Coppertop

I note you have failed to answer the question(s) posed at you in kind, Art.

In fact, people have pointed out that media can have an influence on behavior. Not everyone, but some have. I myself have experienced the Tony Hawk Syndrome mentioned above. Same goes for driving games. Hell, I dream about games often when I play them for extended periods of time. But one person out of millions of players is not an indicator that this game trains people to kill cops.

And I personally find your approval of removing this medium from the market disgusting. If you don't like them, fine, do not play them. No one is asking you to. But please don't try to shit on someone else's parade because you have some self righteous desire to determine another person's (society's in general?) recreational pursuits. Let's just hope someone is around to defend your hobbies against frivolous lawsuits. Like gun control, perhaps?

Moving on...

The video game industry is one (the only?) that has self-regulated and implemented the rating system itself to better illustrate to potential buyers the content of the game. So much for the "socially irresponsible" theory. The game is rated M, which would be equivalent to an R rating for a movie. It is not intended for minors. Minors should not be allowed to buy it in stores. Store clerks need to card purchasers if they look underage. Parents should absolutely not buy these games for minors. Obviously you wouldn't want your child to see Fatal Attraction, so why is this different? People get the impression that because it is a video game is it intended for children. The same mentality seems to go for anime. This is an ignorant viewpoint.

Unless and until people realize that these games (movies, etc.) can (and 99.99% of the time do) represent harmless entertainment for millions upon millions of people, these cases will continue.