Sony, Take 2 sued for УGTA-InspiredФ crime @ Gaming Target

Written by Brian Vienneau on November 09, 2003

News: And it's no surprise who is behind it...

Miami-based attorney Jack Thompson has made good on his threat to sue video game makers and retailers for a crime allegedly inspired by the Grand Theft Auto series. According to Reuters, a lawsuit has been filed in Tennessee that names Sony Computer Entertainment America, Take 2 Interactive and Wal-Mart as liable for a total of $246 million in damages.

On June 25, stepbrothers William Buckner, 16, and Joshua Buckner, 14, of Newport, Tenn., randomly shot at passing cars on a Tennessee highway with a .22-caliber shotgun. Their actions killed 45-year-old Aaron Hamel of Knoxville, Tenn., and seriously wounded 19-year-old Kimberly Bede of Moneta, Va. The teenagers are currently serving an indefinite term in state custody after pleading guilty to the crime -- they reportedly told police that they were inspired by Grand Theft Auto III.

"These kids simply decided to take the thrill of that game out to Interstate 40, and started pointing at cars," Thompson said.

Thompson said that Sony and Wal-Mart had ample warning that Grand Theft Auto could be the УcauseФ of such a crime, as he requested that they pull the game from store shelves.

"It's not like this is coming out of the blue,Ф he said. УThey chose to ignore this danger.Ф

Probably coincidentally, the lawsuit coincides with the release of the new GTA III/GTA: Vice City Double Pack on the PlayStation 2. Take 2 Interactive, the publisher of the Grand Theft Auto series, issued the following statement in response to the lawsuit:

"The company believes that the claims against it are without merit, and are similar to lawsuits brought and uniformly dismissed by courts in other jurisdictions, where the plaintiffs sought to hold entertainment companies responsible for the violent behavior of individuals who used those company's products."

Douglas Lowenstein, president of the Entertainment Software Association (formerly the IDSA), the business and public affairs arm of the U.S. gaming industry, agreed that the perpetrators of the crime are to blame.

"There is no credible evidence that violent games lead to violent behavior,Ф he said. УWhile video games may provide a simple excuse for the teenagers involved in this incident, responsibility for violent acts belongs to those who commit them."

This isn't Thompson's first tussle with the gaming industry -- he filed a lawsuit in 1999 against a bevy of companies, charging that video games inspired a 1997 school shooting in Paducah, Ky. It may take a while to resolve this new Grand Theft Auto suit, as that case was only thrown out of court last year.