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http://www.torontosun.com/News/Columnists/Strobel_Mike/2005/07/15/1133828.html
Sat, July 16, 2005
Cop killing - for kids
By MIKE STROBEL
Imagine a video game where you hunt down and kill politicians.
There'd be hell to pay. Laws would change.
But cops? Fair game, I guess.
Brace yourselves for 25 to Life, coming soon to your video store.
Const. Clint Whitney, 31, York Regional Police, gets wind of it from a Texas cop newsletter. He tracks down a preview on the web, recoils, and calls me.
"I was dismayed," he says. "It goes against everything I stand for.
"I don't have kids myself, but there are thousands of kids under my protection as a police officer.
"I'm willing to put my life on the line for every single one of them.
"And then some video game comes along and gives them a taste of what it's like to take that life away from me."
Sit right down, ladies and gents, boys and girls.
Choose your weapon. Machinegun? Good choice.
Pretend to kill a cop. What fun.
Watch his blood gush. Finish him off with a 2-by-4 and a broken bottle.
Whitney has seen real cops bleed. He used to work in Toronto, 12 Division. He was early on the scene after Const. Tony Macias was wounded during a drug bust in 2001.
"I've seen what happens when the gangsters shoot."
Soon, you can, too.
25 to Life is due in October, my local Blockbuster tells me.
There is no full demo disc yet. But there's a sample on the web and games insiders have seen others.
"It's like a death match online," says Orlando Fears, 22, a staffer at Gamerama on Yonge St.
Up to 16 people can play, eight gangsters, eight cops.
You can even customize your gang colours, before you go off to shoot, slash, bash, brain, or firebomb coppers.
Bonus! Use passersby as human shields.
"Even compared to other violent games, it's a violent game," Fears says.
"GTA (Grand Theft Auto, the current bloodbath champ) is more random violence. You can kill cops but you don't have to.
"This time, it's the whole point.
"I can see how some cops might have a problem with it."
No kidding. Parents, too.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer is trying to block the game. He says 25 to Life makes GTA look like Romper Room.
"Little Johnny should be learning how to read, not how to kill cops," he said.
25 to Life is made by Eidos, of Britain, which surely was gleeful about Schumer's outcry.
They will love columns like this, too. Nothing sells video games like controversy.
The tradeoff? At least now you know. Especially you parents.
Clint Whitney is not pushing a ban. Nor am I, though it's tempting. Censorship is even worse than 25 to Life.
Kids are another matter.
The game is sure to get an adult (18-plus) rating.
But 12-year-olds are sharp. They will get their little mitts on it.
At the Media Awareness Network, education director Jane Tallim tells me Grand Theft Auto was one of the favourite games of, wait for it, boys in Grades 3 to 6.
Those same kids will flock to 25 to Life. Will they all then go out and attack real cops? Of course not.
But that kind of crap sets an unsettling tone.
"Even in the suburbs, I'm dealing with kids who imitate being a thug -- what they see as strength and character," says Whitney, who stresses he speaks for himself, not the force.
"I roll up to a scene and they're telling me to f--- off and 'bring it on' and challenging me. They're acting the act."
Is 25 to Life a hate crime?
"If the game involved attacking Jewish people, or African Canadians it would be against the law," says Jane Tallim. "So we have to ask if it's okay to target other groups, like the police who are on the front line dealing with aggressive or violent behaviour."
Meantime, keep your eyes peeled, parents.
Make sure your video store toes the ratings line with 25 to Life and its ilk.
Talk to your kids about the games they play.
Smile at the next cop you see.
"People can make their own decisions," says Clint Whitney.
"But we get the society we deserve."
Sorry Mr. Strobel, but I'll take censorship over this anytime,..... shouldn't this fall under the "hate" law leglisation?
I'd like to say more but even I would use expletives......this is brutal.
Sat, July 16, 2005
Cop killing - for kids
By MIKE STROBEL
Imagine a video game where you hunt down and kill politicians.
There'd be hell to pay. Laws would change.
But cops? Fair game, I guess.
Brace yourselves for 25 to Life, coming soon to your video store.
Const. Clint Whitney, 31, York Regional Police, gets wind of it from a Texas cop newsletter. He tracks down a preview on the web, recoils, and calls me.
"I was dismayed," he says. "It goes against everything I stand for.
"I don't have kids myself, but there are thousands of kids under my protection as a police officer.
"I'm willing to put my life on the line for every single one of them.
"And then some video game comes along and gives them a taste of what it's like to take that life away from me."
Sit right down, ladies and gents, boys and girls.
Choose your weapon. Machinegun? Good choice.
Pretend to kill a cop. What fun.
Watch his blood gush. Finish him off with a 2-by-4 and a broken bottle.
Whitney has seen real cops bleed. He used to work in Toronto, 12 Division. He was early on the scene after Const. Tony Macias was wounded during a drug bust in 2001.
"I've seen what happens when the gangsters shoot."
Soon, you can, too.
25 to Life is due in October, my local Blockbuster tells me.
There is no full demo disc yet. But there's a sample on the web and games insiders have seen others.
"It's like a death match online," says Orlando Fears, 22, a staffer at Gamerama on Yonge St.
Up to 16 people can play, eight gangsters, eight cops.
You can even customize your gang colours, before you go off to shoot, slash, bash, brain, or firebomb coppers.
Bonus! Use passersby as human shields.
"Even compared to other violent games, it's a violent game," Fears says.
"GTA (Grand Theft Auto, the current bloodbath champ) is more random violence. You can kill cops but you don't have to.
"This time, it's the whole point.
"I can see how some cops might have a problem with it."
No kidding. Parents, too.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer is trying to block the game. He says 25 to Life makes GTA look like Romper Room.
"Little Johnny should be learning how to read, not how to kill cops," he said.
25 to Life is made by Eidos, of Britain, which surely was gleeful about Schumer's outcry.
They will love columns like this, too. Nothing sells video games like controversy.
The tradeoff? At least now you know. Especially you parents.
Clint Whitney is not pushing a ban. Nor am I, though it's tempting. Censorship is even worse than 25 to Life.
Kids are another matter.
The game is sure to get an adult (18-plus) rating.
But 12-year-olds are sharp. They will get their little mitts on it.
At the Media Awareness Network, education director Jane Tallim tells me Grand Theft Auto was one of the favourite games of, wait for it, boys in Grades 3 to 6.
Those same kids will flock to 25 to Life. Will they all then go out and attack real cops? Of course not.
But that kind of crap sets an unsettling tone.
"Even in the suburbs, I'm dealing with kids who imitate being a thug -- what they see as strength and character," says Whitney, who stresses he speaks for himself, not the force.
"I roll up to a scene and they're telling me to f--- off and 'bring it on' and challenging me. They're acting the act."
Is 25 to Life a hate crime?
"If the game involved attacking Jewish people, or African Canadians it would be against the law," says Jane Tallim. "So we have to ask if it's okay to target other groups, like the police who are on the front line dealing with aggressive or violent behaviour."
Meantime, keep your eyes peeled, parents.
Make sure your video store toes the ratings line with 25 to Life and its ilk.
Talk to your kids about the games they play.
Smile at the next cop you see.
"People can make their own decisions," says Clint Whitney.
"But we get the society we deserve."
Sorry Mr. Strobel, but I'll take censorship over this anytime,..... shouldn't this fall under the "hate" law leglisation?
I'd like to say more but even I would use expletives......this is brutal.
Even assuming that's not the case, it doesn't fall under hate crime legislation because the laws don't protect anyone from descrimination based on choice of employment. It could fall under "inciting violence" except that in that case, ofcourse, EVERY shoot-em-up game would be guilty of the same thing. Really, what's the difference between a game where you play a criminal killing cops, or a Sith lord killing Jedi? A criminal stealing cars and killing civilians (GTA)? A vigilante killing criminals (Punisher)? And is there any solid data to suggest that any of these games are likely to influence the way children behave outside of the game?
so I just posted it now.
