Sony gets sued

[tekbit]

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - A $246 million lawsuit was filed against the designer, marketer and a retailer of the video game series "Grand Theft Auto" by the families of two people shot by teenagers apparently inspired by the game.

The suit claims marketer Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., designers Take-Two Interactive Software and Rockstar Games, and Wal-Mart, are liable for $46 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages.

Aaron Hamel, 45, a registered nurse, was killed and Kimberly Bede, 19, of Moneta, Va., was seriously wounded when their cars were hit June 25 by .22-caliber bullets as they passed through the Great Smoky Mountains.
Stepbrothers William Buckner, 16, and Joshua Buckner, 14, of Newport, were sentenced in August to an indefinite term in state custody after pleading guilty in juvenile court to reckless homicide, endangerment and assault.

The boys told investigators they got the rifles from a locked room in their home and decided to randomly shoot at tractor-trailer rigs, just like in the video game "Grand Theft Auto III."

In a suit filed Monday in Cocke County Circuit Court on behalf of the victims, Miami lawyer Jack Thompson and local lawyer Richard Talley alleged the game "inspires and trains players to shoot at vehicles and persons."

"These kids simply decided to take the thrill of that game out to Interstate 40 and started pointing at cars," Thompson said in a telephone interview Tuesday.

Thompson, who said he sent letters to Sony and Wal-Mart to drop the game before the shootings, said, "It's not like this is coming out of the blue, they chose to ignore this danger."

San Mateo, Calif.-based Sony and Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart did not return calls for comment Tuesday. The lawsuit alleges the retail giant sold the game to the Buckners about a year before the shootings.

Douglas Lowenstein, president of the industry Entertainment Software Association, called the shootings "an unspeakable tragedy" but said blaming a game played by millions for the boys' actions was "misguided and counterproductive."

"There is no credible evidence that violent games lead to violent behavior," he said. "While video games may provide a simple excuse for the teenagers involved in this incident, responsibility for violent acts belongs to those who commit them."

Thompson has made similar claims in the past and lost, notably a $33 million lawsuit against video game makers stemming from the 1997 school shooting near Paducah, Ky., by a 14-year-old boy.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (news - web sites) ruled in the case last year that it was "simply to far a leap from shooting characters on a video screen to shooting people in a classroom." yahoo news

Wow, they're suing Walmart too? That's just sad. I don't really agree with this lawsuit but you know it was bound to happen. What is this world coming to?

[thug]

<div class=\"smallfont\">Wow, they're suing Walmart too? That's just sad. I don't really agree with this lawsuit but you know it was bound to happen. What is this world coming to?</div>

Sadly, the only rule in lawsuits these days is:
Don't sue whoever is accountable, sue whoever has the most money"

Maybe for punishment they should drop these A-holes off in gang territory at night and say "This is part of GTA too. Have fun!". This is why there is a rating system. A 14 and 16 yr old should not have an M rated game let alone access to a .22-caliber rifle . Agree or disagree, I hope the families lose. I feel very bad for what happened and it's a huge loss to them I'm sure, but the parent's of the boys are accountable, not Take 2, Sony, Walmart, Target, EB, Gamestop, etc. This game sold millions and millions of copies and all of a sudden two years down the road it's a problem. What a bunch of BS.

[tekbit]

<div class=\"smallfont\"><div class=\"smallfont\"></div>

Sadly, the only rule in lawsuits these days is:
Don't sue whoever is accountable, sue whoever has the most money"

Maybe for punishment they should drop these A-holes off in gang territory at night and say "This is part of GTA too. Have fun!". This is why there is a rating system. A 14 and 16 yr old should not have an M rated game let alone access to a .22-caliber rifle . Agree or disagree, I hope the families lose. I feel very bad for what happened and it's a huge loss to them I'm sure, but the parent's of the boys are accountable, not Take 2, Sony, Walmart, Target, EB, Gamestop, etc. This game sold millions and millions of copies and all of a sudden two years down the road it's a problem. What a bunch of BS.</div>

Could'nt agree with you more. I guess they should sue the movie producers too, because they are just as guilty. I don't understand why people want to put all the blame on video games and music. Violence is in every aspect of our culture. There is no getting around it. So to single one genre out is in fact BS.

[Gaming Geezer 78]

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - A $246 million lawsuit was filed against the designer, marketer and a retailer of the video game series "Grand Theft Auto" by the families of two people shot by teenagers apparently inspired by the game.

The suit claims marketer Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc., designers Take-Two Interactive Software and Rockstar Games, and Wal-Mart, are liable for $46 million in compensatory damages and $200 million in punitive damages.

Aaron Hamel, 45, a registered nurse, was killed and Kimberly Bede, 19, of Moneta, Va., was seriously wounded when their cars were hit June 25 by .22-caliber bullets as they passed through the Great Smoky Mountains.
Stepbrothers William Buckner, 16, and Joshua Buckner, 14, of Newport, were sentenced in August to an indefinite term in state custody after pleading guilty in juvenile court to reckless homicide, endangerment and assault.

The boys told investigators they got the rifles from a locked room in their home and decided to randomly shoot at tractor-trailer rigs, just like in the video game "Grand Theft Auto III."

In a suit filed Monday in Cocke County Circuit Court on behalf of the victims, Miami lawyer Jack Thompson and local lawyer Richard Talley alleged the game "inspires and trains players to shoot at vehicles and persons."

"These kids simply decided to take the thrill of that game out to Interstate 40 and started pointing at cars," Thompson said in a telephone interview Tuesday.

Thompson, who said he sent letters to Sony and Wal-Mart to drop the game before the shootings, said, "It's not like this is coming out of the blue, they chose to ignore this danger."

San Mateo, Calif.-based Sony and Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart did not return calls for comment Tuesday. The lawsuit alleges the retail giant sold the game to the Buckners about a year before the shootings.

Douglas Lowenstein, president of the industry Entertainment Software Association, called the shootings "an unspeakable tragedy" but said blaming a game played by millions for the boys' actions was "misguided and counterproductive."

"There is no credible evidence that violent games lead to violent behavior," he said. "While video games may provide a simple excuse for the teenagers involved in this incident, responsibility for violent acts belongs to those who commit them."

Thompson has made similar claims in the past and lost, notably a $33 million lawsuit against video game makers stemming from the 1997 school shooting near Paducah, Ky., by a 14-year-old boy.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals (news - web sites) ruled in the case last year that it was "simply to far a leap from shooting characters on a video screen to shooting people in a classroom." yahoo news

Wow, they're suing Walmart too? That's just sad. I don't really agree with this lawsuit but you know it was bound to happen. What is this world coming to?

What a pathetic and rediculous world this is. First, the GTA games are rated "Mature 17+" right on the front of the boxes.

Blaming a videogame for a tragedy seems to be the big thing now. A few years back, it was Judas Priest music that made a kid blow his own head off with a 12-guage. Then it was Marilyn Manson and Doom (:rolleyes:) that caused the Columbine tradgedy. Now it's Grand Theft Auto that is inspiring young retarded children to shoot a .22 on the freeway? :rolleyes:

So I guess I could go out and rape somebody and say that I was so turned on by Dead Or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball's jubblies-I couldn't help myself? It's the same damn kind of thing that the lawsuit over GTA is! And how is Sony involved? Because the GTA games are PS2-exclusive right now?

Hey, I think I will go have sex with a prostitute, then whack her over the head and steal her green. When I get caught, I can say Grand Theft Auto made me do it. :rolleyes:

Or hey, I can yank a cabbie out of his cab and steal it. When I get caught, I can say that Grand Theft Auto made me do it.

Or I can shoot at a cleaning company's truck and say I thought Yakuza were inside. Then I can say that Yakuza are the only guys who drive these kinds of trucks because that's what happens in GTA!

What a ludicrous world we are in. Maybe I can uppercut a guy in the street and yell "Henshin a go-go baby!" When the police arrest me, I can say that Viewtiful Joe inspired me.

Or even better yet, I can run into a mushroom factory, eat a bunch of mushrooms and kick turtles around. When I get busted, I can say that I am so enraptured by Super Mario Sunshine, that I just couldn't help myself. Then PETA can sue Nintendo! :rolleyes:

[no.1gamer]

I would think that a 16 and 14 year old would know better. An 8 year old perhaps, but one of these kids is "mature" enough to posses a driver's license (according to my state anyway). So, does that rule out all street-racing games as well? Specifically Need For Speed: Hot pursuit 2 (which is rated "E" by the way) because it teaches you maneuvers to run cops off the road that are chasing you.

[Whaxx]

Does this mean that the Xbox GTA pack is getting cancelled? better not.

[Tappy_Tibbons]

<div class=\"smallfont\">What a pathetic and rediculous world this is. First, the GTA games are rated "Mature 17+" right on the front of the boxes.

Blaming a videogame for a tragedy seems to be the big thing now. A few years back, it was Judas Priest music that made a kid blow his own head off with a 12-guage. Then it was Marilyn Manson and Doom (:rolleyes:) that caused the Columbine tradgedy. Now it's Grand Theft Auto that is inspiring young retarded children to shoot a .22 on the freeway? :rolleyes:

So I guess I could go out and rape somebody and say that I was so turned on by Dead Or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball's jubblies-I couldn't help myself? It's the same damn kind of thing that the lawsuit over GTA is! And how is Sony involved? Because the GTA games are PS2-exclusive right now?

Hey, I think I will go have sex with a prostitute, then whack her over the head and steal her green. When I get caught, I can say Grand Theft Auto made me do it. :rolleyes:

Or hey, I can yank a cabbie out of his cab and steal it. When I get caught, I can say that Grand Theft Auto made me do it.

Or I can shoot at a cleaning company's truck and say I thought Yakuza were inside. Then I can say that Yakuza are the only guys who drive these kinds of trucks because that's what happens in GTA!

What a ludicrous world we are in. Maybe I can uppercut a guy in the street and yell "Henshin a go-go baby!" When the police arrest me, I can say that Viewtiful Joe inspired me.

Or even better yet, I can run into a mushroom factory, eat a bunch of mushrooms and kick turtles around. When I get busted, I can say that I am so enraptured by Super Mario Sunshine, that I just couldn't help myself. Then PETA can sue Nintendo! :rolleyes:</div>

Here's how I see it...

Kids who grow up with parents not knowing or understanding the video games, therefore allowing the kids to play because it kept them occupied. If this kind of stuff was around that looked rediculously fake and primitive as it did when I was growing up STILL put me in my own little world...now with todays near movie calibur graphics I couldn't imagine allowing a child of mine to play video games excesively. When your body is linked to something(full hand, eye, and ear attention) you are then a part of it for as long as you play it. I am a firm believer that what is put into your eyes and ears impacts the darkness or brightness inside you. Maybe someone who plays GTA3 or (to be fair) Halo goes on a shooting spree, but maybe they think a part of their life is a game?

You never know and I think that video games are not scrutinized close enough for sale to minors. When I was 12 there WERE no games like GTA but I used to buy up gangster rap.

[Gadfly2317]

When I see news like this, I feel like doing a double jump, blast these retards with my phazer, and then transform into a morph ball and roll away into the sunset.

But then, I can't help myself. Videogames have warped my fragile little mind.

[no.1gamer]

<div class=\"smallfont\"><div class=\"smallfont\"></div>

Here's how I see it...

Kids who grow up with parents not knowing or understanding the video games, therefore allowing the kids to play because it kept them occupied. If this kind of stuff was around that looked rediculously fake and primitive as it did when I was growing up STILL put me in my own little world...now with todays near movie calibur graphics I couldn't imagine allowing a child of mine to play video games excesively. When your body is linked to something(full hand, eye, and ear attention) you are then a part of it for as long as you play it. I am a firm believer that what is put into your eyes and ears impacts the darkness or brightness inside you. Maybe someone who plays GTA3 or (to be fair) Halo goes on a shooting spree, but maybe they think a part of their life is a game?

You never know and I think that video games are not scrutinized close enough for sale to minors. When I was 12 there WERE no games like GTA but I used to buy up gangster rap.</div>

I would conclude that these two kids weren't actually raised by anything that resembles a "parent." Thank God my parents taught me right from wrong before the age of 16.

[MoNkEy MaN X]

<div class=\"smallfont\"><div class=\"smallfont\"></div>

I would conclude that these two kids weren't actually raised by anything that resembles a "parent." Thank God my parents taught me right from wrong before the age of 16.</div>

Indeed...

Where is the parenting in all this? Are Walmart, Rockstar, and Sony baby sitters now? Geez, how can people at that age not understand a game from reality? WTF is wrong with everybody?

[Tappy_Tibbons]

<div class=\"smallfont\"><div class=\"smallfont\"></div>

Indeed...

Where is the parenting in all this? Are Walmart, Rockstar, and Sony baby sitters now? Geez, how can people at that age not understand a game from reality? WTF is wrong with everybody?</div>

I think these habbits may begin at a much earlier age than 16. 3, for instance. If these activities continued throughout childhood compiling upon eachother then who's to say how those kids really think?

[Static_Fred]

I just can't believe the family is sueing Wal-Mart along with everyone else. These types of lawsuits make me wonder if the victims really believe such outrageous claims, or are they just greedy for money?

I don't mean to sound disrespectful towards the victims, but seriuosly, all the money isn't going to make a difference at this point.

[Tappy_Tibbons]

As far as Wal Mart goes, I think there is a double standard...they won't sell Parental Advisory music, yet they sell rated R movies and MA games...WTF?

[Allisen1987]

I didn't think Wal-Fart sold Grand Theft Auto ever that they are really strict selling M rated games?

[no.1gamer]

<div class=\"smallfont\">I didn't think Wal-Fart sold Grand Theft Auto ever that they are really strict selling M rated games?</div>

I got carded when I bought Resident Evil for the Gamecube from Wal-Mart. It's rated "M" but I was still kind of surprised because I usually don't even get carded when I buy beer!

[tekbit]

I think we are underestimating the intelligence of these kids. Yes it was by far the most idiotic, hateful thing they could have done, but they probably figured, it is far better to blame the creators of a videogame with the mass popularity of GTA then to say, "I don't know." when questioned why they did it. Then the attention is drawn away from them and people start pointing the finger elsewhere. "Well, Rockstar made it, Sony played it, Walmart sold it." A sad world indeed.

[The Buzz]

<div class=\"smallfont\">I didn't think Wal-Fart sold Grand Theft Auto ever that they are really strict selling M rated games?</div>

<b>Lawyers are one of the BIGGEST problems facing this country</b> but...

This lawsuit will go nowhere. Parents MUST be responsible for their children.