So, the new GTA game has been all over the news and is set to hit our shores soon...

Video promos show the character taking drugs, shooting cops, visiting strip clubs, having sex with prostitutes -and them runnning them over.

Do people think that, to some degree, players may take with them into the real world the attitudes of disrespect and violence towards women that this game promotes?

I kinda think making a character do these things yourself, as opposed to say hearing similar attitudes in music, or seeing them in movies, would have a greater and more desentizing impact.

That is a very good question you are asking here. My wondering is how come there are GTA games created which have such theme’s, characters taking drugs, shooting cops and display such a degree of violence and disrespect against women. Are those games reflecting an attitude that is already fostering in peoples mind and therefore sure to get people who want to engage in playing those games?

Personally I think it is a high concern that so many people would want to participate in games of such violence and disrespect to people.

I think that the world of gaming has certainly changed from when i was a kid, where Sonic the Hedgehog and Mario were the games.

As time has gone by these kids from back in the day have grown up and games like Mario and Sonic just isn't appealing any more.

So what companies tend to do is push out games that are are more violent and graphic which tend to appeal to the more grown up generation.

Although i agree that GTA can take it too far when it comes to violence, we also need to look at the R18 sticker which mean this game isnt for kids.

I think people need to know that gaming isnt just a kids thing anymore and that adults do engage in this activity.

If you think about it, R18 movies are restricted to adults, but when it comes to gaming people tend too look the other way even when theres a big red R18 sticker slapped in front.

Becuase this restriction is pretty laxed it does get concerning that young people may get their hands on something so violent, who knows what may come out of it.

For those interested, Iowa State University did some research back in 2006. Psychologists Nicholas Carnagey and Craig Anderson produced a study looking at violence desensitisation from video games
I'm guessing that more recent studies exist, but as a starting point - a couple of conclusions they made...

"Several features of violent video games suggest that they may have even more pronounced effects on users than violent TV programs and films... The results demonstrate that playing violent video games, even for just 20 minutes, can cause people to become less physiologically aroused by real violence" - Nicholas Carnagey.

The study used students from the university, both male and female and presumably over 18yrs.

What would be an interesting read would be one looking at the impact on younger people, adolescents whom are still developing and have yet to form concrete morals, ideas around right/wrong and social responsibility.

Having played the GTA games for myself, I would agree that the GTA series most definitely deserves the censors R18 stamp.

The research findings are quite scary although not totally unexpected.

I think you make a good point about the developmental stage of a young person and how that might impact on the influence these games have on them.

And even though there are age restrictions on the game I agree that these are probably not always controlled or by-passed by someone older in the house purchasing the game.

I have actually polled some of my friends who have played the previous games and I always hear "it's just a game - it's not real" but to be honest I just don't get what the need is to play it in the first place and what about someone who may not be able to make the destinction between reality and gaming so easily?

It does seem like people turn a blind eye to violent video games, with the excuses of it being just a game.

however you could say that violent movies is just a movie, but still the restrictions are more stringent when selling a young person a movie to ticket to an R18 movie then it is at selling them an R 18 game.

If you visit forums of many popular video game website you will see post from many underage gamers who obviuosly have been playing R18 games.