In other news, Asian reporter Tricia Takanawa has reports that an 18 year old Sakchi has been taken into custody for murding a taxi driver. Asked his reason why, he wanted to find out how easy it was to steal from a person like in the game Grand Theft Auto LIberty City. More news at 11
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26009459/

BANGKOK - A Thai video game distributor halted sales of "Grand Theft Auto" on Monday after a teenager confessed to robbing and murdering a taxi driver while trying to recreate a scene from the controversial game.

"We are sending out requests today to outlets and shops to pull the games off their shelves and we will replace them with other games," Sakchai Chotikachinda, sales and marketing director of New Era Interactive Media, told Reuters.

"We are also urging video game arcades to pull the games from service," Sakchai said. An 18-year-old high school student, now in custody pending further investigations and a trial, faces death by lethal injection if found guilty of robbing and killing a 54-year-old taxi driver with a knife at the weekend.

Police said the youth, an obsessive player of "Grand Theft Auto," showed no sign of mental problems during questioning and had confessed to committing the crime because of the game.

"He said he wanted to find out if it was as easy in real life to rob a taxi as it was in the game," chief police investigator Veeravit Pipattanasak told Reuters.

The youth, described by his parents as polite and diligent, was arrested late on Saturday after he was found trying to steer a cab backwards out of a Bangkok street with the severely wounded driver in the back seat, newspapers reported.

The suspect told police he did not mean to kill the driver, whom he had chosen as a possible victim because of his age, but that he stabbed him to death when he fought back, newspapers reported.

"Grand Theft Auto," now available in its fourth edition, has been criticized for depicting violence including beatings, carjackings, drive-by shootings, drunk driving and prostitution.

A senior official at Thailand's Culture Ministry said the murder was a wake-up call for authorities to tackle the issue of violent video games, and urged parents to pay closer attention to what their children played.

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


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The ministry has been pushing for tougher regulation of video games such as Grand Theft Auto, including the imposition of a rating system on sales and restriction on hours that youngsters can play the games in public arcades.

A multi-million dollar lawsuit was filed in the U.S. state of Alabama against the makers and marketers of Grand Theft Auto in 2005, claiming that months of playing the game led a teenager to kill two police officers and a 911 dispatcher.

The blockbuster Grand Theft Auto games are published by Nasdaq-listed Take-Two Interactive Software.

Copyright 2008 Reuter

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

WTF?

I hope that's just a poor translation. Or do they really value video game shop owner's lives more than cab driver's?

WTF?

I hope that's just a poor translation. Or do they really value video game shop owner's lives more than cab driver's?
i almost spit my coke after reading that comment lol.

^^ lost in translation... :)

I think he just meant to say....."who's next? a mother? a video game shop owner? another taxi driver? a bus driver? a mayor? a whore? etc,..? We gotta stop this before more murders get comitted by these crazy video game obessed pot-smoking teenagers"... :P

^^One would certainly hope so. lol!

WTF?

I hope that's just a poor translation. Or do they really value video game shop owner's lives more than cab driver's?

lol!

to be honest, it's just she's saying that it could be someone else the next time

however in Thailand, yes, Cab drivers a kinda like.......lower tier people, we have social order ranks of how we view people, and cab drivers are seriously seriously low, mostly cus they're dirt poor, can't afford to do any other work cus no one will hire them, drive their cars like they stole it, even though it isn't even their's (they rent it) and cut you off, drive like assholes, etc etc

whilst the video game shop owner are usually employees and are considerably much younger and are much nicer to you :D

instead of punishing everyone, how about executing people too stupid to know reality from fantasy.

Thats stupid :lol:

WTF?

I hope that's just a poor translation. Or do they really value video game shop owner's lives more than cab driver's?

The way I read it, the author was trying to throw some cute irony in there to shade the story. Like, "You filthy crack dealers don't care when rockheads shank an old lady to steal her pension check to buy crack, but maybe you'll care when they come back and try to rob you instead of purchase your product!".

Either way sad story, it's too bad that kid hadn't been instilled with a sense of common decency, respect for the law or his community and chose to act like a reject. I feel bad for the cab driver's family if he had one, they probably depended on that guy and now thanks to some stupid punk, they lost a family member and a vital income.

that's why the kid is dying, in Thailand, bad kids get executed, we can always make new ones

and his family is going to be forever shamed

its not for me to decide what the age of "knowledge" and maturity is... but anything under that and the parents are the ones who should be executed...

well, the parents didn't kill anyone, so we can't kill them now can we?

if it wasn't for the UN, they might also die, but because of the UN, they're not

the kid however, we can kill off, if they have another kid, and he also commits crime, we kill that one too

see my logic? I'm not joking in anyway, we're seriously killing him off

well, the parents didn't kill anyone, so we can't kill them now can we?

if it wasn't for the UN, they might also die, but because of the UN, they're not

the kid however, we can kill off, if they have another kid, and he also commits crime, we kill that one too

see my logic? I'm not joking in anyway, we're seriously killing him off

yeah i get your point, and i know your serious.

i donrt know how old the "teenager" was.... i'm just saying there have been cases of 8-12yo kids doing HORRIBLE things.... rape/murder/etc...

in those cases, the kids need severe levels of therapy, and the parents are the ones who should be strung up. the parents are the ones responsible for a child until it reaches the age of maturity or whatever you call it

^ in that case we kill the kid...........and the parents can have another one, and we kill that one too

you know, since we're on this subject

it's you westerners who brought this upon us

before, if a member of the family were to do something bad, we'd kill him, his sister, his brother, his mom, dad, uncle, and most of his family

this is a tradition in SE Asia and China (ประหาร 9 ชั่วโคตร)

but nooo, you assholes came in with your "individualism" and " human rights"

and now we have shitloads of dicks and cunts running around

^Who's more foolish, the fool or the one who follows him?

Yes, by all means, avoid responsibility and blame the west.

Go ahead and give up civil society anytime you want. We don't mind.

WOW we can always find someone to point the finger at....:banghead:

we can't really, we can't "unjoin" the UN

and go learn your history, we didn't "follow" you, you asshats went around half the world raping other people's wives, and then say you're better, then force your shit on to other people

now, being a warmonger myself, I think that's fabulous, but it is entirely you asshat's fault this kind of crap happens

instead of punishing everyone, how about executing people too stupid to know reality from fantasy.

Ok, so I partly agree with this... fits with the " I hate stupid people" thing :icon_no2:

yeah i get your point, and i know your serious.

i donrt know how old the "teenager" was.... i'm just saying there have been cases of 8-12yo kids doing HORRIBLE things.... rape/murder/etc...

in those cases, the kids need severe levels of therapy, and the parents are the ones who should be strung up. the parents are the ones responsible for a child until it reaches the age of maturity or whatever you call it

In this case, the kid was 18!! That's insane. There's no way, barring mental instability or handicap, that he didn't know it was wrong! :squint:

I would like to see a video game that taught ethics and clever thinking rather than mindless violence - OJT for Ghetto is not really something you want to give kids to play with...

I rather like the Chinese method - execute criminals by bullet and then charge their parents for the cost of the bullet.....

I definately would not give violent video games to kids from Southeast Asia.... or kids from some parts of the Mid-East.... it's like tossing puppies to pit bulls - the prognosis is not good for the dog or the puppy!

exactly

You are correct that the Westerner has inflicted values on other cultures...
And they have banned so many quaint and fun native pastimes -

like eating visitors in Hawaii; burning used up wives and offering cord stangled travelors to the Dark Goddess in India; chopping out beating hearts and practicing coming of age mutilations by the Native Americans; binding the feet of women in China which included breaking of the foot bones to keep them small and crippled; forcing people to join their religion at the point of a sword, and trying to get rid of slavery and the trafficing of children. Yes, there is much reason to resent the Westerner...They forbade so many pleasant things....

But now you can get the children of the West to put rings in their noses (and other more interesting places), tattoo frogs on their heads, file their teeth, enjoy Asian and South American drugs, form tribal gangs, practice satanic rituals in the basements, and become tolerant of the cultures of others.....so in the end the West can finally enjoy the same cultural diversions that they once tried to forbid from the more enlightened peoples of the rest of the world....

Then again, maybe we really shouldn't share everything - including some video games...

You are correct that the Westerner has inflicted values on other cultures...
And they have banned so many quaint and fun native pastimes -

forcing people to join their religion at the point of a sword,

Well, the Spanish Inquisition aside...:)

Then again, maybe we really shouldn't share everything - including some video games...

And the Internet...:lol:

"forcing people to join their religion at the point of a sword" isn't that the spaniards? and they still killed them anyways muhahaha
get rid of slavery <-- sorry, we did that ourselves
eating visitors in hawaii <-- thats good
yes, so now basically, your children are doing what you tried to forbid, this is epic, more epic is that, you shouldn't share these crap with other children

seriously, thats why you have Taj in this world, if it weren't for you, I'd be a happy hard working teenager, who drives a 35 mpg Corolla, and work hard, and study hard, and have a good, boring life

but noooo, I live in a huge apartment, with a turboed rx8, modding it every week, don't care about work, screw school, rape women, and party all night

damn you assholes

You are correct that the Westerner has inflicted values on other cultures...
And they have banned so many quaint and fun native pastimes -

like eating visitors in Hawaii; burning used up wives and offering cord stangled travelors to the Dark Goddess in India; chopping out beating hearts and practicing coming of age mutilations by the Native Americans; binding the feet of women in China which included breaking of the foot bones to keep them small and crippled; forcing people to join their religion at the point of a sword, and trying to get rid of slavery and the trafficing of children. Yes, there is much reason to resent the Westerner...They forbade so many pleasant things....

But now you can get the children of the West to put rings in their noses (and other more interesting places), tattoo frogs on their heads, file their teeth, enjoy Asian and South American drugs, form tribal gangs, practice satanic rituals in the basements, and become tolerant of the cultures of others.....so in the end the West can finally enjoy the same cultural diversions that they once tried to forbid from the more enlightened peoples of the rest of the world....

Then again, maybe we really shouldn't share everything - including some video games...

wow...read a book man...watch discovery or something....

u have no idea what ur talking about:spank: :Eyecrazy: :uhh:

I would like to see a video game that taught ethics and clever thinking rather than mindless violence - OJT for Ghetto is not really something you want to give kids to play with...

I rather like the Chinese method - execute criminals by bullet and then charge their parents for the cost of the bullet.....

I definately would not give violent video games to kids from Southeast Asia.... or kids from some parts of the Mid-East.... it's like tossing puppies to pit bulls - the prognosis is not good for the dog or the puppy!

Would u mind to explain that why there were so many school shootings in the US and ONLY in the US?? Is it because US is "superior" than the rest of the world?

If your logic is right, then we should not even made any of the games in the first place. Oh yes most of the school shootings came from kids who was addicted to certain video games (Colorado was Diablo, and couple others was Quake series, some GTA, etc)

But were those games the cause of the kid's craziness ? I dont think so. I will say those games "triggered" the "craziness" inside those crazy kids. thats about it.

I've been thru ALL of the games above plus a LOT more. All Doom series, All Quake series, All Diablo series. Actually All kinds of RTS, FPS, Action, RPG ... Still I never thought about having a "LIVE Target practice" in my school/office.

What does this thing has to do with people in southeast Asia or Mid-east ? You sound like SE Asia kids are morons and Mid-East ppl are dumbasses.

That kid in Thailand has some mental problem, but that is not an excuse. He did in fact killed somebody, the scary thing is he didnt feel anything wrong about. He was just trying to "act like the dude in a game". he so deserves a death penalty.

Like faboo said, you should read a book or watch some discovery channel or something.

wow...read a book man...watch discovery or something....

Like faboo said, you should read a book or watch some discovery channel or something.

Apparently Winfree's sarcasm was totally wasted on both of you.

It wasn't about video games.

She posted a facetious reply to tajabaho1's tactless, tasteless remarks. Whilst he may have a valid point buried in his comment somewhere, he demonstrates no sense of propriety at all- as well as not fully even comprehending the context of his own remarks. But he is young and we cut the young a lot of slack in Western society. Fortunately for him- although he does push the boundary at times.

Winfree happens to be highly educated, and has been all over the world. She has more wisdom in her little finger than either of you will ever accumulate over the course of your lifetimes. I would consider it an honour to listen to her hold-forth on any subject of her choosing.

Thanks for the support - but sadly the only thing I have in my little finger is Arthritis -

like all Celtics I keep my wisdom, like the great Finn, in my thumb...

Actually, I rather liked the comment on not sharing the internet...
Since Columbine, and a number of other school shootings seem to have been related to internet correspondence between kids bent of celebrating Adolf Hitler's Birthday!

I think the reason we have more school shootings here, is that kids, or their parents can afford guns, guns are now part of the culture of Ghetto violence - back in the age of dinosaurs the "Juvinile Delinquents" were poorer and used Zip guns, switch blades, and razors, (streight not safety - although I have seen some embarassing mistakes). Drugs sales allow them to own assault rifles and the occasional rocket launcher. If they could afford it, they would use nukes - which is one of the reasons they are trying to discourage children from the middle east from playing with them!

And yes I have been known to watch Discovery and even the History channel - Mom has a crush on an Ice Road Trucker!

Actually, I rather liked the comment on not sharing the internet...
Since Columbine, and a number of other school shootings seem to have been related to internet correspondence between kids bent of celebrating Adolf Hitler's Birthday!

The Information Age will make giving firewater to the Indians seem like nothing. :eyetwitch

What the West has to worry about is the indians giving us back firewater, with a little cactus worm in the bottom of the bottle!