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Another Video Game Blamed In Car Crash

News You Could Do Without

from the pitfall-never-got-anybody-in-trouble dept

Thu, Jan 26th 2006 12:24pm — Carlo Longino
At least Take-Two will be glad to see the finger's not being pointed at them, for once: Toronto police are alleging that two 18-year-olds were driven to take up a street race that ended up with the death of a cab driver by the car-racing game Need for Speed. The real culprit here is the drivers' stupidity -- but since a copy of the game was "found on the front seat" of one of their cars, that's getting the attention, even though the cops admit it's not "solely" to blame. Judging by the state of the cars, it's hard to imagine much of anything being found on the front seats, but in any case, the mere presence of the game is being blamed, before police even know if the guys ever played it. Since it was in the front seat, maybe the game was actually driving and this time could be blamed for the accident, but somehow that seems unlikely. Put the blame and the reponsibility where it belongs: on the idiots behind the wheels of the cars.
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38 Comments

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  • identicon
    MissingFrame, 26 Jan 2006 @ 12:33pm

    No Subject Given

    Need for Speed is likely one of the most widely played game on the planet. I think the only people who are fooled by the connection also beleive that square-dancing leads to sex.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 26 Jan 2006 @ 1:08pm

      Re: No Subject Given

      "Need for Speed is likely one of the most widely played game on the planet. I think the only people who are fooled by the connection also beleive that square-dancing leads to sex."
      Damn, guess I should forget about that square dance this weekend...

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Skeptic, 26 Jan 2006 @ 1:13pm

      Re: No Subject Given

      I had a similar problem to this when I was a kid, and I had to spend a few months in a detention center for teens. My problem? I kept jumping on turtles and mushrooms, thinking that I could collect gold coins if I did.

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Firebird X, 26 Jan 2006 @ 1:19pm

        Re: No Subject Given

        only one repeating string of letters and emphasize my feelings towards skeptic's comments.

        lololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololol olololol

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Phaat Phuk, 26 Jan 2006 @ 1:26pm

          Re: No Subject Given

          i don't see where anyone is saying the game is to blame. knee-jerk techie reaction to the fact that the game was mentioned?

          [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Nick, 26 Jan 2006 @ 1:47pm

        Re: No Subject Given

        Wow Skeptic, I hope you get a 5 rating for Funny.
        I raelly loled when I read that.

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    dataguy, 26 Jan 2006 @ 1:04pm

    No Subject Given

    TFA didn't say if the game had been opened or not. Could be they were in a hurry to get home and play it.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    anon, 26 Jan 2006 @ 1:16pm

    No Subject Given

    It doesn't seem likely that they were in a hurry to play it, since the game was released over ten years ago.

    ... unless the article didn't mention the actual title of the game. Was it "Need for Speed Most Wanted"? "Need for Speed Underground 2"? "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2"? "Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed"? Shoddy, shabby reporting.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Smoking Fetish Chick, 26 Jan 2006 @ 1:24pm

      Re: No Subject Given

      Reminds me of this quote I keep seeing on the web:

      "...It's stupid to say that computer games have bad influence on childern. If Pac-Man had influenced children born in the 80's, today we'd have lots of kids running around in dark rooms eating pills, while listening to monotonous and dull electronic music..."

      -Kristian Wilson, Nintendo, Inc. 1989

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 26 Jan 2006 @ 1:44pm

        Re: No Subject Given

        Apparently the Internet is to blame for the circulation of nonsense:
        http://markpasc.org/weblog/2003/07/23/pacman_quote_solved

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          A Funny Guy / The Poison Pen, 26 Jan 2006 @ 1:59pm

          Re: No Subject Given

          Apparently the Internet is to blame for the circulation of nonsense:
          http://markpasc.org/weblog/2003/07/23/pacman_quote_solved>


          God that was so funny

          [ link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            mbuel76, 26 Jan 2006 @ 2:14pm

            Re: No Subject Given

            I think it's clear media does effect some people to go out and act wrecklessly. But it's like the officer said (From TFA):
            “Look, in the proper perspective . . . if everyone imitated a videogame such as that, we’d have to ban cars,” he said.
            But... it's not just videogame media that these few are imitating. What came first street racing, or movies about street racing or games about street racing? It's obvious that the street racing crowd existed before movies like the fast and the furious made it popular, and games like midnight club and need for speed played off the popularity more.
            Some people are just going to be ... sensitive to such exposure. Especially when the parents give them a high end car with alot of power. (mercedes at 18?)
            Here in washington there was an accident caused by street racing yesterday, that left one of the kids dead and the victims of the other cars not involved in racing injured.
            So I think it's a couple of things:
            1) the media is playing up the connection not the police.
            2) there is a connection. But like the police officer said, it's only one piece to the puzzle. These kids were obsessed with speed, their parents let them play games constantly that are innapropriate for them, watch the fast and the furious, hang out with the wrong crowd. It's but one piece in the recipe for disaster.
            If you are a parent you can prevent this behaviour, by promoting _safe_ racing behaviour. take your kid down to the track. Don't buy them a car that can hit 60 in under 5 seconds. (hell they shouldn't have a car that can hit 60 in under 10 seconds!)

            [ link to this | view in chronology ]

            • identicon
              wolff000, 26 Jan 2006 @ 2:30pm

              Re: No Subject Given

              "1) the media is playing up the connection not the police.
              2) there is a connection. But like the police officer said, it's only one piece to the puzzle. These kids were obsessed with speed, their parents let them play games constantly that are innapropriate for them, watch the fast and the furious, hang out with the wrong crowd. It's but one piece in the recipe for disaster.
              If you are a parent you can prevent this behaviour, by promoting _safe_ racing behaviour. take your kid down to the track. Don't buy them a car that can hit 60 in under 5 seconds. (hell they shouldn't have a car that can hit 60 in under 10 seconds!)"

              You are absolutely right if this was slashdot I would have defintely slapped Insightful on this post. Gamers are too quick to blame parents when games do have a small fraction of blame in these types of accidents. Parents are also too quick to blame the games when they should have been supervising thier snot nosed brats(can you tell I don't like kids?). Anyways great post, I tip my hat to you!

              [ link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            !mp, 26 Jan 2006 @ 2:34pm

            Re: No Subject Given

            Umm.. I know a lot of kids who run around in dark rooms munching on pills listening to repetitive electronica.
            Could Pac-man be the source of the rave subculture?

            [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Steve, 26 Jan 2006 @ 3:39pm

        Re: No Subject Given

        Ravers were former Pac*Man players?

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Sparktikus, 28 Jan 2006 @ 9:30pm

        Re: No Subject Given

        Nah....in the 80's they mostly snorted. Pills were so 70's.

        [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    me, 26 Jan 2006 @ 1:53pm

    No Subject Given

    What if it were a DVD movie of The Fast and The Furious sitting on the front seat? Then the movie industry would be blamed. How about a little personal accountability?

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Ben McNelly, 26 Jan 2006 @ 2:38pm

    No Subject Given

    There is logicaly a point that when you emulate a game alot, you get hyped up and want to do it in real life in some sircumstances. For example, my buddies and I were watching a cool video on google video of some German guys free running and jumping and crap, and it was absalutely awsome. So we decided to give it a try that night, with the same results as a kid who gets used to 0 model damage racing and goes and tries it in the real world. BTW, jumping off a 17 foot roof IS A BAD IDEA, I dont care what anybody else says...
    My point is, you will have more people street racing than hunting zombies, because of certain practicality issues. However, you cant go around blaming influences like video games for the stupid stuff people do. I personaly have more fun with mario cart that NFS and realy wish I had a turtle launcher mounted on my car.
    From a completly serious stance though, if you must blame sombody blame the whole frigging media industry, and while we are at it lets blame them for the spread of sexualy transmitted disseases, aborted children and broken homes because of thier pushing the evolope of sexual revalution for the last 40 years. Ok, that went from serious to half sarcastic real quick, but you get the point...

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    jdw242, 26 Jan 2006 @ 2:40pm

    volition

    humans have free will, yet some societies choose to take away their ability to be responbile for their chosen actions, ergo stupidity grows.

    Having the game in the car is an irrelevant fact. Choosing to street race and killing someone is hardly something an inanimate object could cause someone to do. Did the game swing their arms behind their backs and 'make' them drive?

    so "Put the... reponsibility where it belongs: on the idiots behind the wheels of the cars."

    Blame isn't necessary; it's 2006.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      mike, 3 Feb 2006 @ 9:34am

      Re: volition

      I agree with you. If there is anything I have noticed over the years it is that, kids today are raised by the tv and as soon as there "little angels" do anything wrong it can"t be the kids fault. So the parents will tear apart the kids room to find anything relating to what the kid did and place the blame on so much as a movie poster!

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Purist, 26 Jan 2006 @ 3:16pm

    No Subject Given

    Why can't it be like it was before video games. People didn't race vehicles. There were no murderers or serial killers. Everyone loved police.

    DAMN YOU VIDEO GAMES YOU HAVE RUINED SOCIETY

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 26 Jan 2006 @ 6:10pm

    THANK YOU!

    Preachin' to the choir!!!!!

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Aaron, 26 Jan 2006 @ 6:14pm

    One Question...

    I have only one question... Was the game driving the car?

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Hedwig, 27 Jan 2006 @ 1:18am

    Evidence

    Well... I just read the article, and it turns out that the police found more evidence that could explain the accident:

    They found a REAL CAR. Maybe the kids were driving that? Worse: they also found a GAS PEDAL and a STEERING WHEEL (maybe not on the front seat, but pretty close to it). So it could be possible that there is a connection between the crash and the (improper) use of these devices...

    No, serious, get real: they crashed because they were stupid.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    they call me kc, 31 Jan 2006 @ 7:09am

    street racing

    i live my life a quarter mile at a time and for those 82 seconds im free haha rice for life hell yeah ford suck and your mom does to

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    R Anderson, 27 Feb 2006 @ 1:25pm

    creatures of habit

    I don't think it has anything to do with intelligence levels. Human beings are creatures of habit and its been prove we are affected by TV, games, etc and those experiences can become learned behavior. If a kid has had a habit since they were old enough to hold a controller of driving a virtual vehicle at wreckless speeds, running from cops, and thinking they were immune to death, what do you think they will tend to do when behind the wheel of a real vehicle? I suspect that at the least, they would react in in certain circumstances out of that habit.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 23 Mar 2006 @ 7:22am

    w/e your article is pointless

    It's pointless to blame a vido game for all the worlds problems.... This is just a load of nonsense distributed from people with nothing better to do.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous cowerd's girlfriend, 11 Jun 2006 @ 4:19pm

      Re: w/e your article is pointless

      I agreee!!!!! sweetie pie*kiss*

      [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Sam Butler, 23 Mar 2006 @ 7:34am

    I agree with the argument!

    Yes i believe that violence on tv and in video games, play a very important part in shapping peoples attitudes and perspectives. A person after playing a game such as this (need for speed) would diffently be left with an imprint, condoling that, speeding and disrespecting the rules of the road are enjoyable.Also that these acts can be done anywhere that the conditions are suitable! Even on a popular highway in Toronto. These imprint are not only jeopardizing the players lives but the lives of every other motor vehicle opperator on that highway.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    the Anonymous Coward, 3 Apr 2006 @ 7:18am

    The idea of a world where people do not take responibility for their actions, and blame it on a video game.... It just sickens me, i know that a person can be temperarily thrown off... to a degree by a video game but that is no reason for that person to mimic or imitate set video game. the driver is the cause of this crash not the video, the cab driver, or any other element of the accident.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    the Anonymous Coward, 3 Apr 2006 @ 7:22am

    i am highly offended b this article

    i know your getting tired of hearing from me but i got nothing better to do, people must be taken up and made responsible for their own actions.... the person that drove that car was the only thing that really matters if he hadnt decided to have a street race then none of this would even happen. i would hat to think that if i ever get murdered, run over, beaten, stabed, etc.... the tradgety would be blamed on a video game, if you want to race do it leggaly! join a race track!

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    the Anonymous Coward, 3 Apr 2006 @ 7:24am

    .... i typed in the subject wrong last time..... good bye i am too discusted to type anymore.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    colonel poopy pants, 26 Apr 2006 @ 7:08am

    Racing games

    I do not understand what i am saying. Can you tell me what i am saying officer. I feel special!!! Can you tell me if you are a gorilla. You are a monkey boy and i have problems.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    colonel poopy pants, 26 Apr 2006 @ 7:13am

    Racing games

    I do not understand what i am saying. Can you tell me what i am saying officer. I feel special!!! Can you tell me if you are a gorilla. You are a monkey boy and i have problems.

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Mr.STUPIDITY, 28 Apr 2006 @ 8:50am

    Don't know

    I know where you live

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Jessica, 11 Jun 2006 @ 4:11pm

    I find this completly shocking for TEENAGERS to copy such a horrible idea! there old enough not to do stupid things. but killing a cab driver? this is extremly unnesesary! I play need for speed and it is not bad. But imatating? If you want to play a game look at the rating like: rated E for everyone.
    that is sutible
    not things that are rated mature for kids
    This case had me shocked! R.I.P cab driver
    *sob*

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    TheSMRTone, 9 Jan 2007 @ 6:39am

    ... wow

    I both agree and disagree with most of the posts in here.. because I play NFS(alot), and in real life, (attempt) to drift, e-brake donuts, do donuts, and race... but the difference is I have a little tiny bit of brain to realize that an accident can really hurt... so do it somewere like a track or a realllly big empty parking lot(cops love that)... no use killing me AND someone else when they don't deserve it...

    [ link to this | view in chronology ]


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