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Sim Sin City - Thoughts On Grand Theft Auto
Torill writes "Gonzalo Frasca has some thoughts on Grand Theft Auto in the new issue of Game Studies. He particularly notes: 'When designers create a simulation that encourages experimentation, they are taking a huge authorial risk: trusting their players'. He also weighs in on the controversy over GTA's content, arguing, devil's advocate style, that the Bible, Mein Kampf and Das Kapital have caused millions of deaths, while it is still hard to prove that computer games really have caused deaths at all: 'Do the math. There is actually proof that books are extremely dangerous. They should be considered weapons of mass destruction. If you are really concerned about media effects, forget videogames: you should start burning libraries right now'." Coincidentally, the name of the article ties in with the alleged name of the GTA sequel, again claimed to be 'Grand Theft Auto IV: Sin City', even after (coincidental?) April Fool's jokes and other confusion.
(Bam, Iran)-- The nation of Iran is in mourning today over the loss of 40,000 terrorists in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake last weekend that had its epicenter in the ancient fortress city of Bam.
"It's such a tragedy," said Bam mayor Ali Akhbar al-Farabi. "Many of our young terrorists never got a chance to indiscriminately kill innocent Jews and Christians. We've lost the ultra-violent core of our community."
Maryam ibn-Wacqi, principal of Martyrs' Middle School in the fashionable suburb of Khomeini Heights, seconded the Mayor's distress. "Our school's Little League Suicide Bombing Team was all set to attack day-care centers and cafes in Jerusalem and now this. Gone forever the patter of tiny feet as they scamper aboard buses in order to kill rush hour crowds. Oh, the humanity."
Singer Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens before his conversion to the Muslim faith, has organized a charity concert called "Jam for Bam" that will be broadcast on the Al-Jazeera Network next Saturday evening at 9pm Iranian Daylight Savings Time. All proceeds from the concert will go towards purchasing explosives, rifles and rocket-propelled grenades for the victims of the earthquake.