Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post

elaphe · 01-26-2006, 08:46 PM

Not sure if this thread belongs here or not (mods, please move if you have to) but I'm questioning whether or not the fantasy senarios depicted in bideo games can influence young players.

Just recently here in Toronto (Jan 25), a cab driver was killed instantly when his cab was tee-boned by steet racers.

" The cab was a twisted wreck, tangled around a pole. Smoke rose into the night air as rescue crews looked on helplessly. There was, in the end, nothing left to save.

There was a terrible irony at the scene of a deadly accident near Mt. Pleasant and St. Clair Ave. Tuesday night – it looked like a graphic scene from a video game.

And police fear that may have been the inspiration for the crash that killed a 46-year-old Toronto cab driver.

It happened around 10:30pm when two 18-year-olds were allegedly driving their parents’ Mercedes Benz cars at a high rate of speed up Mt. Pleasant.

As taxi driver Tahir Khan tried to make a left hand turn, one of the luxury automobiles appeared from out of nowhere, smashing directly into him.

“When he made that turn, two motor vehicles at a very high rate of speed were northbound,” relates Det. Paul Lobsinger. “He crossed directly into the path of those vehicles and one of these vehicles struck him.”

He died at the scene.

The car that hit the cab sat nearby badly damaged, but at first there was no sign of the other vehicle. The driver left the scene only to return minutes later. By then, police were waiting.

Investigators quickly determined the cause of the crash – excessive speed, likely because the two expensive cars were racing against each other.

And inside of one of them, an apparent motive – the video game Need For Speed, which allows users to race through a city avoiding obstacles and police.

Speeds in the game reach 300 kilometres an hour. Cops theorize the accused were trying to turn the fantasy into reality, with tragic results.

On Wednesday night, friends of the deceased made a difficult call back to his homeland to inform his family of the bad news.

“My friend just called Pakistan and notified the family and are in process of making arrangements to ship the body to Pakistan,” said Rashid Quazi

Authorities contend street racing is becoming all too common a problem in the G.T.A. and they vow to clamp down on it in any way possible.

To prove it, they’ve laid the heaviest charges they could against the drivers.

Alexander Ryazanov and Wang−Piao Dumani Ross have both been accused of criminal negligence causing death. Ross also faces additional charges for leaving the scene of the crash.

Their families were at College Park courts on Wednesday morning, when both made their first appearance before a judge. They remain in custody pending bail hearings.

If convicted, the maximum penalty could be life in prison. "

January 25, 2006 Pulse24.com

I'm not sure how to take this spin on this senseless tragedy. Need For Speed killed the cabbie??? What about the two a**hats behind the wheel? Does blaming the play of a video game give these two stupid teens an out for their criminal behaviour? Doesn't this excuse belittle the loss of a poor working stiff trying to earn a living?

elaphe

01-26-2006, 08:46 PM	#1 (permalink)
elaphe Tilted Location: British Columbia, Canada	Does gaming lead to criminal behaviour? Not sure if this thread belongs here or not (mods, please move if you have to) but I'm questioning whether or not the fantasy senarios depicted in bideo games can influence young players. Just recently here in Toronto (Jan 25), a cab driver was killed instantly when his cab was tee-boned by steet racers. " The cab was a twisted wreck, tangled around a pole. Smoke rose into the night air as rescue crews looked on helplessly. There was, in the end, nothing left to save. There was a terrible irony at the scene of a deadly accident near Mt. Pleasant and St. Clair Ave. Tuesday night – it looked like a graphic scene from a video game. And police fear that may have been the inspiration for the crash that killed a 46-year-old Toronto cab driver. It happened around 10:30pm when two 18-year-olds were allegedly driving their parents’ Mercedes Benz cars at a high rate of speed up Mt. Pleasant. As taxi driver Tahir Khan tried to make a left hand turn, one of the luxury automobiles appeared from out of nowhere, smashing directly into him. “When he made that turn, two motor vehicles at a very high rate of speed were northbound,” relates Det. Paul Lobsinger. “He crossed directly into the path of those vehicles and one of these vehicles struck him.” He died at the scene. The car that hit the cab sat nearby badly damaged, but at first there was no sign of the other vehicle. The driver left the scene only to return minutes later. By then, police were waiting. Investigators quickly determined the cause of the crash – excessive speed, likely because the two expensive cars were racing against each other. And inside of one of them, an apparent motive – the video game Need For Speed, which allows users to race through a city avoiding obstacles and police. Speeds in the game reach 300 kilometres an hour. Cops theorize the accused were trying to turn the fantasy into reality, with tragic results. On Wednesday night, friends of the deceased made a difficult call back to his homeland to inform his family of the bad news. “My friend just called Pakistan and notified the family and are in process of making arrangements to ship the body to Pakistan,” said Rashid Quazi Authorities contend street racing is becoming all too common a problem in the G.T.A. and they vow to clamp down on it in any way possible. To prove it, they’ve laid the heaviest charges they could against the drivers. Alexander Ryazanov and Wang−Piao Dumani Ross have both been accused of criminal negligence causing death. Ross also faces additional charges for leaving the scene of the crash. Their families were at College Park courts on Wednesday morning, when both made their first appearance before a judge. They remain in custody pending bail hearings. If convicted, the maximum penalty could be life in prison. " January 25, 2006 Pulse24.com I'm not sure how to take this spin on this senseless tragedy. Need For Speed killed the cabbie??? What about the two a**hats behind the wheel? Does blaming the play of a video game give these two stupid teens an out for their criminal behaviour? Doesn't this excuse belittle the loss of a poor working stiff trying to earn a living? elaphe __________________ "Forty-two," said Deep Thought, with infinite majesty and calm.