Columbine Victims’ Families to sue Games Companies for $5 billion
Violent games take blame over gun availability
One of the games mantioned
The families of the victims of the Columbine school massacre have launched a $5 billion lawsuit against some of the world’s biggest games companies, claiming some games were directly responsible for influencing the teen gunmen.
In April 1999 Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold shot and killed twelve students and one teacher at Columbine High School, before killing themselves. The shocking and tragic news caused America to ask some serious questions regarding its control of firearms. Rather than turn on the powerful National Rifle Association, games developers and publishers have been blamed.
Amongst the companies named are Nintendo of America, Sega of America, Sony Computer Entertainment, Time Warner, ID Software and GT Interactive.
One of the pieces of evidence this ridiculous and disrespectful court case will call upon is a videotape which shows one of the killers with a sawn-off shotgun in his lap which he calls Arlene, allegedly named after the character in the seminal first-person shooter Doom.
The suit stated that: “…the combination of extremely violent video games and these boys' incredibly deep involvement, use of and addiction to these games and the boys' basic personalities, these murders and this massacre would not have occurred.”
Other games mentioned were Doom, Quake and Redneck Rampage.
A similar case was brought against games companies following the murders committed by Kentuckian Michael Carneal in 1997. It was dismissed outright on the grounds that videogames are not subject to product liability laws.
This is just the latest flare up in the war against videogames that has been going on for twenty years or so. It might be prudent to remember that in 1981 there was a movement to ban Space Invaders due to its morally corruptive nature.
In April 1999 Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold shot and killed twelve students and one teacher at Columbine High School, before killing themselves. The shocking and tragic news caused America to ask some serious questions regarding its control of firearms. Rather than turn on the powerful National Rifle Association, games developers and publishers have been blamed.
Amongst the companies named are Nintendo of America, Sega of America, Sony Computer Entertainment, Time Warner, ID Software and GT Interactive.
One of the pieces of evidence this ridiculous and disrespectful court case will call upon is a videotape which shows one of the killers with a sawn-off shotgun in his lap which he calls Arlene, allegedly named after the character in the seminal first-person shooter Doom.
The suit stated that: “…the combination of extremely violent video games and these boys' incredibly deep involvement, use of and addiction to these games and the boys' basic personalities, these murders and this massacre would not have occurred.”
Other games mentioned were Doom, Quake and Redneck Rampage.
A similar case was brought against games companies following the murders committed by Kentuckian Michael Carneal in 1997. It was dismissed outright on the grounds that videogames are not subject to product liability laws.
This is just the latest flare up in the war against videogames that has been going on for twenty years or so. It might be prudent to remember that in 1981 there was a movement to ban Space Invaders due to its morally corruptive nature.
Companies:
id Software
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