People find it extremely easy to blame videogames for increasing violence or acts of aggression. As recently as a few days back, games such as Mass Effect 3 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 were foolishly blamed for the tragic Sandy Hooks incident. Now, the Grand Theft Auto series is back in the limelight.
GTA games haven’t been unfamiliar with controversies and allegations of indicting violence for longer than we can remember, but it still comes across as a bit of a shock when someone makes claims as far-fetched as this one.
United States Senator Joe Manchin, who himself is an avid gun owner and huntsman and claims to remain so, says that Grand Theft Auto 5 should be banned in the United states.
Talking about violence in video games in an interview with MSNBC, Manchin said: “Look at Grand Theft Auto, put out by Rockstar Games in New York City and see what it promotes. Shouldn’t that be looked into and maybe be banned?”
It’s not the first time we’ve read statements such as this one, but this particular one seems like a bit of a reach.