I grew up playing Mario, I don't run around busting my head into bricks and jumping on turtles. If I did, I'd clearly have far bigger problems than enjoying a medium that brings in $10 BILLION in sales a year.

Also, I've seen studies that show that violence goes down on nights that violent movies do well in theaters. Many of the people who are likely to commit violent acts would rather watch someone else do it. Ergo, people are lazy and anything that puts them on their asses for a few minutes will probably reduce violence in some small way.

He's messed up, gets pleasure out of fucked up things and he just doesnt want anybody to know, so he uses the game as a cop out.

There have been serial killers, murderers, robbers, thugs, throughout human history. In ANY population, throughout time, there has always been a minority of human beings who commit violent crimes. Always has been, always will be. In actual fact, crime in the US and many other nations has gone DOWN over the past decade, yet because the media reports crime all the time, people's perception of violence has increased.

Why do people do evil things? I don't know. But what I do know is that criminals/murderers have existed ever since the human species has existed. There will always be a small minority of people who kill, and they will always be inspired by something, games, books, films, or whatnot.

It’s not enough to say, “Well, my friends and I spent hours and days playing this stuff, and I’m not killing anyone, nor are any of my friends.”

What is important is *population data*, not individual anecdotes. "My grandmother smoke cigs and lived to age 94." Therefore, cig-smoking does not cause heart disease/cancer/premature death?

Not everyone who plays games with violent themes commits violent acts, for sure. We need *population data* and what we are looking for is the change in *likelihood* to commit violence. 3 in 100,000 IS three times more than 1 in 100,000, even if there are far more negatives than positives.

But, yes, I still want to see better studies.

I'm sure the ratio of people who've played the game versus psycho's who try to emulate it is the same ratio as regular people versus regular psycho's.

He killed the driver with a knife he bought at tesco's and they stop selling the GAME? Stop selling the KNIFE!

What is important is >>*population data*<>*population data*<<. What we are looking for is the change in *likelihood* to commit violence.

But yes, I still want to see better studies.

...i've always wanted to be a crime!

But not on the fact that because he couldn't actually afford to buy GTA4 he went and bought two knives for $16.

How about banning the sale of knives to young people maybe? Shouldn't we be in an uproar about the fact that he could buy knives? Makes about as much bloody sense.

I'm waiting for the greyhound beheading to be blamed on GTA.

I heard that Jack the Ripper had been playing Metal Gear Solid non-stop before the murders.

And Attila the Hun was seen trying to break his Snake highscore on his Nokia only 10 minutes before laying waste to all those countries.

I'm just saying...

The boy was certain to be a thug in any case, as he is 19 and still living with his parents AND playing video games all day.

Parents enraged that the game doesn't have a disclaimer. "We do not know what the kids are playing on this magic box and as such can not be held responsible".