[red_is_beautiful]

these games shouldn't be produced at all. the rating is not preventing from abuse but supporting it by making the game more than ever interesting for kids. it's absolutely hypocritical to rely on the impact of ratings. (http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/manhunt/news_6103718.html : Manhunt blamed for UK murder. Britain's top game retailer yanks the controversial Rockstar game after a teenage player kills)

Britain's top game retailer yanks the controversial Rockstar game after a teenage player kills.

[SunStar]

I was watching a movie the other night, where Mel Gibson hunted down and killed dozens of people. I'm sure glad it was rated R. That way, as an adult, I can make my own choices in life.

[finnman69]

As a gamer who enjoyed GTA III as well as other violent shooters like Half Life, Counter Strike and Team Fortress, I say, id it bothers you, don't buy it.

These games cost upwards of $60. The main way kids get these games is if parents buy them or the kids are going to cyber cafes (which also cost money).

It's up to the parents to decide the games are bad.

[Roccus]

Don't yank my "Twinkies"

[E Rocc]

these games shouldn't be produced at all.

Are you proposing that they be banned by law? Maybe then some liberal will try to ban the games they don't like.

Censorship is far more dangerous than any of these games.

-Eric

[newgeezer]

I like the ratings. The "M" rating convinced my wife Halo 2 is not appropriate for our kids.

Of course, they'll have opportunities to play it at friends' houses.

[Ex-Dem]

I would say that the responsibility here lies with the parents for not monitoring what their children are doing and instilling in them a sense of right and wrong. I played with these types of games as a kid and I still do.

[Gefreiter]

What do I think about the success of the game?

Well, they got my $$ for it. It's alot of fun.

For this writer who laments the absence of intellectual discourse and reflection in the game, play something else- chess, mah-jongg. Otherwise, bug off.

Unless of course it's up to him to decide what I spend my $$ on, that I legally earned, and buying a legal product, that I then enjoy in my own home.

[spetznaz]

I personally belong to the camp that asserts people are responsible for their own actions. For example the Columbine killings were blamed on the kids watching the Matrix, and that the movie somehow mixed with bullying incidents to produce cold-blooded killers! The only problem with that logic is that millions more watched the Matrix and did not try to shoot everyone up.

The GTA games are indeed violent (and of the mindless sort), and there is obviously a whole bunch of additional stuff (like the hooker aspect) that does not exactly fit society's decorum. However saying it drives people to kill is taking it too far. Why? Well, if someone would kill after playing a game or watching a movie (and let us assume that the games and movies have been causes)then that person was not completely sane in the first place. There was something wrong with him/her that made his/her sense of reality terribly skewed.

Anyways, are the games violent? Yes. Do i think they lead to killing? No. Some may try to show a causal link, but causal linkages can be shown with anything. And the fact remains that if there is anyone who would commit a crime on the order of murder because they played a game, then there is something wrong with that person that far transcends anything the game could project.

And if the game actually caused murder anyways, wouldn't the multitudes who have played it also be going around whacking people on the head with metal pipes?

[TheRatHunter]

Sure, let's all give control of our kids to the government. After all, it frees us up for actually having to do anything.

[holymoly]

these games shouldn't be produced at all.

Why? Are you one of those people who blame games for bad behavior? Do you also blame firearms for so-called "gun crimes"?

FYI: I sometimes play "Carmageddon." I have yet to be overcome with an urge to drive down the sidewalk, running over little old ladies with walkers.

the rating is not preventing from abuse

I don't know what you mean by "abuse", but no ratings system can compensate for bad parenting.

but supporting it by making the game more than ever interesting for kids. it's absolutely hypocritical to rely on the impact of ratings.

The ratings aren't there for the kids, they're there as a guide for for the PARENTS, who should monitor what games their children do and do not play.

[Tempest]

I think that it's just all menat in fun. Poor taste, twisted, and crass fun. But still fun nonetheless.

[flashbunny]

Get a grip. Games don't cause people to commit murder. They only serve as an excuse for the people who commit murder and those who are willing to blame games instead of criminals.

[finnman69]

http://www.rockstargames.com/sanandreas/

Great game trailers here:
http://www.rockstargames.com/sanandreas/trailers/GTASAtrailer1_320x240.wmv
http://www.rockstargames.com/sanandreas/trailers/GTASA_TRAILER2_480x360.wmv

and DON'T click this one if thr F word offends you.

http://www.rockstargames.com/sanandreas/trailers/GTASA_TRAILER3_480x360.wmv

[rwfromkansas]

Thank you morals nancy for telling me how to live my life.

You can do some bad things in GTA, but it is just a game.

I enjoy GTA because it is virtually real-life. There is SO MUCH you can do in the game......you have almost full control and the option to do anything......which is why it is so awesome.

Just because some do violent things doesn't make the game bad.

And for the record, I don't know why playing a violent video game (and again, GTA does not force you to do violence in the game...you have complete control) is worse than subjecting yourself to the mental images that come from violent movies. If it is right in your ethics to see others get killed, but wrong to play a violent video game, frankly, your morals are messed up.

[Manic_Episode]

Some years back I recieved a gift suscription to Focus On The Family magazine, and in it they had the worst video games of the year, with Duke Nukem listed as the worst.
With that kind of endorsement I knew it was going to be a fun game so I ran right out and bought it.

[OXENinFLA]

I think it's a good game, for those over 18......

[ClockworkNinja]

One could say the same thing about many movies and television shows that are meant for adults, but appealing to children. The entertainment industry has no obligation to keep this product away from children who are not able to handle simulated violence. The rating system is not designed to keep games away from children, but to let the consumer know up front what they are going to see in the game.
I have played both Vice City and San Andreas through to the end, and most children should not be let near them. However, these games were not meant for the children of today, they are made for those who grew up on the original Nintendo Entertainment System. I do not know the exact number, but the average age of American video game players is in the high 20s/low 30s. If the game industry made only games to satisfy the youth market, It would have a hard time making the sort of money it does from games like Half-Life, Halo 2, and the Grand Theft Auto series.

[Phantom Lord]

I will be playing Halo 2 all weekend.

[Rome2000]

I play this game every night when I get home.

It is the greatest game in the history of the human race.

You should try it.

And bring a strap.

[Bella_Bru]

these games shouldn't be produced at all. the rating is not preventing from abuse but supporting it by making the game more than ever interesting for kids. it's absolutely hypocritical to rely on the impact of ratings.

The government should do your job for you as a parent?