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First casualty in the war on idioticy.
Parents to sue makers of violent game
ANGIE BROWN
LEGAL action is to be taken against the computer company behind a violent game blamed for inciting a teenager to murder his 14-year-old friend.
Giselle and Patrick Pakeerah, from Leicester, whose son Stefan was stabbed to death, have hired a lawyer to act against Rockstar Games, parent company of Edinburgh-based Rockstar North, which developed Manhunt, the 18-rated virtual-reality killing game.
Retailers such as Dixons, Game and Woolworths have now removed Manhunt from their shelves. Warren Leblanc, 17, who carried out the murder, was said to have been obsessed by the game, in which a man roams a grimy city slaughtering everyone in his path.
The killing methods in Manhunt were echoed by Leblanc, who beat his victim with a claw hammer and stabbed him repeatedly after luring him to a local park in February.
The move follows earlier controversy over another Rockstar game, Grand Theft Auto (GTA), which has been linked by lawyers to a series of violent crimes in the US.
Jack Thompson, a US-based lawyer and campaigner against violent games, is set to take up the legal action after being contacted by Mrs Pakeerah.
He is convinced there is a direct link between games such as Manhunt and the increasing number of teenage killings.
Speaking from Miami, Florida, he said: "We are planning legal action against Rockstar for inciting and training the perpetrator in the wrongful death of Mrs Pakeerahs son.
"I think this lawsuit will be successful because there is an increasing linkage between violence and these games.
"Studies show that the brain doesnt stop maturing until about 25 years of age, so when an adult plays violent games it becomes rational cognitive activity. But in a child, copycat behaviour can occur because the frontal lobe hasnt completely formed and therefore the emotions are wedded to the images.
"Historically, murderers were older. I believe child murderers are the result of stimuli such as computer games breaking down our inhibitions not to kill other people.
"These games are a piece of absolute nonsense and are very dangerous. Manhunt is a public- safety hazard and we are out to destroy Rockstar."
Rockstar, however, has denied responsibility.
In a statement, the company said: "We would like to extend our sympathies to the Pakeerah family. We reject any suggestion or association between the tragic events and the sale of Manhunt. There is a clear certification structure in place and Manhunt was clearly classified as 18 by the British Board of Film Classification and should not be in the possession of a juvenile. Rockstar Games submits every game for certification to the British Board of Film Certification and clearly marks the game with the BBFC-approved rating."
Simon Phillips, group editor of computer magazine Games TM, said Rockstar, a multi-million pound company, would be able to absorb any loss in sales resulting from bad publicity.
"Rockstar will comfortably manage to weather any storm, thanks to its key releases such as Midnight Club 3 and GTA: San Andreas, which will no doubt be the biggest-selling game of the year.
"Manhunt was released on the PlayStation2 in time for Christmas last year and was later released on the Xbox this April. The controversy surrounding it back then generally failed to generate consumer interest, so its unlikely that this will change in light of the current media furore.
"There are a few other 18-certificate computer games, such as Grand Theft Auto, but most software publishers tend to get developers to tone down violence to a level where a game can be given a 15 rating to increase its sales potential."
Margaret McAllister, a former president of the British Psychological Society, said: "Research shows the small group of children who spend excessive amounts of time, such as eight hours a day, playing computer games are more likely to be less tolerant and aggressive.
"It is extremely unbalanced to spend that much time doing any one thing, and means the young person is not engaging in other activities such as playing, making things and interacting with people. To be in a state of suspended animation for such long periods could start to make them feel like what they are doing in the game is normal."
A spokeswoman for the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), said: "We sympathise enormously with the family and parents of Stefan Pakeerah. However, we reject any suggestion or association between the tragic events in the Midlands and the sale of the video game Manhunt."
The violence in Manhunt has seen it receive a restricted rating in Canada and led to it being banned in New Zealand.
Rockstar games, which has an office in Leith, was founded in 1998 by Sam Houser and Terry Donovan, son of the 1960s photographer Terence Donovan. The two men, now millionaires, are based in New York, home of the parent company Take-Two Interactive Software.
Fuck people are too stupid.
ANGIE BROWN
LEGAL action is to be taken against the computer company behind a violent game blamed for inciting a teenager to murder his 14-year-old friend.
Giselle and Patrick Pakeerah, from Leicester, whose son Stefan was stabbed to death, have hired a lawyer to act against Rockstar Games, parent company of Edinburgh-based Rockstar North, which developed Manhunt, the 18-rated virtual-reality killing game.
Retailers such as Dixons, Game and Woolworths have now removed Manhunt from their shelves. Warren Leblanc, 17, who carried out the murder, was said to have been obsessed by the game, in which a man roams a grimy city slaughtering everyone in his path.
The killing methods in Manhunt were echoed by Leblanc, who beat his victim with a claw hammer and stabbed him repeatedly after luring him to a local park in February.
The move follows earlier controversy over another Rockstar game, Grand Theft Auto (GTA), which has been linked by lawyers to a series of violent crimes in the US.
Jack Thompson, a US-based lawyer and campaigner against violent games, is set to take up the legal action after being contacted by Mrs Pakeerah.
He is convinced there is a direct link between games such as Manhunt and the increasing number of teenage killings.
Speaking from Miami, Florida, he said: "We are planning legal action against Rockstar for inciting and training the perpetrator in the wrongful death of Mrs Pakeerahs son.
"I think this lawsuit will be successful because there is an increasing linkage between violence and these games.
"Studies show that the brain doesnt stop maturing until about 25 years of age, so when an adult plays violent games it becomes rational cognitive activity. But in a child, copycat behaviour can occur because the frontal lobe hasnt completely formed and therefore the emotions are wedded to the images.
"Historically, murderers were older. I believe child murderers are the result of stimuli such as computer games breaking down our inhibitions not to kill other people.
"These games are a piece of absolute nonsense and are very dangerous. Manhunt is a public- safety hazard and we are out to destroy Rockstar."
Rockstar, however, has denied responsibility.
In a statement, the company said: "We would like to extend our sympathies to the Pakeerah family. We reject any suggestion or association between the tragic events and the sale of Manhunt. There is a clear certification structure in place and Manhunt was clearly classified as 18 by the British Board of Film Classification and should not be in the possession of a juvenile. Rockstar Games submits every game for certification to the British Board of Film Certification and clearly marks the game with the BBFC-approved rating."
Simon Phillips, group editor of computer magazine Games TM, said Rockstar, a multi-million pound company, would be able to absorb any loss in sales resulting from bad publicity.
"Rockstar will comfortably manage to weather any storm, thanks to its key releases such as Midnight Club 3 and GTA: San Andreas, which will no doubt be the biggest-selling game of the year.
"Manhunt was released on the PlayStation2 in time for Christmas last year and was later released on the Xbox this April. The controversy surrounding it back then generally failed to generate consumer interest, so its unlikely that this will change in light of the current media furore.
"There are a few other 18-certificate computer games, such as Grand Theft Auto, but most software publishers tend to get developers to tone down violence to a level where a game can be given a 15 rating to increase its sales potential."
Margaret McAllister, a former president of the British Psychological Society, said: "Research shows the small group of children who spend excessive amounts of time, such as eight hours a day, playing computer games are more likely to be less tolerant and aggressive.
"It is extremely unbalanced to spend that much time doing any one thing, and means the young person is not engaging in other activities such as playing, making things and interacting with people. To be in a state of suspended animation for such long periods could start to make them feel like what they are doing in the game is normal."
A spokeswoman for the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), said: "We sympathise enormously with the family and parents of Stefan Pakeerah. However, we reject any suggestion or association between the tragic events in the Midlands and the sale of the video game Manhunt."
The violence in Manhunt has seen it receive a restricted rating in Canada and led to it being banned in New Zealand.
Rockstar games, which has an office in Leith, was founded in 1998 by Sam Houser and Terry Donovan, son of the 1960s photographer Terence Donovan. The two men, now millionaires, are based in New York, home of the parent company Take-Two Interactive Software.
Fuck people are too stupid.
