The Times has reported on a fatal car crash caused by a driver who had previously stopped to play Gran Turismo on his PlayStation, seemingly plugged into an in-car LCD monitor. The teenage motorist later span out of control, hitting the car of a pensioner driving in the opposite direction. 79-year-old Phylis Williams died at the scene.
A tragic story, which asks questions, however valid or realistic, about the availability of any offputting media in cars. But at the end of the report is this box-out:
Killer games
Manhunt Players earn points for killing people in a horrific manner. Implicated in the 2004 murder of Stefan Pakeerah, 14
Carmaggedon Racing game where players can run over pedestrians. Was initially refused a certificate by the censor in Britain
Canis Canem(sic) Players are encouraged to torment homeless people and be violent and abusive to vulnerable youngsters
The connection between Manhunt and the murder of Stefan Pakeerah has been widely discredited and officially denied by police investigating the case.
The tormenting of the homeless man in Canis Canem Edit, an accusation first put forward by The National Youth Council of Ireland, has been discredited. As this article points out the player befriends the homeless character and learns combat moves from him. Also, it's possible to earn a bonus item by giving money to the homeless.
True, Carmageddon was originally refused a certification, but publisher SCi made a successful appeal to the Video Appeals Committee under the European Convention on Human Rights. (Read more here).
Do these stories provide legitimate context? I'm not sure. I was divided over whether to blog on this - someone has died and debating the rights and wrongs of reporting on videogames hardly seems relevant. But accuracy, surely, is vital in these situations, isn't it?
