by Lee Templar

Created on: November 12, 2007

I have a confession to make. I've killed a man. In fact I've killed several. Probably hundreds. I've run them over. I've beaten them with sticks, pool cues and batons. I've shot them in the head with guns I've prised out of the hands of dead police officers. I've beaten people to death on the street and stolen their money. I've stolen cars and crashed them on purpose until they've blown to pieces, killing everyone around me. And I laughed.

You've probably guessed by now I'm talking about my actions playing Grand Theft Auto, in its various incarnations. And I can happily say this wanton destruction and gory mayhem has made me no more of a violent person as a result. I can safely disengage the fantasy world of the PS2 with real life, and would still be completely horrified to see any of these events play out in real life.

Media effects theory is the idea that images seen in the media are somehow directly responsible for acts of violence. It is a popular theory the press like to bring out at times of tragedy. The horror film Child's Play 3 was cited as a direct cause for the death of British toddler Jamie Bulger, who was brutally killed by two young boys who abducted him from a shopping centre. The Hungerford massacre, in which a psychopath shot dead 16 people in a English village, was blamed on Rambo. The Columbine massacre was blamed in part on the music and stage persona of rocker Marilyn Manson.

Nearly all types of media have been used as scapegoats in this manner. Books, films, songs, bands, TV shows and cartoons have all been cited as reasons for killings or violent behaviour. It seems logical that computer games would be next to be blamed on society's evils. In 2004, for example, the game Manhunt was used in the press as a factor in the killing of 14 year old Stefan Pakeerah by his friend Warren Le Blanc. It was claimed in the press that the killer was obsessed with the game, and leading to the game being withdrawn from shelves in major UK games chains. Later police made a statement saying the game had nothing to do with the killing, and that the crime was drug-related, but Manhunt was still thought of as something evil (although sales rocketed - you can't buy that publicity!).

People miss two points when it comes to violent video games. Even if a few mentally disturbed people do somehow get inspiration for their crimes from the games they play, the games are often huge-selling titles that millions play around the world. Yet there has not been a huge epidemic

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