If you've kept track one foot in mainstream news outlets and the other in sites like ours for your video game news, you know that one is certainly far more skewed than the other, particularly with regard to games featuring themes typically meant for adult crowds, like sex and / or violence. By way of example, here's a small collection of three stories where Rockstar's latest GTA game has been blamed as the cause or inspiration for various acts of violence, including the mass shooting that took place in the Washington D.C. naval yard, by certain news outlets and organizations.
- Fox News, "Grand Theft Auto V sales set record -- why are we surprised when virtual violence becomes reality?"
- Guardian Express, "GTA 5 Inspired Stabbings, Cop Impersonations and Video Game Violence"
- Newslo, "NRA Blames ‘GTA 5’ for D.C. Shooting"
Unfortunately, "news" stories like this is par for the course, and seemingly have been ever since theater goers first saw fictional blood shed on the silver screen so many years ago, or heard about it on the radio. But by just looking at the simple numbers, ones that helped Grand Theft Auto V generate amazing sales, is that such violent actions taken by highly psychologically problematic people that various news organizations have taken to lump in with the rest of "gamers," are an amazing exception. If violent actions due to games (as if they could even be narrowed down to such) were the norm, no one would bother reporting on them, as they would be expected.
It's an unfortunate part of society today that the audience desires (or at least seems to) a boogeyman, or a scape goat in which to blame all the ails of society on. But if such things are responsible for good actions, can it be argued that they can also be responsible for upstanding moral actions as well?
That's the aim of shirt manufacturer Teespring, who, in light of all these sort of stores (and the more that are no doubt coming) has come out with a shirt reading simply, "GTA made me do it." But not horrendous actions like the previous stories claim the game is responsible for, but rather, something as simple as doing something polite, like holding a door open for someone. Reads the product description, "They say video games make us do things which shouldn't be done. To send out a message to such people, wear this exclusive Grand Theft Auto themed t-shirt and whenever you do a good deed, show the message to the haters. That's right, GTA made me do it."
It's a novel course of action, and one that's been catching on. The shirt began as a campaign, and reached its goal of 150 shirts within a few days. If you, as a gamer, take issue with all the undue heat that violent games have been getting, pick up a shirt, wear it around town, and run around doing some swell things. It's a great visual, and helps raise awareness about the discussion overall.
