James Delahunty
11 Aug 2005 9:09
A Jury in Alabama has rejected a claim by a 20 year old man who murdered three police officers and then pleaded not guilty by reason of mental defect after blaming Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto games for the influence behind his actions. This is just one case of many where a court exonerated a video game when a criminal alleged that he/she was influenced while playing a game. Devin Moore was 18 at the time that he committed his crimes.
He grabbed a gun from a patrolman and then proceeded to kill three police officers before escaping in a patrolman's car. Later on, he was arrested and he told officers that "life is a video game, everybody has to die sometime". This phrase was used by lawyers defending the man who claimed that his long hours spent playing Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City influenced him to the extent where he could be no longer be liable for his actions.
However, the Jury sided with prosecutor Lyn Durham who argued that the man was fully aware of what he was doing and that he "knew it was wrong". He could now face the death penalty for the murders. Even after the Jury's decision, families of the victims have filed civil cases against Take-Two Interactive and two major retailers. No court has ever ruled in favour of plaintiffs in these types of cases.
Source:
GamesIndustry.biz