14 DAY TRIAL // Video game publisher Take Two says that there is no link between video games and the incident in Louisiana that saw an 8-year-old boy pick up a loaded gun and kill an elderly caregiver, after initial reports suggested that Grand Theft Auto might be to blame for the shooting.
A statement from the company, quoted by VG247, states, “Ascribing a connection to entertainment – a theory that has been disproven repeatedly by multiple independent studies – both minimizes this moment and sidesteps the real issues at hand.”
The East Feliciana Parish Sheriff's Department said in an initial report of the incident that the 8-year-old boy was a fan of GTA IV on the PlayStation 3.
He added that a play session had ended just a few minutes before the shooting occurred.
The boy seems to have picked up the caregiver’s own gun and then shot her in the head while she was watching television.
It’s not clear why the weapon itself was within reach of a child, which, under Louisiana law, bears no criminal responsibility.
A number of studies have failed to establish a causal link between violent video games and actual real world actions.
Research has shown that, in some groups, playing violent titles for long periods of time can affect judgment and impulse control.
At the moment, the Obama administration is funding further studies, and a taskforce led by Vice President Biden is also working with a number of interested parties to try to limit the impact of gun-related violence.
Take Two and developer Rockstar are getting ready to launch a new GTA title, the fifth, which will be available to players on the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 on September 17 all over the world.
A GTA Online mode will be added on October 1.