Has Grand Theft Auto made you more independent?

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No, i've always been what you describe as "independent". No game has changed my interest in going out and exploring the city, it's actually the contrary - Google Earth has made me less interested since i can explore the world from my couch.

...Man, I'm so scared of driving. You just gave me an idea.

Still going with "busted". And believe me, I'm not the only one. LOTS of studies done on this. And a gigantic amount of gamers out there with personal experience playing such games. Playing ALOT of such games.


Going along with what Modernmax said, those that might have trouble understanding the difference between "real" and "virtual" tend to have very serious mental illnesses. AKA, the gaming is NOT the source. And someone like that is going to be affected by waaaaayyyyyyy more than just gaming. And for someone THAT easily influenced... something like that wont even be the biggest source. They're more likely to be affected by REAL events. There's a reason why the concept of a "copycat killer" exists.

Instead of pointing out utterly ridiculous causes, people need to actually examine each individual situation properly, and determine proper treatment. One of the reasons why people throw ludicrous ideas at gaming is simple: They're bloody lazy. It's easier to use that assumption than it is to actually do the freaking work.

SOmething interesting about Grand Theft Auto: It's one of the single biggest selling game series of all time, period. And this is at a time when the gaming industry has become bigger than the movie industry. Endless legions of players have played it. Notice that we dont have veritable armies of killers roaming the streets.

As 5 zillion gamers will tell you... it simply doesnt have that effect. Again, people are quick to blame anything that ISNT themselves, and gaming is a convenient target.

Also, think back to an earlier time. There was a time period when parents often blamed MUSIC for their kids actions. Freaking music! Now you tell me: Would you ever ACTUALLY believe that? Chances are no, and neither would anyone else. And I'll tell you why that is: Even most older adults grew up during a period where music was everywhere. In other words, it's something they not only understand, but have always understood. More than THEIR parents, who didnt have that stuff as kids.

Probably the biggest reason why gaming is a target is because the older crowd literally doesnt understand it. Notice, in fact, that older adults are almost purely the source of these "theories". It's unfortunately natural for people to either fear, or be suspicious of things they dont understand.

Go forward a few decades from now. Basically everyone will have grown up in a world where gaming was a thing... and instead, they'll move to some NEW thing to throw their blame at. It's a vicious cycle, and one that's not likely to ever stop.


Honestly, the best way to deal with something like this is to do the research. And I dont mean just looking up stats and studies. If you were to actually meet enough people in the gaming community, and take the time to get to know them well enough... this idea would outright vanish. Well, theoretically. Some people are too freaking stubborn to allow ideas to be changed in their minds.

Of course part of the problem is that people DONT take the time to try to understand. Particularly parents.
Hell, it's not just GTA. I myself grew up when mature content in games started happening. I still remember the Mortal Kombat fiasco. It was another load of gibberish, really. Even as a kid though, I played that game, and it's sequels. But not against my parents' wishes. They actually took the time to not only look into the game itself, but to think of me and my personality. They simply decided I was mature enough to handle it, and they were right. That is PROPER parenting. But ALOT of parents are too bloody lazy to do that. It's just so much easier to blame something other than their bad parenting. Not to mention that alot of them are gullible as heck. Note that these sorts of parents are the same sort that will tend to bury their faces in their stupid phones rather than pay attention to their blasted children. And then it's NEVER their fault when something goes wrong, yeah? Ridiculous.

But that's a whole other rant I wont go into right now.

Right, tell that to people who watch Jersey Shore, Teen Mom, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and Bad Girls Club.