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Perhaps The Stupidest Anti-GTA Vid You'll See Today watch!

kotaku.com — Look, I'm not normally one to get all hot and bothered by the stuff people that don't play games say about game. But this rant, by CNN's Glenn Beck? As a gamer I'm stumped.

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  • frooo, on 05/03/2008, -13/+512I'll quote one of my favourite parts of the entire rant

    ".. can hire a prostitute, have sex with her and then beat her to death with a baseball bat. When a police officer comes after him - he can either light that police officer on fire, or cut him in half with a chainsaw"

    Sounds like a good weekend to me.
    • badwithcomputer, on 05/03/2008, -3/+172i'm just pissed off i haven't done any of that yet and i'm at almost 20% done
      • mywhitenoise, on 05/03/2008, -2/+84I'm 30% done, I have yet to find a chainsaw or lighter.
        • Bith8654, on 05/03/2008, -1/+57On the last mission and have yet to find a chainsaw or some sort of flame thrower (I guess the Molotov cocktails work but getting a cop to walk into one is kinda difficult) I'm sick and ***** tired of these people that don't even play the games, hell probably don't even watch them played, making up all this ***** about them (i.e. mass effect)
          Man I just want...to kill him? Hell I guess I'm trained to do it now. Since I've almost beat the game I must be some sort of super-soldier killing machine in real life.
          • xino, on 05/03/2008, -1/+18I know what you mean. If what he says is true though, I will thank him for opening my eyes and making me a ton of money by becoming a professional football player by playing lots of football video games. Some how I doubt that will happen.
          • Drahkar, on 05/03/2008, -1/+15Isn't he one of the same people who next week will be calling for the burning of all Prostitutes? He needs to make up his mind.
          • b3owulf, on 05/04/2008, -0/+2You do realize that you THROW the molotov cocktail, right? Hit a cop car with one, and both cops will run out of the car on fire.
      • da_bradler, on 05/03/2008, -2/+64Wait till you find out they didn't even put chain saws in this game.
      • Jonmad17, on 05/03/2008, -1/+6HA! I'm almost 50% done..... I know, I have no life.
    • zephyr42, on 05/03/2008, -19/+3Hmm.... My xbox broke but before it did so, I was going to get GTA 4 and do exactly what he just said, hire a hooker and get my money back. Well maybe I would have substituted baseball bat with "my fists". Good rant though, at least he was *trying* to be original.

      Rant Score: 4.5/10
    • Akaji, on 05/03/2008, -3/+196He missed the part where beating her with a baseball bat gets you your money back! A win-win situation, I'd say.
      • soupdawg30, on 05/03/2008, -2/+23It's really the only reason I do it.
      • Shaflugi, on 05/03/2008, -15/+2It's not really win-win if the prostitute dies. It's more like lose your money, then "win" it back.
    • TheWorm, on 05/03/2008, -3/+105You can't really do any of those things either... There are no chainsaws in this one.
      • equinoxChild, on 05/03/2008, -3/+45which just proves that he, like many of the people warning about this game, hasn't played it yet.
      • rjinswand, on 05/03/2008, -1/+7don't worry, there'll soon be a "hot petrol" mod to unlock the chainsaw weapon...
      • ArielMT, on 05/03/2008, -3/+23The chainsaw is a lie?

        But what am I supposed to slice the cake with, then?
      • Coolmatt49, on 05/03/2008, -1/+6Press start and press the buttons A, B, B, A, X, Y RB, LB, RT, LT.
    • bizkit00, on 05/03/2008, -3/+48so you make a video game that is a perfect reflection of life, with the ability to do anything you could really do; what would this guy choose to do? "hire a prostitute, have sex with her and then beat her to death with a baseball bat...." etc. You cant complain about what you yourself chose to do in the sandbox.
      • theaceoffire, on 05/03/2008, -0/+13This is America. We can complain about everything.
        • buryyourhead, on 05/03/2008, -0/+13Well yeah, as long as we have blood in our veins, we will have something to blame for society's downfall.

          The reason? Dumb people out-***** smart people.
          • theaceoffire, on 05/04/2008, -0/+1Also, Smart people will ***** dumb people if they are hot enough.
          • h3lx, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1ergo, dumbasses are hot.
      • toonworld, on 05/06/2008, -0/+1That reporter's logic is so flawed, it's not even funny.

        When a soldier goes into war, it's expected that sooner or later he'll have to kill someone. The soldier will either have to do it to preserve his own life, save someone else's.

        Gamers are not stupid. We know that we live in a society. We know what's right from wrong. We're not at war here. I wish that the media would give gamers a bit more credit to our intelligence.
    • tama00, on 05/03/2008, -7/+3The day i can buy a gun controlled by an xbox controller is the day i will believe this guy.
    • Trax91, on 05/03/2008, -2/+86Wtf? That's totally sick and disgusting! Theres no chainsaw in GTA4!
    • Servebot, on 05/03/2008, -4/+53Yeah, this is really *****... I say we sabatoge his books on amazon like that other ignorant lady

      http://tinyurl.com/4nf2aq

      don't ***** with the internet
      • MrSidnet, on 05/03/2008, -11/+13he wasn't ***** with the internet. It was on tv. You're going to sabotage someone for having an opinion? This is the problem with society: no tolerance or respect for other peoples ideas (and property). At least he's pushing for something in attempt to clean up the world you live in.
        • NoMoreMrQuick, on 05/03/2008, -2/+16Except he is doing it with lies and half truths to bring up his own ratings. I bet that if any respectable gamer went on his program to challenge him on the subject, Mr. Beck would have no "tolerance or respect" for his ideas.
        • highstriker, on 05/03/2008, -2/+1I respect other people's opinions to an extent- but once they start lying, I lose all respect for them. I can see where this guy is coming from, but if the only way he can argue his point is to lie? Then forget about it, and if they're going to lie, let their efforts be sabotaged, because people deserve to hear the truth.
          That and I'd say NoMoreMrQuick is spot on. It's sad how so many people have no respect for other's views and opinions, yet they expect everyone to respect their views and opinions. The MSM is completely full of such people.
    • WaxenPith, on 05/03/2008, -2/+15Protip: There aren't any chainsaws in GTA IV.
    • flashback99, on 05/03/2008, -1/+52".. can hire a prostitute, have sex with her, have her killed, shoot a fellow golfer in the stomach shotgun at point blank range. When a police officer comes after you - you can hide behind the republican party and lawyers.."

      We play this *****, but Cheney's done it all already for real.
      • insllvn, on 05/03/2008, -1/+14Damn it feels good to be a gangsta.
      • damndj, on 05/03/2008, -0/+6Hm you can also hire prostitutes, drive them around, run your car into a lake, and escape while leaving the prostitute behind.

        Oh wait...
    • KingBabi, on 05/03/2008, -3/+2Sorry for the comment hijack, but youtube removed the video and I'd like to see it.
    • mGARANDEUR1, on 05/03/2008, -1/+11As Maddox would say:
      Glenn Beck is an *****.
    • ldailey06, on 05/03/2008, -2/+37Wow, that guy...has a show.
      • Eganj, on 05/03/2008, -1/+13John Stewart ftw
      • rentmitchum, on 05/03/2008, -1/+2I thought the same thing, I don't watch TV but I knew I saw this guy being a douche on some other subject within the last DAY. What a retard.
      • tidu, on 05/03/2008, -0/+3I like how he ripped off O'Reilly with "The Point"
    • FuckThaMeme, on 05/03/2008, -2/+7He missed the part where you can get severely punished for doing such acts in the games, therefore meaning people try not to do such things (well I try at least)
      • rentmitchum, on 05/03/2008, -2/+1Yea, it's not like it's fun to drive around getting your stars higher and higher and trying to stay alive as long as possible. That's not my favorite thing to do in GTA at all!

        (btw if you ride a bicycle in san andreas really slow you can shoot at cars and the cops have a really hard time getting you off the bike. When they hit you they tend to just turn you around. AWESOME)
    • falafelkiosken, on 05/03/2008, -2/+44well, you can do it in real life too… BAN REAL LIFE!
    • reubencm, on 05/03/2008, -1/+33the guys a douche, why does he deem it impossible to play this game if you are a female?
      • Johnny1337h4x0r, on 05/03/2008, -0/+4Yeah i know several females that can't wait to play the game
      • OneLess, on 05/03/2008, -0/+9I noticed that too- apparently only males are depraved enough to participate in this horrific spectacle of violence.
    • goonnoodles, on 05/03/2008, -1/+3Sounds like my saturday night.
    • albinorhino101, on 05/03/2008, -4/+2"Sounds like a good weekend to me."

      Eh, I'd call it more or less an average weekend for me
    • jessi3k3, on 05/03/2008, -1/+7Saints Row 2 has a chainsaw. He must have mixed them u.....no, intentionally used it to his advantage.
    • diggingaround, on 05/03/2008, -2/+1Anyhow... this was the best commercial I have ever seen ... before this video I didn't care much about GTA... now? O boy.. I can't wait to try that chainsaw :)
      THANX GLENNY ... this was much better review than ZeroPunctuation!
    • STARTSOMETHING, on 05/03/2008, -2/+13"we are training our kids to be killers"

      I know, It's called the united states army.
    • vptel, on 05/03/2008, -2/+3was just playin gta4...too bad u can't have sex once there dead
    • NikoKun, on 05/03/2008, -0/+3What bothers me, is that these Anti-videogame morons do not realize that games like GTA ARE NOT MEANT TO BE PLAYED BY MINORS. The games are designed, marketed, and generally sold to Only to those who are old enough to play it.

      Now if a few idiot parents give their kids violent games, that's their fault... Or if a store violates the sale age restrictions...
    • lukeredfive, on 05/03/2008, -0/+3actual best part: "whatever happened to pong."
      is that the last time you used a computer? the last time was to play pong? REALLY?
      • medic593, on 05/04/2008, -0/+1I miss pong. Anyone know a good retro emulator?
  • NateDog, on 05/03/2008, -1/+162WTF? Is there some kind of unlock code to get to all the good stuf? I was having a great time with the game but now I'm feeling like I got totally ripped with some bogus pre-release that's missing all the best parts!
    • carpeclunes, on 05/03/2008, -0/+8482-555-0100
    • cmscott, on 05/03/2008, -0/+8Health - 482-555-0100
      Armor - 362-555-0100
      Weapons #1 - 486-555-0100
      Weapons #2 - 486-555-0150
      Remove Wanted Level - 267-555-0100
      Raise Wanted Level - 267-555-0150
      Change Weather/Brightness - 468-555-0100
      Spawn Annihilator - 359-555-0100
      Spawn Jetmax - 938-555-0100
      Spawn NRG-900 - 625-555-0100
      Spawn Sanchez - 625-555-0150
      Spawn FIB Buffalo - 227-555-0100
      Spawn Comet - 227-555-0175
      Spawn Turismo - 227-555-0147
      Spawn Cognoscenti - 227-555-0142
      Spawn SuperGT - 227-555-0168
      • raid517, on 05/03/2008, -1/+6Are those real codes? So Is there a chainsaw or not?

        Just curious, because after what this guy said it's made me want to buy the game even more.
      • MIL215, on 05/03/2008, -1/+0Yeah uhh.... most of what that douche said was a load of *****. As far as I know? there is no chainsaw. So sorry but the above codes are all that I know about.
        • Sniper, on 05/03/2008, -0/+2Normally in the previous games there was a chainsaw...
      • BearinG, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1I assume that all the codes associate your profile with cheating? Does it matter ? I thought i saw on another website that some could affect your game..
        • fivefootfour, on 05/06/2008, -0/+1the game offers a convenient storage area for the cheats, so I don't think it will negatively affect the game or your profile. It does block a couple of achievements.
    • MonkCanatella, on 05/03/2008, -1/+5http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPjH4U-njvk

      Actual video. Not blog spam.
  • Charlatan22, on 05/03/2008, -8/+70And so begins the media onslaught.

    Let's start with the statement that echoes through everyone's heads every time a sensationalist host is on a video like this:
    "What a moron..."
    • no8286, on 05/03/2008, -3/+3kinda makes me want to grab my controller and mow down some pedestrians.
    • HubrisDeadPan, on 05/03/2008, -5/+17I'm not agreeing with him but I think he makes a good point. And the only reason I'd say that NOW is because of the recent video of that snotty 7 year old brat that drove his grandma's SUV all over and when caught he says, ''I wanted to do hoodrat things with my friend..''
      Pop culture stuff like movies, tv shows, games, books, whatever they are, can influence naive people that haven't learned the valued lesson of reality vs fantasy and the consequences of your actions being very different in each realm. This is why kids should be spanked when stepping out of line, it teaches them right from the start to hesitate anytime they consider doing an action that could potentially be bad, it makes them THINK about the consequences first and consider if it will be worth it or not. Then consider kids that are never spanked, and never learn to fear the consequences of their actions. They will most likely never hesitate to do something really foolish and allow themselves to be influenced by ''cool'' things they see in pop culture.

      Again, I don't 100% agree with Glenn Beck, but I think his point is one that you can't just dismiss outright. And I'm totally going to play GTA 4 as soon as the PC version comes out. :)
      • reubencm, on 05/03/2008, -1/+2yea but theres no chainsaws!
      • ohnoihavenoname, on 05/03/2008, -2/+5I was never spanked, but I still learned to fear -real- consequences. Sure, I never equated "talking back" with the consequence of physical pain. That's artificial association that I'm sure results in amazingly successful and religious factory workers. But I certainly don't kill people when I'm angry at them. That would result in the consequence of prison. Sure, my parents never put me in prison when I went on random killing sprees as a small child, but I'm not a completely insane moron, so I can learn the consequences through logic rather than Pavlovian conditioning.
        • shawn1122, on 05/04/2008, -0/+1Spanking has a very fine line to it for sure. If you spank too much, it may take the kid a while to ever stand up for themselves, even if they are much older. If you spank too little then they may never understand the consequences of doing something bad. I personally thing spanking works, if a kid says "***** you" to their mom or dad, and they get sent to their room, that just doesnt send a strong enough message to some of the more rebellious kids. They'll slam their door, go into their room and do whatever the hell they want, its dangerous to be too flaky when disciplining.

          Perhaps your case is a special one, or I've seen too many videos on youtube of kids who are spoiled brats and who. for sure. have never been spanked once by their parents.
        • doubledmateo, on 05/05/2008, -0/+0There are other forms of punishment though. My least favorite was weeding in the garden. If I mouthed off it was go to the garden and weed for 30 minutes. If the minutes passed and no progress was made (i.e. I was just sitting there sulking) then it was another 30 minutes. It's a demanding thing on the parents, but there are other ways to punish. I don't see anything wrong with Spanking if it's used properly, I just don't see it as the end all, be all, of child discipline.
        • HubrisDeadPan, on 05/06/2008, -0/+1Honestly, my belief is that taking the rod to your children means you love them. But there's more to it than that. You also have to make it clear to your children your reasons for punishing them and that you do it because you love them and don't wish them to be naive when they enter the real world with a belligerent or rebellious attitude. You also need to understand your children well enough to use an appropriate punishment. Spanking works but so does other forms of punishment. It really depends on the child and the situation. There's also my belief that some kids are 'goodly' and others are..not so much. They ones that are not so much (like my kid brother, who is a great guy now) may need a good whuppin every now and then. :)
    • swiftekho, on 05/03/2008, -3/+1Ok... ok... He makes the statistic of accuracy of the first kill of a soldier from different wars and how "video games" have improved it. I believe we are still using the same guns in Iraq as in WWI and the fact that a target is 3 feet from you in Iraq compared to hundreds of yards in WWI doesn't make a difference. I'm conservative but damn... This guy is just insane.
    • daizaru, on 05/03/2008, -4/+15Stop defending Rockstar. This guy made very few inaccuracies, basically the chainsaw part and even though the game doesn't have one. San Andreas did, making it safe to assume without playing the game entirely that such an element would exist in a next gen counterpart. If he loses all credibility for that... you're an idiot.

      Let me first spell out some facts. GTA is violent, it is demoralizing to women through the hookers, the constant talk of women and their "titties" and dating women with the goal of getting them in to bed. The language is much worse, the sexual innuendo this time round has just been replaced by sex. What was once subtle is very in your face. What was once a bouncing car is now a woman on your lap bouncing and screaming "***** the ***** out of me!". It is by far the most adult game to hit mainstream to date.

      It is also fun and escapism. But that doesn't mean that kids aren't impressionable or that certain people won't be desensitized (ever so slightly). His main point is ACTIVE PARENTING. I'm so sick of people defending it as if it isn't any of those claims. There's nothing wrong with liking the game but stop pretending that it isn't at all bad or hasn't taken things that little extra edge to warrant media attention. Rockstar does this to themselves.

      His military point wasn't even wrong, they do try to desensitize soldiers in the same way a video game does by trivializing it. He also says movies, books, comics and so forth are equally guilty.. because they are. but to reiterate... THIS VIDEO IS MOSTLY ABOUT ACTIVE PARENTING.

      I watched this video and he's not wrong in a lot of his points. You people sicken me for blithely defending this game just because you like it. I like it too but it's obvious to me that it's an adult game and they took things a little far.
      • Lythium, on 05/04/2008, -3/+1As far as I can tell, he devoted about 10 seconds of airtime to "active parenting" and the rest of the clip to "video games turn kids into killers."
    • ghostoftomjoad, on 05/03/2008, -1/+2Interestingly by creating controversy they are just increasing sales. I wonder if rockstar is paying this guy.
  • bensone1, on 05/03/2008, -7/+90yes, gta iv is just a conspiracy game to ruin the life of many americans... please someone take this d'bag off the air. btw, he pointed out some good gameplay tips with the prostitute beating and chain-sawing a cop quote.
    • djramen, on 05/03/2008, -1/+7No kidding. Hearing his rant made me want to go farther into the game so I can do all that good stuff.
    • SpeedStix, on 05/03/2008, -11/+1bensone1, How are you so sure that you are right? Maybe you are maybe you aren't. Who decides? I'm not saying you are wrong or right, I just want to see your views on your opinion. Let me ask you this, lets say this game was readily available but without all of the publicity it gets from ad's, would you still buy and support it?
      • deanguitarplaya, on 05/03/2008, -1/+1SpeedStix, you obviously haven't played this game yet. Whether or not I become a heartless killing machine from this game, I'm gonna have a hell of a time playing it.
      • Bulletbillx, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1I would. Any game that gets this many 10s has to be awesome.
    • digitul, on 05/03/2008, -1/+1glenn beck is a moron. he's a former substance abuser and refuses to watch R rated movies. the guy is clueless
    • mathew_bug, on 05/04/2008, -0/+2I'm glad you said 'Americans' - here's my point of view:
      My country is not at war, people have a real grip on their lives, they're really down to earth and we don't hear about the war constantly. On the other hand, you Americans hear about the war all the time, almost all generations have experienced it one way or another, hell, I bet 80% of the people know someone who's been there.

      Now, are video games the REAL problem that formats our minds to go out and kill everyone in sight? I think not.
      The problem is the real world, the governments that keep perpetrating the same criminal mind on the people, generation after generation, to get more money and get more civilians killed around the world.

      VIDEO GAMES DO NOT KILL.
  • pseudononymist, on 05/03/2008, -10/+131Someone should point out to him that 9 million copies x 60 bucks = $540 million, not $450 million. What a dumbass.
    • megaton, on 05/03/2008, -1/+12That doesn't take into account sales of the Special Edition, so it's even more than $540M.
    • Roger, on 05/03/2008, -2/+7The price will probably go down, so that may be a fair estimate.
      • morninglorii, on 05/03/2008, -3/+3They're talking about the first week. I don't think the price is going to go down in the first week.
      • pseudononymist, on 05/03/2008, -1/+1Why would the price go down at all? If it's going to sell as well as they think it will, there's no reason to drop the price. I've seen copies of COD4 that are still $60.
    • Ben789da, on 05/03/2008, -3/+5Yes because obviously none of that $60 goes to distributors and retail stores.
      • pseudononymist, on 05/03/2008, -0/+6540 million is what the game is expected to make. Even this blowhard nutjob isn't saying it's all going to Rockstar, just what the total sales figure would be.
    • highstriker, on 05/03/2008, -3/+1Be a *little* fair- the guy is just reading what the teleprompter says... they're *all* idiots...
      • pseudononymist, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1If it were a scene from Anchorman, I'd be happy to oblige you.
  • robomixx, on 05/03/2008, -4/+560WHERE THE ***** IS THE CHAINSAW!
    • Akaji, on 05/03/2008, -0/+131Or flamethrower.
    • SpeedSteamBoat, on 05/03/2008, -1/+106Yeah, I thought it was pretty funny he would list ***** that wasn't even in the game.

      What ever happened to pong? What ever happened to journalism, you smug *****?
      • foolishwolf, on 05/03/2008, -0/+7Dugg for smug *****. Right on the money my friend.
    • Trax91, on 05/03/2008, -1/+17***** yeah! Rockstar has to add that through DLC.
    • SpeedStix, on 05/03/2008, -34/+1Wow.. can all of you STFU about the chainsaw, these comments are all about the chainsaw and honestly who doesn't know that there is no chainsaw in GTA 4 anyways. So please, no more comments about the chainsaw.
      • Wesside, on 05/03/2008, -0/+16But theres no chainsaw in GTA 4!~!!!!1111oneone!
        • danielombardi, on 05/03/2008, -0/+11WAIT... So there's no chainsaw?
        • STARTSOMETHING, on 05/03/2008, -1/+5Are you guys serious? Theirs no chainsaw?
          • Bulletbillx, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1Nope. Vice City had a chainsaw. This one does not. Hopefully the Vice City and Earlier GTA weapons like a Katana are added in DLC.
      • 1iProd, on 05/03/2008, -0/+12LEAVE THE CHAINSAW ALONE, LEAVE IT ALONE! I'M SERIOUS!
      • ClemsonPoker, on 05/03/2008, -1/+1Um...Glenn Beck?
      • DonKarnage25, on 05/05/2008, -1/+1You're acting like the game has been out for a couple years already... how the hell should everyone know that there's no chainsaw in the game, you *****?
    • dohidied, on 05/03/2008, -1/+29You have to drive to Vice City to get it.
    • alexra, on 05/03/2008, -2/+2yah really, I didn't know you can get a chainsaw
    • NEWNHLISLAME, on 05/03/2008, -1/+1hahahaha robomixx's comments describe how GTA can feel with out the cheats. gl everyone this game sounds sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!
    • OneLess, on 05/03/2008, -0/+5I remember either Vice City or San Andreas (or both) having a chain saw, and let's be honest- it wouldn't be at all surprising if ol' Glenn were just recycling criticism of either of those games for use on GTA4. You can't actually expect a moronic douchebag like Beck to have an informed opinion about anything as satanic and evil as big bad video games.
    • vptel, on 05/03/2008, -5/+1whats sad, is parents are gonna watch this moron, and deprive their kids of the game
      • ChinezePanda, on 05/03/2008, -0/+4Parents SHOULD DEPRIVE their KIDS of this game.

        I mean.. that is just responsible parenting.

        Then again.. The parent can always decide what is and isnt appropriate for their children.

        Since.. well.. every child differs... some are just bat ***** crazy.

        Back to banging Michelle.
    • cleric85, on 05/04/2008, -0/+1ROFL my exact thoughts too!
  • wontstoptalking, on 05/03/2008, -3/+79Cool. Now I'm going to go light some people on fire and try to find the chainsaw.
  • FranzySF, on 05/03/2008, -37/+7Holy ***** this guy is a *****. I hope his children beat him to death for not letting them play video games.
    • gozilla09, on 05/03/2008, -2/+14............................................________........................
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    • JORD4N26, on 05/03/2008, -1/+1fail.
    • IAmLegend24, on 05/03/2008, -0/+8Yeah thats the proof they need

      "Kid murders father over video game."
  • Wiinii, on 05/03/2008, -2/+238The problem is that they just don't seem to get that games are for adults too. You see all of the same ***** in movies like Saw, Pulp Fiction, Sin City, etc that you see in GTA.

    Those movies are rated R, not NC-17, and GTA is rated M and should not be rated AO.

    I was actually pissed when I went into the strip club and the chicks had clothes on! God of War, The Guy Game, Duke Nukem and others had nudity, WTF!
    • yuutokun, on 05/03/2008, -0/+44Shake it baby!
    • ralphthemagi, on 05/03/2008, -5/+4Glenn Beck is told that he's supposed to hate movies like Saw, Pulp Fiction and Sin City as well.
    • xDynaBlade, on 05/03/2008, -17/+3Not that I agree with Beck, but movies and games are two separate things and can't be compared. Movies, you sit there and watch. Games, you sit there and control what happens.
      • LeggoMyEgo, on 05/03/2008, -1/+16So the introduction of choice is worse than being made to just watch violence unfold regardless of what you do?
        • xDynaBlade, on 05/03/2008, -3/+2Duh? You choose to either take part in the violence or not.
          • BearinG, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1In the games you do.. you don't get that option in the movie.. that was his point..
      • burrgrinder, on 05/03/2008, -3/+0Irrelevant.
      • goonnoodles, on 05/03/2008, -1/+1And you... watch what you contol in a game.
      • DwightSchruter, on 05/03/2008, -2/+1...and movies are supposted to portray in most cases reality...
      • bobbyi, on 05/04/2008, -0/+1The first half of your post says they can't be compared and the second compares them.
    • daizaru, on 05/03/2008, -0/+7He said very early in the clip that movies, books, music, etc. were all guilty but this was the latest "threat" out there. Mostly a threat to children.
      • Lythium, on 05/04/2008, -0/+1Won't someone PLEASE think of the children!!
    • absent64, on 05/03/2008, -0/+6I love how shows like this one have three people (Glenn Beck, Jack Thompson, and Gavin McKiernan) bashing GTA IV, but no one to defend it. I thought that shows about controversy are supposed to have people to support multiple sides of an issue?
    • pigducksheep, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1those games had less publicity in my opinion. Rockstar a long time ago said they were going to make a game about pop culture. No one thought they'd do it...
    • astrnomic, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1I'm pretty sure that's what they're supposed to wear legally, but of course it *is* grand theft auto, so stuff could have been shed in the back.
    • twiztidsinz, on 05/03/2008, -0/+5You forgot Scarface.. the movie which inspired Vice City and the chainsaw
    • OaklandNative, on 05/03/2008, -0/+2No. The real problem is that facts don't support this propaganda.
      http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/viort.htm
    • Swordman554, on 05/04/2008, -1/+1Just for the record...It wouldn't really be a "strip" club if the girls didn't have something to "strip" off...

      Also, I think it has been pretty well-established about a double-standard in games and movies, but he was right when he said it was the entire pulp culture...things are going downhill for this generation pretty quickly.
  • bdub92, on 05/03/2008, -6/+161I would love to sit down with this guy to explain to him how WRONG he is. It is blatantly clear he has never touched a video game, let alone any of the GTA series. Who reviews anything without first experiencing it?
    • Bith8654, on 05/03/2008, -2/+38Sensationalists do, thats who.
    • yuutokun, on 05/03/2008, -7/+7He's too busy touching something else, and I'll give you a hint, its not a woman.
      • drunk3nrabbit, on 05/04/2008, -0/+1I'll fix that failure for you:

        He's too busy touching something else...
    • mcm020, on 05/03/2008, -4/+18It's that entire generation. They can't grasp our love of video games.
      • OffPiste, on 05/03/2008, -1/+4BS. I'm Beck's age. I love these games. Most of my friends play and love these games. I grew up playing video games. I've been playing video games for close to 40 years. Plus it was my generation (not yours) that developed the industry and supported it in its infancy.

        I have no problem with GTA. I don't play it in front of my children. A little common sense goes a long way.

        Try to have a little common sense before you make such ignorant statements in the future.
        • Bith8654, on 05/03/2008, -1/+3Well since apparently mcm020 has showed me one person can speak for an entire generation, OffPiste my generation does hereby apologize to your generation! Thanks for the videogame industry :P
      • BearinG, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1Yeah I actually received an e-mail from my mother this week asking if i knew about this game and how you "get points" for having sex with hookers and killing them.. and what the world as turned into....now that i see this, i'm sure this is what she saw also..

        Of course i replied with all the good stuff from GTA like taking out your girlfriend to the restaurant and to comedy shows, racing etc.. I can manipulate information too but i did tell her.. its a "mafia" type.. crimes is still the name of the game, just like Godfather or Scarface movies..

        I just don't get what's hard to understand about an "adult" game..movies or shows (SAW, CSI) are a lot more graphic compared to this.. .. and cartoons have had guns and violence for ever too..
        • neltharion1, on 05/20/2008, -0/+0"and cartoons have had guns and violence for ever too"

          Thinks Bugs Bunny cartoons :)
    • ralphthemagi, on 05/03/2008, -3/+4Might as well talk to a wall. Do you really think Glenn Beck comes up with this ***** on his own? He has a staff of writers that tell him what to say, and he just reads it off the teleprompter. You could tell his staff how wrong they are... and you know what? They'd probably agree with you. Being right doesn't get ratings. Being right doesn't get YouTube videos on the front page of Digg. Being right doesn't get people talking.

      The money is in being wrong.
      • SpeedStix, on 05/03/2008, -1/+3Good point but I would like to add something to your comment. True he might have all of those writers telling him what to say but how much harder is it to walk the walk? He doesn't just read it off the teleprompter, he puts life into the words on the paper.. That is where the money's at.. You can be right or wrong the money's there you walk the walk and give people what they want to hear.
    • GeekyGerge, on 05/03/2008, -1/+2There's a radio station here called GWR, and I usually hate their bias views on everything, but on the day that GTA came out, a host on the show who was a mom and her son wanted to play it, played the game live on air. She said it was amazing because of the fact that she could actually go anywhere and do anything, and only said that It could slightly influence children to turn to crime, but not as much as these crazy CNN guys say that it would.
    • Spudster, on 05/03/2008, -1/+10If his history is right, (which significantly Kotaku never tried to dispute I should add) then Glenn Beck made many interesting points about violence in video games. But he's still having an over reaction to the moral problems posed by GTA. Why is there a moral outrage over GTA and not laser tag? GTA involves sitting down on a couch and clicking away at a joystick, while laser tag involves physically moving as a soldier trying to kill other players. Which of those two is breeding more school shooters?
    • mrwoo, on 05/03/2008, -3/+10I actually agree with him on most point's. Killing is becoming a more acceptable thing these days. It's not games alone but they play a small part. Try and think back to when you were young and had never killed anything or anyone in a computer game, or before you saw some graphic violence in a movie. You must agree that you'd be more effected by seeing death simulated or not back then, then you are now.

      I don't mean to say now i've played these games and watched these movies I'm a killing machine, i mean to say it dos'nt seem as such a bad thing as it did, still not a good thing to do, but defiantly a lighter concept then it was before i was introduced to these things. I'm still disgusted by all things related to death, but somewhat less then i was before i played these games and saw ***** films.

      I mean saving private ryan, i saw it and the horror of the landings really shocked and disgusted me, i was like "Damn that ***** would be terrible" Seeing it again now, years later i'm not so fussed about it at all.
      • Spudster, on 05/03/2008, -1/+2I think our fear of death is a recent phenomenon. Centuries ago, death was everywhere and people were quite used to it (it was not uncommon for most families to have half their children die before adolescence.)
    • daizaru, on 05/03/2008, -2/+5How inaccurate was he? and don't bring up a chainsaw to me because that has been in other GTA's and one could assume without playing it in its entirety that there is one somewhere.

      As someone who has played the game are you trying to tell me it's not adult oriented and that it is a good idea to let impressionable children play it. Maybe I got a different version of the game, by the sounds of it 90% of the population has played some mythical version that didn't take the medium to an all new level of sex, drugs and language that might not be good for kids.

      I'm not saying people aren't allowed to enjoy the game. I like it too, but stop pretending that it's something it isn't. It's all kinds of offensive and it comes to a point that when you blindly defend the game itself... instead of your right to play it you are making yourself look foolish. Nowhere did he ask for the game to be banned, just that parents be aware and maybe even adults even that this game is violent and has the potential to glamorizing killing in such a way that it seems acceptable.

      This game plays a small part in a much bigger picture and while I will defend to the death people's right to play it. I will not defend Rockstar from the controversy they sought in making this game the way they did.
    • Trumath, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1Those daffy bastards at CNN and Fox News!
    • Rosh37, on 05/03/2008, -1/+1dumb *****
  • khaavren, on 05/03/2008, -3/+36He's an emotional tool anyway, I highly doubt anything he said is his own opinion, his writers give him topics and he just becomes an emotional and outspoken tool to prove the point thats handed to him. Most news reporters recently have just become salesmen who pitch their product: fear. A point I wish the media would consider is that entertainment is almost always modeled after influences in society, movies and games about criminals doing illegal activities is based on the fact that irl people have done the same thing, not vice versa.
    • Bith8654, on 05/03/2008, -1/+14Agreed. I mean he argues that when TV came out murders doubled, well lets consider WHY. Because of shows like I Love Lucy? Hell no, it's because people saw on the news each and every day "MAN MURDERED, ITS NOT SAFE TO GO OUTSIDE BECAUSE YOUR NEXT!"
      • winmywii, on 05/03/2008, -0/+7I wish I could digg that twice. If anything the media causes more damage than these Adult games.
      • Murdats, on 05/03/2008, -1/+8Actually this was a popular and well cited study at one time (which I cant find at the moment) that showed that crime rates increased when television was introduced in America
        basically it graphed crime rate in America to crime rate in Africa or something, and it showed that when TV came into America, and Africa still didn't have it, the crime rate jumped.
        this study was however garbage because I believe Europe and japan had a drop in crime rate that coincided with the introduction of television and the spike in America could be explained much better by an increase in mob activity caused by the 'moral right' introducing prohibition.
        • Spudster, on 05/03/2008, -1/+3Thank you. I wish Kotaku took the time to research what you just said before outright claiming Glenn Beck was wrong.
          • Murdats, on 05/03/2008, -1/+2well the study was wrong so I guess beck was aswell.
        • burrgrinder, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1Prohibition was introduced in America in 1919 and ended in '33.
          Television wasn't around until the 1930's, didn't really have much broadcast range until the mid 40's, and wasn't in the majority of homes until after WWII.
          • Bith8654, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1Well depending on what year they chose as the year "tv was introduced to america" that fact just might point out how pathetic that study really was. I mean if they chose say 1932 as the year then it just shows it was obviously something else since most homes wouldn't even have tv yet.
        • highstriker, on 05/03/2008, -0/+3I think the jump in crime rate was more due to news programs than anything else. People become aware of what's going on- more victims report crimes because they see they're not the only victims in the world, etc. I could be wrong, but I can't find any way to connect TV shows from way back when to an increase in violence. I just can't buy that shows like I Love Lucy or Gunsmoke would really incite people to commit any crimes...
      • b04155, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1Your next what?
        • Bith8654, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1NEXT TO DIE! You better go buy a gun and shoot anything that moves! Oh and then sue them, it's the american way!
    • Spudster, on 05/03/2008, -0/+5Glenn Beck is such a Republican apologist, he likes to portray a vibe that he's progressive and "hip" (thus him being on CNN), but he really only buffers against liberal attacks by shrugging his shoulders and saying "come on!" in whiny undertones.
  • iziizi, on 05/03/2008, -3/+22This has made me want to get GTA, but I dont have either PS3 or Xbox - which one gets the vote?

    When will it be out on PC?
    • TiMMY8765, on 05/03/2008, -1/+2fall is what I've heard
    • Servebot, on 05/03/2008, -12/+3Yeah def waiting for pc.. The ps3 and xbox versions are prolly 30fps like vice city... EFF THAT
      • damndj, on 05/03/2008, -5/+2Psst. incase anyone missed the memo, PC gaming is dying.
        • Servebot, on 05/03/2008, -1/+3Sure ill accept that... when consoles have the power and customization of pcs and their games, but by then consoles will basically be pcs. But right now pcs provide a way more enjoyable gaming experience. imo
          • damndj, on 05/04/2008, -0/+1EPIC is starting to jump ship, Crytek is looking to consoles, EA is over the PC, etc..

            Dying, whether we like it or not.
        • AdmiralKarelia, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1By "customizing", you mean buying a new GPU because your old one is out of steam, right?
          • Bulletbillx, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1Pretty sure he means user-made mods.
      • jermm, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1If it was 30FPS, I'd be happy

        San Andreas on PS2 was painful.
    • winmywii, on 05/03/2008, -2/+21I had a wii and went for a used xbox 360. It's a tough decision. Xbox has hardware issue (mine's ok) but better online experience for a price, and great titles. PS3 has blue ray and free online play with less features, and a few good exclusives. If you are into online games I would get the 360. If you just play single player at home go for the ps3 because of blue ray. The wii is fun but lacks good games (except for nintendo titles) and the online system is weak.
      • burketo, on 05/03/2008, -0/+3i think more the xbox has a much better controller. i haven't played gta iv on a ps3 but i have played san andreas on one and i find the analogue control in particular is rubbish, much more difficult to control. that might just be because i'm used to the xbox one but i doubt it. i would say that the differance in controllers is more important then the near indistignuishable differance in graphics
      • WallnutBoy, on 05/03/2008, -1/+7That's gotta be one of the best, totally unbiased description of all 3 current-gen consoles I've ever seen. Thanks.
      • Niubai, on 05/03/2008, -1/+6Kudos for you for a good, unbiased and totally fanboy-free analysis of the consoles.
      • csonjeow, on 05/04/2008, -0/+1Well done sir.
    • norbiu, on 05/03/2008, -2/+2I had the same issue, so I decided to get a PS3. Region-free games is the main reason here. I rather spend $60-$70 on a game on ebay than $100-$120 in the store.

      Does anybody know a cheaper place to get used games that ship to Europe?
      • TheLD, on 05/03/2008, -1/+1$50-70 would get you a new copy of a game even in Europe.
        • HolyChimp, on 05/03/2008, -0/+7£25-£35? I doubt it, unless it's a PC title. I paid £45 ($90) for GTA4, and that was the standard edition.
    • dmallymally, on 05/03/2008, -10/+4PS3.... better for the long run.
      • bobbyi, on 05/04/2008, -0/+1By the time 'the long run' gets here, you'll be able to buy a ps3 for $100.
    • ferrariman60, on 05/03/2008, -0/+13Doesn't matter, don't you see that both are the product of a gov't conspiracy going all the ***** way back to WW1? lol

      that said, I got my copy on 360, but if you can see the diff, you're a fanboy.
    • Remmiz, on 05/03/2008, -1/+2I'd say 360 just because it has many more games besides GTA (hell, even GTA used to be Playstation only..now look). Live is also really nice if you have friends and the ability to stream movies and music from your computer seamlessly is also pretty awesome.
      • Insomniac86, on 05/03/2008, -1/+1Not being a fanboy here, i own both a ps3 and 360, but you can also stream music and movies from your computer to a ps3 aswell.
        One bonus the ps3 can do which the 360 can, Is that you can choose to copy the movie to your hard drive.

        360 is a lot better for online play over the ps3. But the ps3 is getting a major online framework via an update soon.

        What one do i like better? I couldnt choose, thats why i had to buy both :P
        • schlef, on 05/03/2008, -1/+0And by ps3 getting a major online framework via an update soon, you mean... we really don't know when because Sony promises the world and then takes years to deliver.
          • Insomniac86, on 05/05/2008, -0/+0Home is basically finished. Have a look at the beta videos/walkthroughs.
            It got delayed because there enhancing multilingual chat (due to feedback). So that when someone says something via the predefined text. It will convert it on the fly to other languages.
    • luken355, on 05/03/2008, -1/+3PS3 will have metal gear solid 4 in the summer. Sure to be another of the greatest games this year.
    • travelingpngwn, on 05/03/2008, -3/+3360... future downloadable content is always worth it
  • dustinjr1993, on 05/03/2008, -22/+3omg all he is using is gta as an example. its a good example but theres other games
    • jordanmac, on 05/12/2008, -0/+1...that's the problem you found in his argument?
  • TheFamousOne2, on 05/03/2008, -27/+13Alright, while I haaate Beck, I have to say I somewhat agree with him. I mean, yeah he over exagurates the problems caused, but he has a point. People are influenced way too easy by what they watch, listen to, and play. While not every single person that plays these games turn out to be criminals, a verrrry very small percentage of them (primarily the ones who start playing them at a very young age) are very liable to become influnced.
    • choopie911, on 05/03/2008, -2/+7No. Video games have had no affect on violent crime rates. They simply aren't going to turn someone into a gun-toting maniac. When you see on the news that some kid replicated GTA, or Hitman, or something like that the person was going to do something absurd anyways, they merely got the idea of what they could do from a game, not to do it in the first place. AND, the fact that they got it from a game somehow makes it worse is *****, the same goes for movies, or books. If someone replicated a murder from a novel, would that book be on a ***** CNN rant: no.
      • purzzzell, on 05/03/2008, -0/+3We could blame astrology for the "zodiac killer" and try to have horoscopes removed from newspapers :D
    • 180andback, on 05/03/2008, -1/+4Probably just as many people become violent criminals without ever having seen a video game. And also, don't say you agree with the douchebag in the video. I can feel you getting dugg down all the way over here.
    • megaton, on 05/03/2008, -2/+2Influenced =/= criminals!!

      However, you DO have a point that it can affect the way someone handles inter-personal relationships, possibly inclining them to be more aggressive or hostile during conflict. But that in no way means they'll hurt or kill someone!

      You can have feelings that you don't act upon, and that's the beauty of being human.
      • choopie911, on 05/03/2008, -1/+1I must say I could play GTA for a full weekend, and if someone tried to start a fight at a bar or something, I wouldn't behave/ react any differently than if I hadn't been playing GTA. It's a game, it's not making choices/ influencing my behaviour.
    • SpeedSteamBoat, on 05/03/2008, -0/+3"a verrrry very small percentage of them (primarily the ones who start playing them at a very young age) are very liable to become influnced."

      This is not true. It's been proven untrue any number of times by many different studies. That small portion of people who are violent practically ALWAYS have other factors in their lives (abuse, mental health problems) which have a much bigger impact on a persons psyche than any video game.

      Furthermore, you're ignoring the obvious fact that GTA IV is an ADULT video game. It's not for kids. Saying there is something wrong with the way GTA IV affects kids is like saying there is something wrong with the way Reservoir Dogs or Saving Private Ryan affects kids. Kids shouldn't be exposed to it, and if they are then their parents have failed them. At no point can you blame the creator of content for your children being exposed to it, because in reality it is your responsibility as a parent to control what they are exposed to.
      • choopie911, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1As I said elsewhere, just because somebody replicates something in GTA or any video game, it doesn't mean the game made them do it. They're mentally unstable and merely immitated something that they encountered. They just as easily could have got the idea from a movie, a book, a comic, anything.
        • SpeedStix, on 05/03/2008, -1/+1GTA is fun, you do what you want and there really isn't anything you have to do but at the same time there is lots you can do, that's pretty much the premise of the game. The game is open to interpretation to anyone. Let's say that someone is mentally unstable and has intentions to severely hurt someone or a group of people, more likely then not they will do it. Sure they could watch a movie, read a comic book or read a book and get an idea, but all of those things have a fixed outcome. GTA does not limit what you really want to do, so you can sort of plan out what you want to do in real time. I think that is the danger with GTA. It can potentially give the wrong people the wrong impression. Another implication this can have is how mass marketed this game is; there are ad's everywhere, even in the news about people trash talking this game. I think that is another reason why it gets all the blame, because it is so readily available to many people. Overall, I do not think video games themselves make people violent, there have to be many more things going on in that person's life then just images they see on a screen.
          They might stimulate people to act a certain way, a way they are going to act anyways, but not ultimately form them into the person they are.
          • SpeedSteamBoat, on 05/04/2008, -0/+1This makes no sense. Crazies find reasons to kill in anything. Charles Manson didn't have much trouble finding reasons to kill in Beatles songs. Lee Harvey Oswald thought The Catcher in the Rye was pretty good inspiration to assassinate a president. You can't sensor media based on the idea some psycho MIGHT look at it in a way that would make him choose to kill. It's entirely impossible. Crazy people think in weird ways, and the truth is that they are far more likely to pull twisted meanings out of books and religion then they are to pull them out of GTA.
    • Volcanite, on 05/03/2008, -1/+3i agree with beck in the point that these games DO in fact desensitize people but your wrong, it rarely "influences" them
      beck is right to the point that most people cannot simply "kill" and games which desensitize killing can make it much easier however for those who are already nutsz

      buried for claiming its the "stupidest anti-gta video" almost every other video makes their claims on no reason and stupidity
      i would go as far as claiming its the most "reasonable" explanation yet
  • elshizzo, on 05/03/2008, -6/+138do people like Glen Beck realize that the drop in violent crime we've had since the early 90s happened almost exactly at the same time as violent video games starting coming out?
    • elshizzo, on 05/03/2008, -2/+34I'm not necessarily saying that violent video games lower violent crime, only that that statistics would more likely prove that point than the opposite point.
      • nova912, on 05/03/2008, -1/+6It's a correlation in two pieces of data. It's like says 'when people by more ice cream the crime rate increases as well.' The confounds of the argument need to be worked out. (There is more crime during a heat wave.)
        • Lythium, on 05/04/2008, -0/+1"Correlation does not imply causation," yep. Unfortunately, long, boring, in-depth socioeconomic analyses don't make easily-digestible news soundbytes, while "omg, our kids are gonna kill us all while we sleep" does.
    • theshizzler, on 05/03/2008, -1/+71elshizzo, are you my long lost hispanic twin?!?
    • polishdude06, on 05/03/2008, -0/+5http://cairnarvon.rotahall.org/pics/violentgames.j ...
      • elshizzo, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1exactly
      • pseudononymist, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1should clarify in the graphic that this is violent crimes committed, not just crimes.
    • choopie911, on 05/03/2008, -1/+15elshizzo, that would contradict their ranting viewpoint, so they just quietly ignore the facts, and make some up instead.
    • dagnome1984, on 05/03/2008, -3/+30Correlation does not prove causation.
      • Arcan, on 05/03/2008, -0/+32But lack of correlation is pretty strong evidence against causation.
      • elshizzo, on 05/03/2008, -0/+6I didn't say it did if you read my 2nd post.
        My point was that a negative correllation is pretty strong evidence against positive CAUSATION
      • StefanArak, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1I wish people would stop reeling this off! True, cum hoc ergo propter hoc is not always necessarily the case. However, correlation does not mean there isn't a causal link.
        Now I don't believe there is a causal link in this case; however, people seem to automatically speel that expression whenever someone mentions correlation.
      • Vapor17, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1Ramen
      • mojoface, on 05/04/2008, -0/+1says u
    • ralphthemagi, on 05/03/2008, -3/+5People like Glenn Beck don't know anything at all. They are sheep. The only thing he can read are the zeros on his paycheck. He just reads what he's told, and doesn't ask questions.
    • Spudster, on 05/03/2008, -1/+2Being a Utilitarian: I'd say the enjoyment of video games outdoes the sadness caused by a few loose cannons who kill people. Considering that those loose cannons would have most likely snapped any ways, attempts at banning violent video games are wrong because there is little gain to society compared to the loss incurred against those who enjoy violent games.
    • CarnivalOfDust, on 05/03/2008, -1/+1Every time I've had a really ***** day, I find it really cathartic to put on State of Emergency and kill all those hundreds of security people. If you've ever played it, you'll know what I'm talking about. But the point is that if I didn't have video games, I'd probably end up releasing that built up negativity onto my family or friends - not in a violent way, but I'd probably just act like a bit more of a dick for a while. So if I was a violent person by nature, video games could offer me a release so that I wouldn't have to act out IRL.
      • pogfreak, on 05/03/2008, -0/+0The decrease in crime actually more closely mirrors Roe v Wade ~20 years prior!!!
    • AceFive, on 05/03/2008, -2/+2Actually I think that it was the legalization of abortion in the 90's that made the crime scene drastically drop.
      • redtetrahedron, on 05/06/2008, -0/+1What country are you from? Abortion was legalized in the United States in 1973.
  • meister94, on 05/03/2008, -2/+28Is he creating some kind of Gears of War/GTA hybrid with his "chainsaw" comment? I don't recall cutting cops in half with chainsaws.
    • yuutokun, on 05/03/2008, -5/+2I did and it was awwwwwwwwsome.
      • TiMMY8765, on 05/03/2008, -0/+2where do you get the chainsaw?
        • exomni, on 05/03/2008, -0/+11Home Depot.

          Wait, were we talking about, like, IN THE VIDEOGAME? I can barely tell the difference anymore. Thanks to media outlets like CNN us poor humans simply don't have the capability to separate truth from fiction.
    • Swordman554, on 05/04/2008, -0/+1I think he just combined the weapons in GTA1-4, and tried to pass it off.
  • dansvan, on 05/03/2008, -3/+10We're training our kids to be killers? I doubt any parent will buy their kid GTA4 just for the purpose of training them to kill people. I can't believe this guy.
    • choopie911, on 05/03/2008, -2/+1I can imagine in this day and age some parent would do that...although...I'd give it another 10 years, theres still lots of other crazy headlines to fill in the meantime.
    • apio, on 05/03/2008, -1/+1indeed

      call of duty works way better with the kids
  • iceman0113, on 05/03/2008, -3/+33Pushing buttons on a controller does not necessarily mean the kid's gonna grow up to be a killer
    • choopie911, on 05/03/2008, -1/+22Didn't you listen to a word the man just said? If you play GTA, you WILL be a disrespectiful criminal, if not murderer. There is NOTHING that can be done.
      • yamikaze, on 05/03/2008, -0/+10Exactly, just like how if I read Harry Potter, I can become a real-life wizard!
        • BearinG, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1I put on my robe and my wizard hat..
  • strfiter, on 05/03/2008, -3/+32It's funny, because as I watch this video (here AND on cnn.com!) I see the GTA IV banner ad, and, what is that I hear? A tv commercial for the game as well!

    Oh the irony Glenn Beck!
    • SpeedStix, on 05/03/2008, -0/+5I wonder how much RockStar paid him to have their ad running during his show?
    • hunkster2010, on 05/03/2008, -1/+2At least they're not afraid to criticize their ad supporters, unlike some other website we know...
  • mCanada, on 05/03/2008, -2/+121You will never troll as well as Glenn Beck. Never.
    • MasterTroll, on 05/03/2008, -2/+23Leave that to me...
    • uziko, on 05/03/2008, -16/+2he says something you don't agree with and instead of making a counterargument you resort to 2 year old name calling,

      you are a dumbass
    • CrushThemTorg, on 05/03/2008, -0/+9Glenn Beck: Epic troll.
    • funkyloki, on 05/03/2008, -1/+5And that is the reason that him and people like him (read: Lou Dobbs, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly) are where they are in today's society. Because they can troll better than all others, and the lemmings that populate the large majority of the listening public eat it up.
    • tehnico, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1He's probably bitter because he tried it and sucks at the game.
  • SeyWat, on 05/03/2008, -7/+1Sure you can do all these things in the game, however, it comes down to the choices that the player makes just like in real life. Get a grip, I don't understand what these people are trying to achieve.
    • SpeedSteamBoat, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1I'm not disagreeing with your point, but, as others have stated above, you actually CAN'T do all those things in the game.
      • SpeedStix, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1Enough with that chainsaw comment, his point being that you can seriously mutilate people in the game. SeyWat I completely agree with you on this one. Do what you want but get ready for the consequences.
  • deadnoob, on 05/03/2008, -7/+16I hate these people. First of all, there are no chainsaws in gta iv. Also, Handing young men actual guns to go fight in a war is training them to kill. Did you ever think the reason that the firing rate increased from 15% to over 90% is because the amount of wars the government has been involved in? Look at the 1900's - there were so many wars that of course people are going to know how to shoot a gun.
    And who says killing isn't a natural human instinct?
    • mcm020, on 05/03/2008, -4/+10Your post starts off good and gets increasingly dumber.
    • carpeclunes, on 05/03/2008, -1/+3I think more people knew how to shoot guns back when the best way to get food was to hunt.
      • Mejari, on 05/03/2008, -0/+9You mean in caveman days? Yeah, must be hard to load that AK-47 when those mammoths keep interrupting.
        • carpeclunes, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1I mean when America was expanding west.
        • BearinG, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1Nah the cavemen used to tape 2 magazines back to back so they could reload faster
    • megaton, on 05/03/2008, -1/+2First two sentences: thumbs up!

      Remaining: Uhm...what? You think the kids that fought in World War I also fought in Vietnam? And now Iraq? Er, how? Unless you mean that just because the wars were going on SOMEWHERE, kids grew up wanting to kill people. Which actually promotes this guy's point.
    • JoshChan, on 05/03/2008, -1/+1it happens because people back then were pussies.
      • BoneheadFarker, on 05/03/2008, -0/+0...when they were young. And then war made them into men that you would never want to piss off. The ones that survived anyways. The kids today who do nothing but play video games would react the same if thrown into the middle of a war zone with no training. The kids back then didn't get much in the way of training before being handed a gun and put on the boat.
    • SpeedStix, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1Well if you look at the initial firing rates you would see that they also lined up with men using primitive single shot rifles that took ages to reload. More years progress, better guns with more ammo and faster cyclic rates are made and the shooting rate increases..
    • BlackJackJester, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1I'd say, the rate is so high now for a couple reasons. One, guns are a hell of a lot easier to fire and reload. Two, body armor and the like makes people feel safer, and are more likely to put themselves in the line of fire in order to fire. Three, WWI and WWII, and Vietnam used drafts, forcing normal civilians to join and shoot. Normal people don't want to shoot other people. With a volunteer army, you tend to only attract the people who will shoot other people.
      • dustedknuckle, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1The soldiers must have learned to adapt quickly during ww1

        Death Toll of The Great War 1914-1918

        Germany 1,808,000
        Austria-Hungary 1,200,000
        Russia 1,700,000
        France 1,385,000
        England 947,000
        Italy 460,000
        Poland (civilians) 500,000
        Turkey 350,000
        Romania 350,000
        USA 115,000
        Total estimated 8,000,000
        Wounded 19,536,000
    • Pillage, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1Wasn't there a chainsaw in GTA: Vice City?
  • noahco, on 05/03/2008, -0/+20I would rather have people letting out their aggression on innocent civilians in a video game than in real life. Thats why after a bad day at work I come home and play some Call Of Duty 4 instead of beating up stupid people.
    • choopie911, on 05/03/2008, -0/+3Exactly, and that argument has been used for as long as I can remember, but for whatever reason it never seems to get acknowledged or heard.
    • funkyloki, on 05/03/2008, -0/+4Good point, i am a pretty calm guy who obeys the law, drives using turn signals, opens doors for people, like that. When I play a game, It's just that a game. There is absolutely no correlation between how one acts in a game and how one acts in life.
      • BearinG, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1Exactly..

        I used to "kill" action figures with my G.I Joe's and TMNT when I was young.. I'd never go in freaking sewers like those others kids that died in my day..
  • tzisc, on 05/03/2008, -1/+75well, i've never played gta and i still kinda want to cut glenn beck in half with a chainsaw
    • Planets, on 05/03/2008, -0/+4Then you should definitely avoid GTA.

      =P
    • joltcola, on 05/03/2008, -3/+1have you been living in a bubble for the past 8 years?
  • Branchex, on 05/03/2008, -3/+66Did anyone else crack up when he said "We're training our kids to be killers."
    • SpeedStix, on 05/03/2008, -0/+6He did say that.. essentially the pentagon made video games to train our kids to be killers.
      I laughed, and then I thought.
    • CrushThemTorg, on 05/03/2008, -0/+3 I went outside and cut the first passer-by in half with a chainsaw when I heard him say that.
    • chungmaster, on 05/03/2008, -0/+6Just like Madden is teaching me how to play football. Well ***** you all I'm gonna be rich and playing in the NFL next week.
    • Swordman554, on 05/04/2008, -0/+1I actually thought how it was the same old argument that has always been made against games...but chungmaster does have a point...I think I am going to get a doctorate in Theoretical Physics next week thanks to my handy copy of Half-Life!
  • futureisours, on 05/03/2008, -11/+3Conservatives these days are reactionary against the liberal media and all the excesses and anti-americanism, government is evil and overly violent and sexual themes on the broadcast medium and now the videogame medium. They know all too well that too many irresponsible parents don't monitor their kids' access to media content and you get tirades as a result. This is an adult game. The difference is that it's labeled as such and is a little more difficult (but far from impossible) for a child to get than turning on prime time tv. Besides, his whole point is attacking the whole liberal-entertainment establishment than targeting Grand Theft Auto IV per se.
    • Murdats, on 05/03/2008, -1/+2how do you know they are reactionary unless their reactions are broadcast in the media
      and if the conservatives are broadcasting their reactions in the media, why would a media filled with reactionary conservatives be liberal?
    • SaperKain, on 05/04/2008, -0/+1Beck? Is that you?
  • schroeder, on 05/03/2008, -3/+11So the readiness to kill in war increased over every major war/conflict. People weren't playing violent video games between WWI and Desert Storm. Whatever the reason, it has nothing to do with video games. If anything, it's FOX News that makes me want to beat people like Glen Beck with a baseball bat. If a video game makes someone want to do something violent, they were going to do it anyway.
    • SpeedSteamBoat, on 05/03/2008, -2/+2Yeah, a real-life simulated combat exercise is an ENTIRELY different thing than sitting on your couch pushing buttons. Calling the former a "video game" is just stupidity not alone flit out wrong.

      Hey Glenn, guess what? A VIDEO game requires some type of VIDEO to be involved somewhere.

      Anyways, shouldn't he really be ***** bricks over this game? http://www.americasarmy.com/
      Because if there's a game actually trying to train people how to kill, it's that one.
    • hayzeus, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1I was playing nethack. That's why I'm so +10 violent.
  • shadowmoose, on 05/03/2008, -1/+10apples =/= oranges.
    • Konig94, on 05/03/2008, -1/+7apples != oranges
      • SpeedStix, on 05/03/2008, -1/+2I agree.. where do you see =/= anyways?
        In written mathematics I guess, not in text and programming
    • bagboyrebel, on 05/03/2008, -2/+4apples = oranges;
      now what bitches!
      • Krodis, on 05/03/2008, -1/+1You're going to have problems if you try do delete one of them.
      • SpeedStix, on 05/03/2008, -0/+5ohh you're going to have some compilation errors if that were in an if statement
      • BearinG, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1Yeah but oranges = apples + 4;
    • OrangeSoda31, on 05/03/2008, -0/+2if not apples == oranges
  • mcm020, on 05/03/2008, -5/+38Let me preface this post by saying I like Glenn Beck.
    Glenn, you got this one wrong. When someone has an opposing view from your own it is best to examine their arguments objectively; rationalize their points (digg users take note). I agree with him that this type of media desensitizes people to violence. He has a point there. Though that point is completely irrelevant.

    While a GTA-style simulation might condition someone to be more comfortable pulling a trigger when such an action is needed, it will not influence the dumbest half-wit with the slightest concept of reality to go around killing for ***** and giggles. If you instill some basic morals in your child you should have no problems with them playing this game. When I was twelve I bought the first GTA for the PC against my parents wishes and I played it under their nose. I've yet to murder any hookers and I'm currently getting my MBA.

    Now let me rant a bit.. Glenn failed to mention GTA carries a MATURE rating. The *****-humping ***** in the media need to do a little math to see that the nintendo generation is entering adulthood and we still like our video games. This game is geared toward our generation, not your I-Just-Discovered-Masturbation brat. If you don't want your kid playing the game don't buy it for him.
    • winmywii, on 05/03/2008, -1/+8People assume that all games are meant for children. They forgot that the original Nintendo crew is all grown up now and they still want to play games. Parent's shouldn't let their kids play GTA. I don't see the issue?
    • uziko, on 05/03/2008, -15/+4i don't know why your getting dugg up, i stopped reading after you said you like glen beck and then dugg you down
      • MillionsLivio, on 05/03/2008, -1/+8Such ignorance, please don't vote with that kind of rationality.
      • byrdgang, on 05/04/2008, -1/+2uziko, props! Same here.
    • burketo, on 05/03/2008, -0/+7"I-Just-Discovered-Masturbation brat"

      know your audience man!
    • byrdgang, on 05/03/2008, -3/+1No, he didn't fail to mention it has a mature rating. Watch the second part. The mature rating is specifically mentioned.
    • MillionsLivio, on 05/03/2008, -0/+2While I agree with your argument, you yourself are an example of the flaw in that system: "When I was twelve I bought the first GTA for the PC against my parents wishes and I played it under their nose." Kids will get ahold of it and that is most of their concern. Honestly though the game really isn't that bad, I'm 40% through it and their are some direct and indirect sexual scenes, but any 13 year old has seen it all before (and worse). It's really just another example of how out of touch parents are with their kids.
  • happytedium, on 05/03/2008, -10/+16Avoid *****: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzr138ijmaQ
  • BIGJHUB, on 05/03/2008, -5/+15That guy is a n00b.
  • cptshamrock, on 05/03/2008, -2/+15I dont think most people get that this game and all its predecessors have been satire.
    • bg2500, on 05/03/2008, -0/+4Exactly, saying GTA promotes killing hookers and promotes violence in general would be like saying Stephen Colbert is a left wing self righteous nut job.
    • purzzzell, on 05/03/2008, -0/+2I think most people DO and there're a few goofballs who just don't get it.
  • MasterTroll, on 05/03/2008, -6/+4he did it for the lulz! ... i hope.
  • Teh_Shiz, on 05/03/2008, -4/+9What's wrong with hiring prostitutes, having sex with them, and then beating them to death with a baseball bat? You get your money back that way...
    • SpeedStix, on 05/03/2008, -1/+3yea and im sure you do that on a regular basis...
      • raid517, on 05/03/2008, -0/+2Like you, I also get all of my morality from video games.
  • hinmanj, on 05/03/2008, -3/+42"Over 90 percent in the Vietnam War..."
    Oh I see... back in the 70s Grand Theft auto was definitely teaching people how to shoot other people...
    • JoshChan, on 05/03/2008, -0/+2I would say today we have more advanced trainings for a smaller group of soldiers which makes them more competent in battle.
      • elaxerata, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1That doesn't always work.... check out Marcus Luttrell's book "Lone Survivor."
    • tim710, on 05/03/2008, -0/+5It was Pong. The violence in that game is atrocious!
      • Drewboy64, on 05/04/2008, -0/+1My god I know. That's why the ESRB changed it to AO. That game is so graphic that the military secretly used it to train solders to be violent killers. Pong is possibly the most violent game of all time.

        p.s: Bush is my idle, we're getting swamped by Islamo terrorists, global warming is *****, evolution is only a theory, and I sobbed when Guliani dropped out. I think everything should be banned and we should all be spied on cause we're to stupid to fend for ourselves and need the government to run every aspect of our life cause I suck and you're not patriotic if you don't like the war in Iraq and should be shot.

        *sarcasm* (duh)
  • roflwaffle07, on 05/03/2008, -4/+5god i hate this guy. theres a rating system on games. kids don't have to beat up hookers, its just one of many options in the game. this is by far the dumbest thing i saw all month. This would've made me extremely angry, but then i remembered nobody watches his show.
  • Borgcube636, on 05/03/2008, -5/+3He's right, what happened to pong?
    • mGARANDEUR1, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1Still a good game for a cell phone. Doesn't nearly provide the hours of entertainment that GTA does.
    • Danby123, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1Pong? Are you actually referring to the game that trained soldiers in the Vietnam war?
  • Sassanix, on 05/03/2008, -2/+38Rockstar is going to release a chainsaw soon for the DLC on the 360, just because of this video. Their probably going to call it becksaw. Anyone else agree?
    • SpeedSteamBoat, on 05/03/2008, -1/+6Oh god I hope so, but I also hope it comes to PS3 too. :D
    • PunkRampant, on 05/03/2008, -0/+3That would be ***** hilarious.
  • Psynaut00, on 05/03/2008, -0/+31So, if I understand correctly, the newscasters outrage is because the game isn't state sanctioned and conducted by the military? No problem, I presume, when it is in the name of an unprovoked war for the purpose of trying to steal oil.

    It boggles my mind that these people are more concerned about a computer game with simulated killing, than they are about Iraq where 70,000 civilians have died.
    • moletimer, on 05/03/2008, -1/+2I'm afraid the figure is even higher than that. The conservative estimate (Iraq Body Count) says at least 83,000 have died. Other estimates say up to a million. The World Health Organization estimates it to be up to 220,000, and a report from The Lancet in 2006 estimated it to be as high as 600,000.

      I find it ridiculous how people can criticize video games for encouraging killing, and then turn a blind eye on the violence in Iraq, and other nations around the world where mass murder is going on every day.
    • N0vember, on 05/03/2008, -1/+2Guess what ? This is probably because these 70,000 civilians are even more fictional to them than these videogames characters are.
      And THAT is dangerous
    • Diderotten, on 05/03/2008, -0/+3I was always under the impression that these guys would use games like GTA to explain incidents of crazy kids that shoot up schools, parents, and what have you, but this guy tries to use it to explain the complicity of soldiers willing to kill people. Can somebody say strech? If he was really looking to compare video game violence to army kills, why didn't he use halo, or countless other FPS's where it's you against an army? Just because this game is popular? It's most likely than not the parents fault in the incidents with the crazy kids. What did he mean during WW1 nobody wanted to kill each other? Last time I checked the death toll was higher during that war than this one. Personally, GTA hasn't been that much of a fun experience to me, but everybody in the video game community heralds the game for it's innovative sandbox gameplay, not it's ultra-realistic deaths(although the new limb damage thing has been used as a selling point.)
    • tehnico, on 05/05/2008, -0/+2This is art imitating life, not the other way around this time.
  • QueEsAmor, on 05/03/2008, -3/+15I found it funny that he blames violence on all of pop culture, then asks what happened to Pong, which was a pop culture phenomenon. I miss the days before video games when no one got shot.
  • cyrt, on 05/03/2008, -1/+36He's right you know... Just after watching that, I feel like killing!
  • johndajap56, on 05/03/2008, -4/+3I bet the only reason he doesn't like it is cause he hasn't played it...Neither have I,

    my life sucks
  • theradical, on 05/03/2008, -1/+14I like how he conveniently disregards intent. Basically by his logic playing guitar hero makes you an excellent guitar player.
    • gabacho2, on 05/03/2008, -1/+5No. his logic is that playing guitar hero makes you want to buy a guitar.

      Which, by the way, it does.
      • JTG123, on 05/03/2008, -1/+5No that doesnt make sense. By your logic, that would mean Playing GTA4 would make you want to buy a gun. Which is not Glenns logic.
        • BearinG, on 05/05/2008, -0/+1I do want to buy a Coquette.. but i can't :(
  • Rooplee, on 05/03/2008, -2/+3Did anyone else get lost in his argument? I heard something along the lines of "using video games for military training makes video games inherently evil". I honestly don't see where Glenn Beck was going with that argument.....
    • Cimlite, on 05/03/2008, -0/+3No that's not what he's saying... there is a leap though, I agree with that. He goes from the proven method of using silhouettes of humans instead of regular targets to condition humans to shoot when confronted... to video games played at home with a gamepad.

      I for one think that the only thing the military wants out of video games is people to think that war is like that... for recruitment purposes (which is disgusting I might add). The whole "training simulator" argument is a lot of bull though. Unless your in a real life situation similar to war there's no way a video game trains you for anything.

      IIf it makes you want to go out with a gun and blow people away, your probably not right in the head regardless of the game or not.
      • Chalks777, on 05/03/2008, -0/+1you do realize that there are a multitude of simulators that are used in military training, right? Including simulators that are surprisingly similar to games that teach you how to aim accurately and quickly. Also, I would not at all be shocked if some of the early FPS games had roots in those training simulators. So, yeah... video games (or a version of them) can (and do) train you for things.
        • Cimlite, on 05/04/2008, -0/+1Of course they can... tactical awareness, teamwork and things like that.

          Shooting a gun? Hell no.
  • snareguy17, on 05/03/2008, -6/+37*****
    • DubBucket, on 05/03/2008, -0/+18well said.
    • acetv, on 05/03/2008, -0/+8Meh.
    • snareguy17, on 05/03/2008, -1/+26That was actually an unintentional comment. My ASCII facepalm didn't show up and was too lazy to fix it.
      • TheCoreh, on 05/03/2008, -0/+24............................................________
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  • tfarris, on 05/0