GTA, Rap Blamed for Gang Problem in Maryland County

I'm going to say it again. Grand Theft Auto has points. No, it's not the "OMG my score is 12524935823452" kind of points, but they ARE points.

They're a score, as I've been able to find, that is derived from your accuracy, kills, money, and destruction. It may be only 1 point per kill, but most "score" driven games out there are based on multiples of 100, or even 1000 for their basic value. And very, very few of them peak with a rating of 'Godfather' at their topmost value.

No, gamers may not care about their GTA score/rating, but it is there. To say it isn't is just ignorant. Yes, it's just as ignorant to think the presence of this rating, or the game itself, is the root cause of violence. That doesn't change the fact they're right on this one, small facet.

Thank you, Jeffy. I now do.

"’80s and ’90s, you didn’t have video games, you didn’t have the violence in the media, you didn’t have the Internet."

You didn't have teh internetz back in the 40s and 50s either. Or the middle ages for that matter. But look at how many people died back then.

@Dun1031

"Violent Movies:
Predator, Running Man, Red Sonja, Terminator, Total Recall. The list goes on and that is only one actor."

How dare you forget Robocop!

How fortunate for our ancestors that violence was invented after the year 2000 along with games and movies.

Conclusion: another village politico talking out of his arse. What's new.

@E. Zachary Knight

Regardless, that remark about how video games and the internet is corrupting the youth was uncalled for.

I fully support what L42yB says.

couldnt have said it better

Yet again using any excuse to avoid putting the blame on parents, the real reason for the gang problems out there. They never spend time with their kids, so they're spending time with people who know will be around, whether they be good or bad. That's why you have so many teen pregnancies because of parents not teaching their kids about safe sex.

Thank god thats the only ignorant county in this state

Gang violence was at its' peak in the 1980's and has gone down since then. How about they actually do something, like give DC more money to create a better community and that way the violence doesn't spill in Maryland?

You're actually punished for killing police in GTA, after all if you manage to survive long enough they send SWAT after you, then the Army. Having police chasing your ass everywhere you go is tough enough, but when you get helicopters and SWAT teams shooting you with machine guns and the Army trying to run you down with tanks. I wouldn't say it's actually much of a reward.

Anyway, I don't bother taking anyone serious anymore as soon as they claim you "score points" in GTA.

Also, I like how they make it sound like you're forced to do all of that. Killing police, beating hookers, attacking civilians, etc. It's all optional. Stealing cars for the most part can be optional as well, though some missions require it. But still my point stands.

Also, if the FBI reports/studies are correct then violence was obviously worse back then since they've said it's been on a decline for a while now, at least among minors.

Yes, sure... Let's completely disregard drug trafficking, turf wars, and using youth groups to recruit new members. A videogame caused all these problems. Right.

Back in the 80's and 90's, they had a different boogeyman; it was called gangsta rap.

If there weren't videogames in the 80's and 90's what the hell was I playing?

Note to law enforcement:
Stop blaming entertainment, get off your asses and do your damn job...and get your facts about games and the internet straight while you're at it.

"In the ’80s and ’90s, you didn’t have video games, you didn’t have the violence in the media, you didn’t have the Internet."

Firstly, this person needs a history lesson. Secondly, are we to assume that no crimes have been committed in the '80s and '90's? Sorry Dan, but you fail.

Does this idiot remember New York City in the 70's?

this guy obviously never heard of this game then:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Race

"In the ’80s and ’90s, you didn’t have video games, you didn’t have the violence in the media, you didn’t have the Internet."

Did this guy just wake up from a 20-30 year coma? Someone should tell him the story of Pong, the legend of Pitfall, and the history of Missile Command.

Never mind. I now know they never existed, he just told me they didn't. Forget my memories; they are merely implanted in me by the evil and vile video game industry to make me defend them.
Or not.

For the last time, GTA does not award points for killing cops or beating prostitutes. The vast majority of games do not award points. The closest most games come is experience points, game money, or skill points. Its been a while since I played a game that counts a score for the sake of a score. Maybe we should make a PSA informing the general public that killing cops in GTA is a bad thing in the game.

If I remember correctly, gang violence reached record highs in the late 80's and early 90's. Thus the creation of extreme drug posession penalties putting away gang members for 5-15 years. Could the possible return of gang members to the streets after long incarcirations because of poorly designed criminal proceedings play a hand into the problem? Or the fact that once you get outside of the pretty tourist areas of DC, it turns into New York, circa 1970? No, social woes, a flailing economy, a cutback on after-school and cultural awareness programs have played a far, far bigger hand in this than some digital bloke running around a mock city who HAS THE OPTION to assult prostitutes to get the money he paid them back. At the same time, there is a penalty incurred, the all knowing police are now looking for him a little more actively, unlike your police department which is apparently too concerned with putting together little shindigs where they feed uninformed bull to citizenry that you encourage to 'brainstorm' about ways to be better neighbors. A simple suggestion, how about being better informed police officers? If your entire department believes that video games are the reason these kids are joining the gang vice the incentive of getting filthy rich off of stolen goods and drug money then mayhaps the problem lies not with the people, but with the law enforcement?

@ tony selby

Police never drop money though if I remember correctly, so they can't claim that you gain anything, positive anyway, from police really other than maybe a weapon.

O.o?

Are we talking about the same 80s and 90s? I wanna know where this person lived, because obviously they were living on another planet or Bizarro World.

"In the ’80s and ’90s, you didn’t have video games, you didn’t have the violence in the media, you didn’t have the Internet."

This comment right here makes any point they were trying to make invalid. I was born in the 80's and as a two year old was kicking ass on my grandmothers 2600, in the 90's I was surfing the internet and watching violent movies and TV shows. I doubt that GTA has anything to do with the Gang Problem, lack of parenting and positive role model in the gang members lives yes I can see that being attributed to it. But video games?

The heck, there was a whole bunch of violent movies and the like back in the 80's and 90's. Hell, when I was a kid (in the 80's) I was afraid of CABLE TELEVISION because I was worried about the bloody movies some stations tended to play randomly ._. .

(I should mention that I've always been a bit of a wimp. Ha, ha. And when we actually got cable, there was fun to be had. I just avoided scary movies.)