Eight UK Primary schools are using images of Grand Theft Auto IV in a project designed to prevent children from becoming violent.
Eight schools in Merseyside with pupils aged between nine and 11 are being shown images from GTA, including one of protagonist Niko firing a gun through a car window.
The Guardian reports that the aim of the project is to stop children becoming "desensitised" to violent behaviour and teach them about its consequences in real life.
Children must categorise the pictures they are shown - which also include cards featuring images of knives and alcohol - as "good real life", "bad real life" and "not real". The idea is apparently to paint the message that what kids see on TV and in games isn't real.
The scheme, which is funded by the Home Office, will be expanded to Lancashire later this year.
Gaynor Bell, the chair of charity Support After Murder and Manslaughter (SAMM), reckons that showing kids the GTA images was important. "They're getting that much of it they're desensitised," she said.
"They think it's normal life. We're telling them this is not real, this does not go on and it should not go on."
Are the Scouse kids supposed to assess or critique the relative merits of Niko's drive-by-shooting technique, or just to learn how it's best accomplished?
they just dont understand........showing images from a best selling game and saying this is fake is going to really going to stop violence.........
maybe look in to more the social aspects of why people are violent in the first place might work better instead of brainwashing children from a young age about concept sketches.
So how does that work? GTA IV made me murder prostitutes, it really did. It was all going quite well until this guy called Dimitri double crossed me, and burned out my cousin Roman's flat and cab firm, and we had to move to Bohan. Thats EXACTLY how it happened.
I don't think this is about telling kids that video games aren't real life, it's about reminding them of the concequences of violence that is not always shown in films, games and the like. I'd rather see someone draw the distinction between violent media like games, movies and real life than make the common mistake of asuming one leads to the other.
When I was a kid I knew that games and real life were not synonymous...
However, we only had "Pong" so I guess it would have been a shock to everybody if a couple of black bars were out in the street bashing an innocent "ball" back and forth.
What games are not real life dam was going to go out and shoot some people then get shot myself and respawn somewhere else. thankyou for telling my the truth
It's a good idea, I haven't read this article but I did read it on the daily mail website yesterday and left a comment as to why I thought it was a good idea. Kids under the age shouldn't be getting their hands on games and movies that are given an age rating past their own but they do, I did when I was younger. So with that argument to one side, I'd rather they took this action and educated the kids about the differences between the media they see and real life rather than shout out loud about censorship and banning this media. They're not stupid if they don't get the differences they are only about 9 years old, it's good to teach them young especially when the parents can't be bothered doing it themselves.
Just have them watch The Wire. The consequences of violent crime, particularly with guns is never glossed over or accompanied by dramatic music. In most games and movies or TV shows no thought is given to where bullets end up. In The Wire they were alwayws accounted for, often hitting innocent bystanders or even going through people's windows and killing kids. The matter of fact way that show dealt with death was disturbing and couldn't possibly be taken lightly.
i knew about this a couple days ago from a shoddy daily mail article. they made themselves look even worse by putting an image of Manhunt in with the caption "an image taken from grand theft auto"
How about showing them a picture of a hooker getting her head blown off with a shotgun in GTA . Then showing them the exact same situation in real life. I think it will scar them for life but at least it would get the point across. Showing them pictures of alcohol will do absolutely nothing.
This means that game prevent violence now does it? Given that crime is rife is Liverpool, though it is the city of culture matters not to crime ridden streets. I think you could be more kind in GTA. Ironic indeed.
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