manhunt sales boost after murder

[chris]

When 14-year old Stefan Pakeerah was brutally murdered in a park in the UK in February, his grieving mother blamed the crime on Rockstar Games’ violent stealth-action game Manhunt. The 17-year old accused of murdering Stefan with a claw hammer and a knife, it seems, was a big fan of the game. It later emerged that a copy of the game was found in Stefan’s bedroom, raising questions as to how the schoolboy was able to get his hands on the 18-rated game.

With all of the publicity surrounding the murder and the decision taken by a number of major retailers to withdraw the game from sale, the level of interest in Manhunt, according to a recent report in the Daily Mail newspaper, is now higher than it was when the game was released last year. A spokesman for HMV, which still stocks the game in its 200 stores, told the newspaper that demand for the game had "significantly increased" and added that "people who had never heard of the game now want to buy it, many think it’s going to be banned and that lends a certain cachet."

Mrs. Pakeerah, who has been campaigning to get Manhunt banned, has spoken of her sadness that Manhunt has sold out across much of the UK. "It doesn’t really come as surprise, they say no publicity is bad publicity," she said. "But I must say I’m saddened and disappointed. The content of this game is contemptible. It’s a societal hazard and my concern is to get it off the shelves as there’s enough violence in society already."


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in my opinion this was obviously going to happen, because now people want to see what all the fuss is about.

Also, i dont think you can blame films or games (or rap :twisted: ) for murders, its just people looking for something to blame...



chris

[shan]

I find it a bit twisted to say the least, that somebody would make a game like that in the first place.
I don't think you can blame the game as such, although nowadays violence in all forms is so much more an accepted part of life and society reflects that.
Lack of boundaries where kids are concerned has to play a part, what have some kids got to push against? Not a lot with some parents who let them get away with so much, so they make their own.

[Josh]

You've got to be pretty messed up to want to do that in the first place, and if you are going to kill someone a game like Grand Theft Auto, or listening to Eminem isn't going to make you do it.

It does annoy me when parents and the government etc use games and artists as scapegoats.

It's like a few years ago there were three (or two) nuns murdered in Italy by 3 teenage girls and they were huge Marilyn Manson fans and so the Pope issued a statement about him I tihnk, and suddenlly all these relgiious people were saying "Mariyln Manson made them do it" and stuff. If anything this actually brings more attention to the artists and will invite more people to listen to them, myself and Chris watched the documentary and wanted to see what all the fuss about him was and then basically liked the music, whereas if I had never seen that documentary I had never heard anything by Manson.


As for age limits on games, 17 with an 18 game is nothing, I myself play those games (as do most teengaers my age) and I know like 12 year olds who play the games it doesn't encourage us to be anymore violent, basically if you're going to do something no one else can stop you or make you do it.

[chris]

yeah i agree with josh.

Music being blamed for violence in my mind isnt right. After the columbine masacre marilyn manson was blamed. So what if the kids have his album or are fans, at the end of the day its just words in those songs.

I also think games cannot be blamed for murders, as most people have the ability to distinguish between real life and the virtual worlds in which they play.  Of course there is a small minority that lack this skill, but in that case they will probably commit violent crimes anyway, the games just give them 'inspiration'.

thats just what i think anyway...


I recomend that you watch 'bowling for columbine', it was (in my opinion) really good, informative and funny. Watch out for marilyn manson coming across in an in terview as one of the most intelligent people in the film.



chris

[Josh]

On the other hand as tecnhonoly moves on and they start making ultra-realistic games (not just in graphics but game physics i.e the exact effect of every gun etc), then maybe fewer people will be able to distinguish from real world and reality.

[chris]

yeah, but people have the ability to tell the difference between what they live through and what they watch on a screen. Perhaps if games went into virtual reality you could argue against my point, but i still think we have that ability.
granted not everyone has tht ability though,.....  :evil:


chris

[mart2986]

As stated in the brilliant Clockwork Orange, what makes us human is the ability to choose good and these games are showing us that. They're not to blame, they just point out something that's inside us all, just that most of us have the common sense to keep whats in the game in the game.
Don't blame the games, blame the lack of respect for society these idiots have!

Mart  

[Josh]

they just point out something that's inside us all, just that most of us have the common sense to keep whats in the game in the game.
Mart  

Exactly, games are just the way to let out that sort of thing everyone has in them.