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Big Apple mayor bitter over new Rockstar game

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Published Date: 04 April 2007
EDINBURGH computer game developer Rockstar North has been criticised by New York politicians over a perceived dig at the Big Apple.
The trailer for the latest version of its controversial Grand Theft Auto game shows New York landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Cyclone roller coaster at Coney Island.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a s
tatement: "The mayor does not support any video game where you earn points for injuring or killing police officers."

And city councillor Peter Vallone, chairman of the city's public safety committee, said: "Setting Grand Theft Auto in the safest big city in America would be like setting Halo [a rival "shoot-em-up" game] in Disneyland."

The concerns over the game came as New York hosted Tartan Week, celebrating America's links with Scotland.

And they followed reports in the UK Ezekiel Maxwell, 18, a paranoid schizophrenic high on cannabis, stabbed a woman to death after hearing voices from Grand Theft Auto in his head.

Ezekiel stabbed Carmelita Tulloch, 52, as she walked to work in Kensington, South London, last September.

He pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility at Croydon Crown Court this week.

Rockstar, which has consistently rejected the idea that games can cause people to commit crime, today made no comment on the latest claims.



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  • Last Updated: 04 April 2007 9:36 AM
  • Source: Edinburgh Evening News
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: Computer games
 
1

The Voices,

Paul Voltaire's head 04/04/2007 11:16:03

Paul, comment on this story quickly.
Be first, be first. You must always be first.
Go on, blog them all.

2

iRoy,

04/04/2007 11:28:53

Old story, (pre- Tartan Week for a start!), and has been discredited already as a journalist after watching the new trailer for the game called around looking for quotes.

GTA 4 is based in Liberty City a fictional version of New York, it's been based there before without any offense been taken. There is no points for killing or injuring police officers, in fact if you try it in the GTA games you'll just end up getting continually chased by the police and military.

The only GTA game has been a real city in it's title was GTA:London!

I do wonder if the NY officials are also annoyed at all the films and tv shows that portray NY as anything but the "safest big city in America."

3

Fothy,

04/04/2007 11:29:11

From the article -

And they followed reports in the UK Ezekiel Maxwell, 18, a paranoid schizophrenic high on cannabis, stabbed a woman to death after hearing voices from Grand Theft Auto in his head.

Funny how a video game is picked out as the main cause of that incident. Surely the fact that
a) the guy was a paranoid schizophrenic
b) he was high on drugs
c) he was allowed to be walking about with a knife
are more to do with the problem than a game?

4

Martin.,

04/04/2007 12:08:22

#3. Spot on. This is the same old spurious argument that's been trotted out for decades about various forms of popular culture.


I'm off to listed to some Zappa. ;-)

5

Androsthenes,

Edinburgh 04/04/2007 12:09:40

What utter rubbish.
Perhaps the mayor hasn't noticed that long running TV programmes Law and Order, Law and Order Special Victims Unit, Law and Order Criminal Intent, CSI New York etc etc all show New York as a playground for the most violent and degraded criminals and murderers.
We all know it's fantasy-according to 'Taggart' there are scores of serial killers roaming Glasgow, never mind Morse's problems in Oxford.

6

A Friend of Fernando Poo,

Newington 04/04/2007 12:37:45

The Councillor is quite right. A Shoot-em-up set in Disneyland could be a whole lot of fun.

I gotta go now. The Little Voices tell me it's time to clean the guns...

7

Douglas Eckhart,

Edinburgh 04/04/2007 12:56:14

Snow White and the 7 dwarves tell me to do things... bad things.

They speak to me in my mind and tell to start sharpening my meat hooks.

They tell me to begin my glorious work on the streets of Edinburgh. Snow White likes to drink the still warm blood of idiotic journalists that write crap on a constant basis, with ill regard to the facts.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGHH!

Can you see the King of the Potato People? He stands yonder, by the pillars of Jamaica!

8

twowheel loon,

04/04/2007 14:32:56

# pretty good idea, I'd copyright it if I were you before rockstar nicks it.

I remember interfacing the quake 2 shoot em up with some old 60's tracks thought it was great running round blowing things away to the sound of summer in the city and coming to san fransisco.

The other half called me one sick bunny, can't think why.

9

twowheel loon,

04/04/2007 14:33:32

#6 btw

10

iRoy,

04/04/2007 15:30:41

#6:
"I gotta go now. The Little Voices tell me it's time to clean the guns..."

Knowing you Mr F.F. Poo, it's all too likely!

11

AJay,

Edinburgh 04/04/2007 15:52:20

I played Frogger as a kid - Never once have have I tried to cross a fast moving river by jumping from log to log. Come on people - take responsibility!


 

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