Yes, the first one went pretty far, I played and beat it, so I can attest to that. The question here is not along those lines, the question is why they are banning it from sale. I don't agree by this whole "videogames made me do it"...
Let's take a close look at statistics. How many first person shooters have been sold (take just the major series like Doom, Half-Life, Quake, Unreal, and Halo)... millions upon millions worldwide. You'd think with some direct analogy that would mean there should be roughly that many psychopaths running around with machetes and uzis slicing, dicing, and shooting up anyone and everyone. But wait, there isn't. Certainly they are isolated incidents where people CLAIM that the videogames/devil/their priest made them due it, but when it all comes down to it, it's about personal fucking accountability.
Don't shoot people. Don't kill people. If people get OUT their aggressions, dark side thoughts or whatever through offing Nazis, prostitutes, aliens, whatever in a videogame, who cares? They aren't doing it in real life, if anything it's just an extension of suspended disbelief in reality like daydreaming. Why stop millions of people from enjoying their games because a small handful of people SAY that will turn them into godless killing machines?
I do agree with a rating system banning youngsters from getting super violent titles. People grow up too fast as it is. But the fact remains that banning or restricting items to a high degree is just making people want it more. Let's think of restrictions on alcohol and smoking. Yeah, people wait till they are 21 to try alcohol, and 18 to smoke (speaking of the US).
So yeah, grandma will buy Grand Theft Blow Babies Away Manhunt Gear Solid 20x6 for Timmy's sixth birthday because he wanted it, and Timmy's parents will be pissed, and Jack Thompson will be smiling in a corner somewhere. That's life. People need to wake up and smell the coffee.
