Grand Theft Auto is destroying kids lives

Grand Theft Auto is a highly graphic game where you get experience and points for breaking the law and not getting caught by the police. It is giving children these days a horrible message and is just getting more advanced. This is a major problem as kids are not understanding or treating real life like a game. It is slowly brainwash the worlds youth. This is making the future something to truly fear.

-First off, I would like to thank my opponent for choosing such an interesting topic to discuss.

Grand Theft Auto, as clearly stated before is a video game featuring violence, theft, murder, everything that has to do with breaking the law. In fact, the title of the game defines car theft.

I will be standing on the position that the game does both; it may affect the youths" minds in various ways and at the same time it could be played for enjoyment. Firstly, there are certain age categorizations for every video game at the market/industry. PEGI is a rating system based in Europe, it has categorized the age limits for the GTA series. Here is how PEGI rated the Grand Theft Auto series:

=607;Grand Theft Auto Advance - 16+ (15+ in Finland)
=607;Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - 18+
=607;Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories - 18+
=607;Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories - 18+
=607;Grand Theft Auto IV - 18+
=607;Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars - 18+

As you can see most of these games were rated 18 and above. Obviously, in some countries it would be prohibited for children to buy a game that is over their age level. Most parents (the ones that understand) choose not to buy such games for their children. Other parents, the ones that simply do not care and the ones that do not think about the consequences a video game could cause their child choose to buy these games for their kids.

http://gta.wikia.com...

I would have to say that the game might cause harm to a child's mind, but it is mostly the parent's fault. The parent was the one that bought the game in the first place. Also, sometimes stores could sell these video games to under age kids, but that is their fault. Once again, a child is never guilty; he/or she might be the one who choose/want to play a game, but parents are the ones that make the grand decisions for them.

Take a look at Adam Lansa. Adam Lansa did not play GTA, but he played Call of Duty. I am assuming that his knowledge in weaponry all came from that game.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk...

There were cases where kids played GTA and started to kill. GTA is not the only game out there that could cause psychological damage. An 8-year-old boy killed his own grandfather that is one case.

http://www.mirror.co.uk...

But not everything is based on one game. Kids would not just go out there and start violating laws just from playing one game. People who normally do that already have some sorts of psychological issues.

I maintain my position.

Extend my arguments