'Grand Theft Auto' Makers Fight Lawsuit

yahoo.com | Nov 11, 8:19 AM | DUNCAN MANSFIELD

[freepatriot32]

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The creators of the video game series "Grand Theft Auto" want a federal judge to dismiss a $246 million lawsuit filed by the families of two people shot by teenagers

Rockstar Games and its New York City-based parent, Take-Two Interactive Software, said the victims' families were trying to hold them liable "based on the expressive content of the video game."

Retailer Wal-Mart and marketer Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., are also named in the lawsuit.

Aaron Hamel, 45, was killed and Kimberly Bede, 19, was seriously wounded when their cars were hit June 25 by .22-caliber bullets while driving along Interstate 40.

Stepbrothers William Buckner, 16, and Joshua Buckner, 14, were sentenced in August to an indefinite term after pleading guilty in juvenile court to reckless homicide, endangerment and assault.

The boys told investigators they got the rifles from a locked room in their home and decided to randomly shoot at tractor-trailer rigs, just like in the video game "Grand Theft Auto III."

Responding Oct. 29 in U.S. District Court, Rockstar and Take-Two contend that such ideas and concepts as well as the "purported psychological effects" on the Buckners are protected by the First Amendment's free-speech clause.

A lawyer who represents the victims dismissed the claim, saying he would seek to move the case back into state court for consideration under Tennessee's consumer protection act.

___

On the Net:

Take Two: http://www.take2games.com/

[BBell]

"Kill the Guy with the Ball" oh the memories of the creative games we came up for that game.

[jedwardtremlett]

Oh, wait. Never mind. Followed the link, answered my own question : )

J

[BBell]

It all started with Ozzy Osbourne. Ain't he evil.

[Terpfen]

I think the San Andreas faultline is the one Los Angeles is sitting on, so hey...

I had always heard that the next GTA is taking place in Las Vegas in the '70s, not Los Angeles. We'll see, but it's definitely confirmed that the game is not GTA4.

[Terpfen]

Same here... I don't know where this San Andreas stuff is coming from.

[yonif]

I have played that game, and it is excellent. Just because there are nuts who try to do what is in the game, is not the fault of the game makers.

[yonif]

bump. I play CS as well.

[MattAMiller]

I'm happy to report that the game was alive and well in the late 80's. I have since been out of that millieu for awhile but I certainly saw no signs of it dieing out.

Jungle was popular to, it was basically two teams trying to move the ball down a feild and into a goal with virtually no rules.

[Big Guy and Rusty 99]

I loved that game. no scorekeeping. no goals. no positions. just you versus everyone else or you and everyone else versus one person. the game was actually banned from my grade school. (pants were ripped and elbows cut) we kept playing anyway and just called it rugby.

[Sensei Ern]

Are you saying you were once a conservative (hence the existance of a brain in the first place) and converted to liberalism?