Video Game Violence

Vocabulary

Match the words and meanings:

60 Minutes report

1. 
   What kind of game is Grand Theft Auto? What kinds of things can you do?
   

2. 
   How many copies have been sold worldwide?
   
   1. 
      25 million (b) 35 million (c) 2 billion
      

3. 
   How many people did the teenager kill?
   

Do you think a video game can “train someone to kill”? Why/why not?

Imagine if the entertainment industry created a video game in which you could decapitate police officers, kill them with a sniper rifle, massacre them with a chainsaw, and set them on fire.

Think anyone would buy such a violent game?

They would, and they have. The game Grand Theft Auto has sold more than 35 million copies, with worldwide sales approaching $2 billion.

Two weeks ago, a multi-million dollar lawsuit was filed in Alabama against the makers and marketers of Grand Theft Auto, claiming that months of playing the game led a teenager to go on a rampage and kill three men, two of them police officers.

Can a video game train someone to kill?

1. 
   How much time did Devin Moore spend playing Grand Theft Auto?
   
2. 
   Why was Moore at the police station?
   
3. 
   Did Moore have a history of being violent?
   
4. 
   How did Moore get the gun?
   
5. 
   How long did it take him to shoot the three people?
   
6. 
   What did he do after that?
   
7. 
   Why does Jack Thompson think the video game makers and sellers are responsible?
   

And now, it’s at the center of a civil lawsuit involving the murders of three men in the small town of Fayette, Ala. They were gunned down by 18-year-old Devin Moore, who had played Grand Theft Auto day and night for months.

Attorney Jack Thompson, a long-time crusader against video-game violence, is bringing the suit.

“Are you saying that Devin Moore shot three people in the head because of a video game?”

"He bought it as a minor. He played it hundreds of hours, which is primarily a cop-killing game. It's our theory, which we think we can prove to a jury in Alabama, that, but for the video-game training, he would not have done what he did."

Moore’s victims were Ace Mealer, a 911 dispatcher; James Crump, a police officer; and Arnold Strickland, another officer who was on patrol in the early morning hours of June 7, 2003, when he brought in Devin Moore on suspicion of stealing a car.

Moore had no criminal history, and was cooperative as Strickland booked him inside the Fayette police station. Then suddenly, inexplicably², Moore snapped³.

This is where it happened. According to Devin Moore's own statement, he lunged⁴ at Officer Arnold Strickland, grabbing his .40-caliber Glock automatic and shot Strickland twice, once in the head. Officer James Crump heard the shots and came running. Moore met him about here in the hallway, and fired three shots into Crump; one of those shots was in the head.

He kept walking down the hallway towards the door of the emergency dispatcher. Once here, he turned and fired five shots into Ace Mealer. Again, one of those shots was in the head. Along the way, Moore had grabbed a set of car keys. He went out the door to the parking lot, jumped into a police cruiser, and took off. It all took less than a minute, and three men were dead.

"The video game industry gave him a cranial menu⁵ that popped up in the blink of an eye, in that police station," [says Thompson] "And that menu offered him the split-second decision to kill the officers, shoot them in the head, flee in a police car, just as the game itself trained him to do."

After his capture, Moore is reported to have told police, "Life is like a video game. Everybody’s got to die sometime." Moore is awaiting trial in criminal court. A suit filed by the families of two of his victims claims that Moore acted out a scenario found in Grand Theft Auto: The player is a street thug⁶ trying to take over the city. In one scenario, the player can enter a police precinct⁷, steal a uniform, free a convict from jail, escape by shooting police, and flee in a squad car.

Review
1. What are the two elements needed to find someone guilty of a crime?

m____ r______ (_________ _________) and a______ r________ (_______ _______)

• 
  Why would this defense be allowed?
  

§ 4.01 of the Model Penal Code (adopted by Alabama) states:

1. 
   How did the video clip make you feel about Grand Theft Auto? Why?
   

2. 
   Devin Moore was tried as an adult, rather than a “youthful offender” (juvenile), even though he was just 16 when he committed the crimes. As a youthful offender, he could have served no more than three years in prison⁸.
   

• 
  Do you think he should have been tried as an adult or youthful offender? Why?
  

3. 
   In his criminal trial, Devin Moore pleaded ‘not guilty’ and ‘not guilty by reason of mental defect’.
   

• 
  Do you think he should be able to argue that he is ‘not guilty by reason of mental defect’? Why/why not?
  
• 
  Child psychologist David Walsh says that the part of the brain that enables us to think ahead, consider consequences and control urges is not fully developed until the early 20s.
  

• 
  What kind of sentence, if any, do you think Moore should get?
  

4. 
   The judge in the case didn’t allow expert testimony that Moore ‘disassociated from reality’ because of his continuous play of Grand Theft Auto.
   

• 
  Should this testimony have been allowed? Why/why not?
  
• 
  Do you think it would have made a difference in the verdict?
  

5. 
   The relatives of two of the victims are suing Wal-Mart and GameStop, where Moore bought two versions of Grand Theft Auto, as well as Take-Two Interactive, the creator of Grand Theft Auto, and Sony, who made PlayStation. They are seeking damages of $600 million.
   

• 
  Do you think any of these companies should be held (wholly or partially) responsible for the murders? Why/why not?
  
• 
  Which company, if any, do you think should be the most responsible? Why?
  

6. 
   Grand Theft Auto is rated “M” (mature) for those aged 17 or older. (Devin Moore was 16 when he bought the game.) Both shops where Moore bought Grand Theft Auto say they voluntarily ask teenagers for identification in an effort to keep violent games from underage kids. But several US states are considering laws that would ban the sale of violent games to those under 17.
   

• 
  Do you think the sale of violent games to young people should be banned (think about both Korea and the US)? Why/why not?
  
• 
  Do you think a ban on sales would stop them from playing?
  
• 
  Some countries, such as New Zealand, Brazil and Germany, have completely outlawed violent video games. Do you think this is a good idea? Why/why not?
  

7. 
   Do you think parents should have some responsibility for the video games that their children play? Why/why not?
   
8. 
   Do you think violent video games are more likely to cause violence than violent movies, music, novels or comic books? Why/Why not?