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Games Made Me Do It Defense Didn't Work

Posted by Zonk on from the saw-right-through-that-one dept.

BuddingMonkey wrote to mention a heartening ruling from a judge who saw beyond the anti-gaming hype. CNN is reporting that Devin Moor has been found guilty of murder, in a well publicized case where the defendant stated that video games caused his behavior. From the article: "Prosecutor Lyn Durham said Tuesday that Moore knew what he was doing when he grabbed a patrolman's gun and killed two officers and a radio dispatcher. 'And he knew it was wrong,' she said."

23 of 104 comments (clear)

  1. No Shit... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This comment brought to you by the committee to purge the BS from Gaming...

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  2. ...also by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Video games made me pour Hot Coffee all over my naked girlfriend!

  3. Sad... by darthgnu · · Score: 5, Informative

    Some people have to stop living in the past, it is way too easy to blame your past for violent action. It is important to realise that one can change if he wants to. However, David Suzuki, host of the TV show "The Nature of Things" presented a documentary about violent behavior. According to this documentary, violent behavior would be developped around the ages of 2 to 6. The key to preventing violent behavior would be in the way you correct children for unsociable behavior. The teenage years would only reflect this early teaching, but since it shows more in this stage of development, video games and movies get too often blamed for this.

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    1. Re:Sad... by Ieshan · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "...it is way too easy to blame your past for violent action..."

      Well, yeah. It's easy to blame your past for *any* action.

      There's plenty to be said for the kid's instinct. I don't really think it's unfair to say that he did what he did because it had worked for him before in other impulsive situations. He stole a gun from a cop and shot all three in the head. He wasn't shooting blindly, he was executing with intent to escape. He must have learned this *somewhere*.

      But I feel as though it's an absurd defense to blame Grand Theft Auto for a shooting and claim it obscures your judgement of right and wrong. That doesn't mean he didn't learn "technique" or behaviour from a videogame, but that'd be like blaming Law and Order: SVU for a rape charge. We see plenty of things we're not supposed to do all the time on TV, in movies, and in games. We don't do them in real life because we understand the difference between the two things.

    2. Re:Sad... by FLEB · · Score: 2, Funny

      So, in the opinion of the show, what are the good/bad ways to influence a child from 2 to 6?

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  4. norman, please coordinate... by Khyron · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...but, the games, if they did not cause this then games might not be dangerous to children but then the government would be wrong in spending millions of tax dollars on needless investigations and... ...it's like, if the gun manufacturers are not to blame for gun crimes but grokster is to blame for p2p crimes and videogame companies are to blame *twitch* not to blame *twitch* to blame for....

    ILLOGICAL! ILLOGICAL! THIS DOES NOT COMPUTE!

  5. The Bible made me do it! by cryptoz · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ...the defense used when a gang of young teenagers went around killing people in defence of their own beliefs. Oh wow. And I bet half of you believed me.

    1. Re:The Bible made me do it! by TheSloth2001ca · · Score: 3, Interesting

      well i think its time to apply the ESRB rating to the bible. what rating do you think it should get?

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  6. I'd say by RealmRPGer · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It's about time our legal system personnel began to smarten up.

  7. His mistake by TykeClone · · Score: 3, Insightful

    was to try to use that defense in Alabama instead of California.

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    A fine is a tax you pay for doing wrong and a tax is a fine you pay for doing all right.
  8. After RTFA... by LuckyPossum · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This is not that great of news. There is still room for stupidity: The victims' families have filed a civil suit against the video game manufacturer and two stores, claiming Moore killed the three after repeatedly playing "Grand Theft Auto III" and "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City." No trial date has been set in the civil lawsuit. Then if this succeeds maybe they'll overturn the conviction and put him in a mental health facility. I'm sure the victims' families would love that.

    1. Re:After RTFA... by SeekerDarksteel · · Score: 2, Interesting

      And this is why we need game manufacturers that have the balls to countersue for libel, extortion, and fraud. I can only hope...

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    2. Re:After RTFA... by Caiwyn · · Score: 5, Insightful

      There is a chain of grocery stores native to my home state which does this... years ago, in the sue-crazy early 90s, there was a rash of incidents in which folks were going into various grocery stores, pulling items from high shelves down on top of them, and suing for damages. Though the cases almost never went to court, there was usually a hefty settlement involved.

      My local chain decided they would have none of this, and vowed to fight any such case brought against them in court. The frivolous lawsuits were curtailed pretty quickly, because the lawyers-for-hire figured out that this was no longer an easy way to make a quick buck.

      Most businesses who have a lawsuit brought against them choose to settle because it is cheaper than fighting it out in court. Only the truly smart companies realize that this behavior just invites new lawsuits. Just look at what happened to mp3.com.

    3. Re:After RTFA... by toddbu · · Score: 2
      it had nothing to do with it

      It's the difference between a criminal and civil case. In a criminal case, it's "guilty beyond a reasonable doubt", which means "99.999% sure". In a civil case, the standard is "a preponderance of the evidence", or in layman-speak, "better than 50% chance". You might think that this is wrong, but it's how many families get some retribution on those who escape true justice, like OJ Simpson. In this case, of course, I totally side with the game maker and I'm glad to see the courts call bullshit on the argument. Hopefully the same will happen in the civil case.

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    4. Re:After RTFA... by Kurayamino-X · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I was about to point this out myself.

      I know I should feel sorry for these people as thier loved ones got shot and all, but all I can really feel at the moment is the urge to beat the everlasting shit out of them with a cluestick.

      these stupid motherfuckers are doing more then just validating the killers defence, they're spitting on thier loved ones graves and cheapening thier memory in the process by using thier deaths as an excuse to grab some money.

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    5. Re:After RTFA... by 2old2rockNroll · · Score: 3, Insightful

      they found him guilty BECAUSE the video game wasnt to blame, so what are they suing for?

      Two reasons. First, money. Second, so they don't have to admit they are lousy parents - it's the game's fault, not theirs.

  9. How about this by Kraeloc · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm going to make a game that ends in the player killing themself, hype it up a whole lot, and let the problem solve itself.

  10. Nod by imstanny · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Indeed. People have a tendency to confuse correlation with causation. Which is precisely why these types of frivolous law suits exist.

    And it also sickens me that it has become a trend not to take responsibility for your own actions. Like blaming obesity on McDonalds.
    Now I want to file a law suit. Umm, let's see...for mental anguish caused as a result of being subjected to stupidity.

  11. The victim's families... by biodeo · · Score: 4, Informative

    "The victim's families have filed a civil suit against the video game manufacturer and two stores, claiming Moore killed the three after repeatedly playing "Grand Theft Auto III" and "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City." No trial date has been set in the civil lawsuit"

    Wow... just wow...

    Does anyone else see the terrible, terrible irony here? If they held their logic true, they should be protesting the guilty verdict, since it obviously wasn't his fault, the video games did it. The article mentioned them hugging the prosecutor, so they were obviously pleased.

    I hope they don't get one red cent.

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    I'll stop being cynical when the world allows
    1. Re:The victim's families... by TheSloth2001ca · · Score: 2, Interesting
      i can't wait to see this scumbucket in hell

      from heaven right???

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  12. Child mindsets, Law and Order Criminal Intent by SuperBanana · · Score: 2, Insightful
    that'd be like blaming Law and Order: SVU for a rape charge.

    I am a HUGE fan of Law and Order: Lenny (aka the original series). "SVU" or "CI" never made an impression on me; they just seemed "slightly more extreme and more dodads to keep the unwashed masses watching".

    The final straw was last weekend, when I caught a Law and Order Criminal Intent (I think) episode- where a young man was drugging young women and doing things to them. One victim had her calf muscles cut out of her legs while she was alive. Another had a hole drilled in her skull and hot water poured in.

    That was the day I swore I'd never watch the two new variants for any longer than it took to change channels. It was absafuckingloutely disgusting.

    We don't do them in real life because we understand the difference between the two things.

    Is that why children think there's Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, etc? Is that why children imitate everything around them? Watch a bunch of kids playing for about 15 minutes, and I guarantee you'll see something "pop culture" woven into their play. Children up until a certain age have NO CONCEPT of the difference between cartoons and real life, or video and real life. They have little developed sense of judgement, either.

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    1. Re:Child mindsets, Law and Order Criminal Intent by Anonymous+Custard · · Score: 4, Insightful

      "The final straw was last weekend, when I caught a Law and Order Criminal Intent (I think) episode- where a young man was drugging young women and doing things to them. One victim had her..."

      I can't believe this sick crap is considerd to be top-rated, good prime-time television, but one second of janet jackson's blurry patially-revealed nipple brings on an enormous fcc fine.

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  13. Re:Get this... by TheSloth2001ca · · Score: 3, Funny
    I think that people are intelligent enough to make their own decisions

    you and i may be, but look around you, do you really want those people to be making decisions

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