Good day, I along with my fellow gamers heard the morning show with paul and nikki this morning, in which they expressed their view that violence in video games is responsible for breeding criminals in Trinidad and Tobago.We are apart of an organisation called the gamers association of trinidad and tobago (www.gatt.carigamers.com) which is part of the wider carigamers organisation (carigamers.com)which is a collection of gamin organisations across the caribbean.We as a whole are offended by this view and would welcome any opportunity given to us, to dispel this misinformation that violence in video games is breeding criminals in TnT.We are an organisation of 2300 + members, with gaming locations (internet cafes) across the island, number 15 or more and to date, in the 10 or more years of existence of GATT, there has NEVER been a violent episode at any gaming location. NONE!!Gamers do not make it part of their directive to become violent because of video games.We settle our video game disputes with more video games.Video games are a source of relaxation and also a form of competition where talented gamers compete with each other.But unlike other competitive sports, such as football, we do NOT break out into acts of violence during, before or after a game, for any reason.Please visit our forums @ gatt.carigamers.comto hear our voice.Das my... 2 cents or so on the matter.
The number for their office is 628-9336and to get on air is 628-9696So call and let your vioce be heard.
XBox murder trial begins Six burger-flippers battered in console disputeBy Nick Farrell: Tuesday 11 April 2006, 15:34THE TRIAL of three men accused of killing up to six people with aluminium baseball bats in a dispute over an XBox has started in Orlando. Prosecutors claim Troy Victorino, 29, Robert Cannon and Michael Salas, both 20, and Jerone Hunter, 19, organised the violent attack to retrieve an Xbox that Victorino lost when he was kicked out of a house in Deltona, Florida. Some of the victims were killed in their sleep while others were said to be unable to resist the attack, which took place in August 2004. Cannon previously admitted the charge and will receive life in prison in exchange for his testimony. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for the others.The victims all worked at the local Burger King and had been terrorised for some days before the attack over the XBox, prosecutors say. The Xbox had been left by Victorino at a Deltona squat and was subsequntly taken by one of the victims. Prosecutor Leah Case said the death penalty would be "an appropriate punishment" for such a heinous crime. More from AP on Wired, here.
Violent games make men paranoid potheads We know you are out to get us, but that’s coolBy Nick Farrell: Monday 10 April 2006, 14:36TWO boffins claim that violent video games make you paranoid and more likely to indulge in booze and suffer from reefer madness.Dr Sonya Brady, of the at the University of California San Francisco, and Professor Karen Matthews, of the University of Pittsburgh, did a study of 100 young undergraduates to see if they were more likely to be hostile if they have just played a violent game.They had them play one tame game and another involving car theft and bashings, which we assume was Grand Theft Auto. Then, afterwards study participants watched a scenario in which a teacher tells a class he suspects some students have cheated in a test. He then asks to see "Billy" after class.Participants were told to imagine themselves as Billy, and if they thought the teacher was going to accuse them of cheating. Apparently those who played the violent game were more likely to think they had been accused of cheating. Apparently if you think this you are paranoid. Sheesh.Brady said the study also showed that young men were more likely to think it is acceptable to smoke marijuana and drink alcohol after playing a violent game. But if all this drinking and reefer madness is all down to violent video games, what is the excuse for those of us who don’t play violent video games?More here.
Computer games turn kids off Why can't I play football?By Nick Farrell: Tuesday 11 April 2006, 15:01BEAN COUNTERS Piper Jaffray have announced the rather surprising news that teens of today are bored with video games and want to do something else. The results of the 11th bi-annual proprietary research survey called "Taking Stock With Teens" looks at teen spending habits and retail brand perceptions. Senior Retail Analyst Jeff Klinefelter, along with a team of senior research analysts hunted down teenagers to their natural habitat, which in the US is a mall.After trying to engage them in the disinterested grunts that characterise the species he managed to get the information from 700 teens from 12 high schools in nine states across the country and Canada. Apparently 81 percent of them have at least one video game platform in the house and 59 percent said that they are occasional game players (playing at least monthly). But more than 80 percent said that they intended to spend less time playing video games in 2006 and nearly 70 percent indicated that their interest in playing video games is decreasing. Sheesh! Kids of today, innit?.More here.
Eight-year old nicks teacher's motor Grand Theft Auto blamed for kid's break into crimeBy Nick Farrell: Thursday 20 April 2006, 15:53GRAND THEFT AUTO has been blamed for getting an eight-year old kid interested in car crime.The nipper has entered his town's history books as the youngest ever car criminal, after he swiped his teacher's keys and drove her minivan around town. The boy from Modesto, California is the smallest in his class at only four-feet tall. He adjusted the driver's seat and lowered the steering wheel before adjusting his rear-view mirror and turning off the radio. He drove the vehicle home and parked it outside his house. The young offender was spotted by a neighbour who called the local plod. Police say they have had words with the boy, and he will not be charged. The boy's mum said that the kid's favorite video game is "Grand Theft Auto" and he probably just wanted to see what it was like to drive for real. More here.
80,000 protest MP3 murder Belgium takes to the streetsBy INQUIRER newsdesk: Monday 24 April 2006, 11:49SOME 80,000 Begians took to the streets of Brussels yesterday to vent their anger over the death of a 17 year-old murdered for his MP3 player. The protesters won the backing of Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt who said "The demonstration is an important signal which I fully back" He added. "We will put more effort into combating youth crime." Joe Van Holsbeeck was stabbed to death on April 12 after refusing to hand over his MP3 player to a pair of muggers who approached him and a friend near Brussels Central train station. Van Holsbeeck's parents joined the silent march Sunday, as flowers were laid at the station. The boy's father, Guy, told a local television channel: "There is a lot of emotion and it somewhat soothes our pain," AP reported.
