

Too bad these kids werent playing Civ all that time. If they had they would have been compelled to clean up pollutuion, plant forests, build mines and transform into radar towers.

Execute them and the game designers.

Game is good. But it very inspiring for ones who want to be "badasses"

Originally posted by Simon Darkshade
Execute them and the game designers.

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my thoughts exactly - and throw their parents in while we're at it

Hardly inspired by "Grand Theft Auto".

Only one person killed, in "Grand Theft Auto I, II & III" I took out hundreds and in "Grand Theft Auto 3" that would be per life

No car was involved, no good music, no selection of reasonably interesting plots and characters coined from movies such a Scarface.


Nah, I put this one down to these kids being idiots.


As others have said, they were too young to have legally purchased the game and they used a weapon which they shouldn't have had access to, the fault lies elsewhere. I blame the parents