Thailand bans Grand Theft Auto IV

[Darksaviour69]

Copies of Grand Theft Auto IV have been pulled in Thailand after a teenager confessed to murdering a taxi driver.

The 18-year-old high school student is accused of stabbing the cab driver to death by trying to copy a scene from the game.
The biggest video game publisher in the south-east Asian country, New Era Interactive Media, has told retailers to stop selling GTA IV. It is due to be replaced by another video game title.

Thai newspapers say the teenager, whose name has been withheld, was arrested while trying to steer a cab backwards out of a Bangkok street with the driver still in the back seat.

Police claim the 18-year-old confessed to stealing the taxi and said he killed the 54-year-old driver after he fought back. The teenager could face the death penalty if he is found guilty. Bangkok police Captain Veerarit Pipatanasak said: "He wanted to find out if it was as easy in real life to rob a taxi as it was in the game.

He wanted to find out if it was as easy in real life to rob a taxi as it was in the game.

Thailand's Culture Ministry has recently been pushing for tougher regulation of games like Grand Theft Auto. It wants stricter age ratings and restrictions on the hours that people can play games in arcades.

Ladda Thangsupachai, director of the ministry's Cultural Surveillance Centre, said: "This time-bomb has already exploded and the situation could get worse. Today it is a cab driver, but tomorrow it could be a video game shop owner."

Via BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/technology/newsid_7540000/7540623.stm)

[gutbub]

That is a pile of bs. I hope they give that kid the death penalty. It's people like him who make games become banned. Also, I see lots things in movies and games, but I would never blame a crime I committed on either. Hopefully they see passed this kid's excuse.

[gamesquest1]

yeah and i killed a alien because i played half life.......reallly though, oh and i am also a hitman cos i played.....er hitman

[LazerTag]

First off how stupid, another blame your actions on something in society. "I heard they give people the death penalty in some places so I thought it would be OK if I kill someone too." You could go on and on.


[b]Today it is a cab driver, but tomorrow it could be a video game shop owner."

Via BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/technology/newsid_7540000/7540623.stm)

Don't get me wrong, anyone who dies at by somebody's hand I do feel for them and their friends and family, but this comment aboce, all I can think of is "I kill the video game shop owner because they pulled GTA IV off the shelves." ???!!???

[alanparker05]

Oh no!!! More politicians looking for something to blame for crime problems in their country, if i lived in america i could headbut a brick and sue the makers of super mario brothers

[mike_jmg]

This boy is either insane or has very little imagination to come up with a better motive

[JKKDARK]

Damn, I hate when it happens.

[Hypershell]

I'm amazed at how little people will question the mental health of an EIGHTEEN YEAR OLD who mimicks video game behavior.

Fry the schmuck.

[K1ckass]

This is ridicules, straight out stupid.
These kinda things are bound to happen cause there are still crazy people left in this world, but this one happened to like games.
If he was intereseted in books he might have tried to reenact some sort of crime from it or something, and only few people would care,
but now that it's related to games it's suddenly a hot topic!

I'm gonna go out now and go Gorden Freeman on some vortigaunts. *slap*

[goshogun1]

What an idiot. If he really did this because he wanted to imitate GTA IV, he is completely mental. Damn crazy killjoy ruining it for everyone. The GTA IV motive is a pretty lame excuse.

[newb_fo_life]

Uhh this gui liek ruinez it for thailandzor's to play gta 4 suxtubthai

[devdj]

that is so stupid banning gta 4 in thailand the place where pedos, melesters and shemales roam free they should hunt down them and kill them instead of banning a video game.

[Ennohex]

Sigh. One dumb kids idle nonsense makes gaming so much more difficult for the rest of us.

[juiceface]

So would they ban looney toons cartoons too if he claimed he learned his techniques from wile coyote and the road runner?

scapegoat city..

[BlacknBlue13]

Originally Posted by Darksaviour69 http://www.dcemu.co.uk/vbulletin/images/jnj/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.dcemu.co.uk/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=2148100253#post2148100253)
"This time-bomb has already exploded and the situation could get worse. Today it is a cab driver, but tomorrow it could be a video game shop owner."
I find this an odd statement, how is a game shop owners life more important than a cab driver's life, I mean they kind of pulled the game shop owner right out of their rear, I don't really know what his/her death has to do with this situation. All I know is that I'm glad I'm not a Taiwanese cab driver, no respect!

[pibs]

O if i lived in america i could headbut a brick and sue the makers of super mario brothers
Thats not a bad idea, Ninty got mad money to spare :D

I dont remember a scene where u stab a cabby in gta 4 can someone refresh my memory.

[acn010]

acn010 says: fry that mofo!!!!

[darkriku2000]

Thats not a bad idea, Ninty got mad money to spare :D

I dont remember a scene where u stab a cabby in gta 4 can someone refresh my memory.

Well he claims that he was trying to steel the cab to see if it was as easy as in the game, and then he stabbed the driver after he fought back

But really, in every bit of research I've done about mental development I always see that people start learning the difference between right and wrong between the ages of 5 and 8, which means the media should have no effect on them, at the age of 18 somebody should definitely know the difference between fiction and reality...

...(Sighs) and here I thought politicians where supposed to be smart (although I guess I was proved wrong 8 years ago)

[wiggy fuzz]

i think the question remains: why is this game in a public arcade? (or am i missing something?)