gamepolitics: Another "Video Games Made Me Do It" Defense

Game Politics (

gamepolitics) wrote,
@ 2006-04-27 10:53:00

Entry tags:

canada, game violence, gta, rod brecht, video-games-made-me-do-it

Another "Video Games Made Me Do It" Defense

The lawyer for a Canadian teen who shot and killed a friend during a session of Grand Theft Auto has plead guilty to the crime of "Criminal Negligence Causing Death." His lawyer blames GTA.

"The video they'd been playing had similar type of unruly behavior"" said attorney Rod Brecht, who is quoted in The Star-Phoenix. "They were all playing around," Brecht continued. "Everybody was getting along. Nobody realized the gun was loaded."

The incident took placed in February, 2005, when the boy, 13 at the time, was hanging out with some friends, drinking, smoking marijuana and playing GTA. The boys found a shotgun under a bed and took turns passing it around.

According to attorney Brecht, his client held the shotgun in a menacing stance as he had seen GTA characters do. The boy then pointed the gun at 15-year-old Preston Martin and - thinking it was unloaded - pulled the trigger. Martin was killed instantly.

Brecht, who is attempting to secure a probationary sentence for his client, said the boy is haunted by nightmares and flashbacks.

GP: My bad for forgetting to mention that GP reader Indystar tipped us off on this one...

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Correction

gtasatansgame
2006-04-27 09:12 pm UTC (link)

I appreciate the tone of this email, but let me correct your error.

I NEVER mocked the person who committed suicide. I pointed out that the type of game he was playing has figured in other suicides. What I mocked was the faux "concern" for this unfortunate suicide victims by those who can never bring themselves to look at nihilistic bent of most games.

The assertion that I mocked his death is grotesque. I tried to make sense of it, and the rest of you tried to cover up why it happened. That is why you were in a rage, and you simply fabricated the "mocking" part. Ridiculous.

I haven't seen any sympathy for the families of the dead police personnel in Alabama slain by the GTA player, now have I?

That said, the "members of this community" abandoned "the moral high ground" a very, very long time ago. The obscene, threatening, disgusting, idiotic hate emails I get proves that. Jack Thompson

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Correction gatz111085 2006-04-27 09:15 pm UTC (link)
	so basically from this you are saying games are bad that depict suicide so therefore Romeo and Juliette a classic shakespearian play is also bad because it depicts suicide. (Reply to this) (Parent)

Re: Correction

goodrobotus
2006-04-27 09:21 pm UTC (link)

Sorry Jack, but you're whole pretense that the gamers didn't care is the problem..

'What I mocked was the faux "concern" for this unfortunate suicide victims by those who can never bring themselves to look at nihilistic bent of most games.'

That is a truly sickening comment, you think that because people play games that involve violence that they don't care if one of their friends dies.

That's your defence of you actions?? Please....

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	Not an email, Jacko ianc14 2006-04-27 09:24 pm UTC (link)
	What I mocked was the faux "concern" for this unfortunate suicide victims by those who can never bring themselves to look at nihilistic bent of most games. Oh for gods sake..... The obscene, threatening, disgusting, idiotic hate emails I get proves that. Jack Thompson I shouldn't say this, but you deserve them, you twisted example of a human being. (Reply to this) (Parent)

Re: Correction

beacon80
2006-04-27 09:25 pm UTC (link)

I'm sorry, could you run that past me again? You equated him to one of Hitler's Youths. It was right here on this board. If you really need me to, I can go find it for you. And you have the guts to claim that his friends didn't actually care about him, because they didn't feel Metal Gear Solid was a factor in his commiting suicide? (Because, I'm sure that you'd know more about what motivated him than his friends would)
I had forgotten how low you could stoop, Jack. This is about as low as you can get.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	Also.... goodrobotus 2006-04-27 09:33 pm UTC (link)
	'I haven't seen any sympathy for the families of the dead police personnel in Alabama slain by the GTA player, now have I?' Indeed, what you have seen, however, is sympathy for the Alabama Police personnel killed by a dangerously unhinged kid, and a need for this thing called Justice, not trying to create a get out clause for the next murderer that comes along... (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Also.... ianc14 2006-04-27 09:40 pm UTC (link)
	not trying to create a get out clause for the next murderer that comes along... Thats the worst thing about Jacks crusade. Its sickening. (Reply to this) (Parent)

A refresher

whitedingo
2006-04-27 09:41 pm UTC (link)

"Your "gamer friend" will find peace through the Lord, Jesus Christ, but sadly it's too late for that.

There is a void in every heart. You can fill it up with the things of God, or the things not of God. This unfortunate soul chose to fill it up with combat games. The playing of these video games is masturbatory activity, meaning senseless self-stimulation.

Let's pretend to be shocked that a gamer might descend into deeper depression, as his gamer "buds," knowing he was killing himself, couldn't figure out how to call 911 themselves for him. That would have involved leaving their computers I guess."

Actually, Mr. Thompson, you explained that he was going to hell because he apparently loved video games instead of Christ, and you ignored the fact that his friends tried to stop him and mocked them as well. You apparently don't remember writing this. Would you like to see more?

"Yes, he did it because his life was desperately empty...and the games didn't help, now did they?"

and YOU accused US of making claims without really knowing him...

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

Addendum to the refresher:

timed95
2006-04-28 12:27 am UTC (link)

I was aware of the suicide, about what seems like 2 or 3 days before Gamepolitics picked up on it or was notified. I was made aware by another website called Something Awful, where the webmaster and friend of the deceased notified us, lamented him and basically gave the reasons as being related to- as we've said before- housing and finance problems. The fact you refuse to even acknowledge this speaks volumes about you, as does your wanton fervor in "jumping all over it".

As does your disgusting attempts to find fault with the way the forum-goers handled it (who, by the way, managed to get him to go to the hospital). As a shining example, you brought up the Houston case where the kid called you and left a message on your answering machine. Let me explain this in small terms-stop me if my words are too big- In your example, the subject was easily found by use of a simple phone trace, made even easier through the use of a caller Id/answering machine. All you had to do was Google the phone number. In the case of the suicide, an IP had to be traced and directories had to be looked up. More than a rudimentary knowledge of computers and detective skills had to be used to track down the suicide's location, much less discounting the time lapse between when the administrators of the website (who are usually the only ones who can look at visitor IPs) came on and when the suicide took place. "Calling 911" is meaningless when all the information you have is a name in a box, much less ignoring the point the witnesses might've been in other countries. Given their limitations, I find it laudable the witnesses were able to do what they did, which was to convince him to go to a hospital.

Now, you're probably wondering why I'm telling you this. I know you're not going to listen, because you can't read. I did this so you have extra attention to mentally masturbate over while you're being banned.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

Re: Addendum to the refresher:

goodrobotus
2006-04-28 12:47 am UTC (link)

I really wound't bother.

Jack's behaviour today has proved that he gloats over the death of young people as an opportunity for himself, regardless of the cause, he will always blame gaming because he is filled to overflowing with hatred for them.

I have never in my 33 years of life encountered a more despicable or disgusting person. People say that Fred Phelps is in another league, I disagree. If he'd have known where the funeral was, I have no doubt he would have been there waving a 'God hates Gamers' banner.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	Don't forget his comparisons to Hitler's Youth and Columbine. tweek_20k 2006-04-29 01:14 am UTC (link)
	I don't think he deserves any amount of respect for those statements. I really hope he gets his, and soon, for them, in fact. He will never be able to back out of them. (Reply to this) (Parent)

Go Away

brendanthejedi
2006-04-27 09:51 pm UTC (link)

Now Jack, I can sympathize with the families, I can sympathize with these kids who fucked up, but Jack, I can't allow you take advantage of the situation. You were mocking the kid's death and you know it. We can sympathize with pain. I think you'd see that if you played a game like Final Fantasy VII.

I pity you really. You don't understand at all. There is nothing I don't care for. Even you, if you treated us like intelligent human beings, I'd at least wouldn't hate you. But you don't. You treat like below human.

And Jack. If you were not such an ass, you wouldn't get the emails. Begone.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	Re: Go Away redattack34 2006-04-27 11:46 pm UTC (link)
	We can sympathize with pain. I think you'd see that if you played a game like Final Fantasy VII. Not exactly a good example. While true, he could easily twist it and say that people cared more about the death of a character than about real people. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	Re: Correction l0que 2006-04-27 09:58 pm UTC (link)
	Hey guess what. Who are you to tell me what I care about? The families of the slain officers, yes I feel bad for them. I also feel bad that you take advantage of their loss for financial gain. Get off your moral high horse. (Reply to this) (Parent)

Not... You... Again...

gabrielcelesta
2006-04-28 02:36 am UTC (link)

You, Jack, don't correct others' errors nearly as much as you, shall I say, "incorrect" others' facts.

I NEVER mocked the person who committed suicide. I pointed out that the type of game he was playing has figured in other suicides.

Yes, you did mock him. You did so by seeing it as yet another opportunity to demonize video games.

What I mocked was the faux "concern" for this unfortunate suicide victims by those who can never bring themselves to look at nihilistic bent of most games.

Oh please. There were people desperately telling him and pleading to him not to end his life. Someone nearby his residence dialed for help in hopes that he wouldn't die like that. Actually, the one displaying the faux "concern" was you.

The assertion that I mocked his death is grotesque.

As I say again, you took the suicide as an opportunity to bash video games again. In doing so, YOU MOCKED HIS DEATH.

I tried to make sense of it, and the rest of you tried to cover up why it happened.

No, Jack. It's the other way around that holds true. We realized he had financial problems, and we thought there was something even more severe crippling him. WE'RE the ones who tried to make sense of it, NOT you. YOU were the one trying to cover it up by blaming Metal Gear Solid.

And someone prove me right or wrong on this, but didn't Jack Thompson come up with the idea of suing the people behind Metal Gear Solid??

That said, the "members of this community" abandoned "the moral high ground" a very, very long time ago.

Jack, by the looks of everything, YOU are the one who abandoned the moral high ground. That, or you're defiling it as we speak.

The obscene, threatening, disgusting, idiotic hate emails I get proves that.

No, if you really do get those hate emails, they prove that you're ignorant, immature, and totally disrespectful.

I said it once before, and I'll say it again:

GET OFF THIS FORUM.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

Re: Correction

boffo97
2006-04-28 12:49 pm UTC (link)

You DID mock his death, as well as attempt to use it to further your own ends, you lying sack of crap.

And you know it too.

The assertion that you mocked his death IS grotesque. The fact that you did it even moreso.

And we have far more compassion and sympathy for survivors than you do. We don't sabotage their grieving process and try to use them to get at people UNINVOLVED IN THEIR TRAGEDIES.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	Re: Correction boffo97 2006-04-28 12:50 pm UTC (link)
	===== I haven't seen any sympathy for the families of the dead police personnel in Alabama slain by the GTA player, now have I? ===== By the way, didn't you actually try to get the murder acquitted just to try to change the focus to games he happened to be playing (as relevant as the soft drink he happened to favor). (Reply to this) (Parent)

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