Ignored island politician lumps V-Tech Rampage with GTA IV

by Alexander Sliwinski { May 17th 2007 at 12:28PM }

State Senator Andew Lanza (R) of Staten Island, chair of the New York Senate's Task Force on Youth Violence and the Entertainment Industry , has publicly come out against video game V-Tech Rampage saying, "There are certain things in life you don't make light of and should not be turning into a game ... It's not a game, it's a tremendous loss of life."

He hopes that the title stays on the fringe and in a classic moment of ignorance asks that the game be shunned by retailers, manufacturers and website hosts. And we're back to square one of politicians not knowing the difference between independent and industry games.

Lanza goes on to say, "You've got Grand Theft Auto where you murder police officers ... To me, I can't imagine people marketing and distributing it, and putting it in the hands of kids, but it's happening." Of course, Rockstar has already weighed in about how much stock they put into what anybody from Staten Island says by just not inlcluding the landmass in GTA IV.

[Via GamePolitics]

Tags: gta, lanza, staten island, v-tech

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

JodyAnthony @ May 17th 2007 12:36PM

man, what a great way to keep the game from gaining popularity

Jack of No Trades @ May 17th 2007 12:37PM

I """hate""" these assholes! I """hate""" politicians! This is why our country is going down the shithole. Movies are 100X worst at showing violence than a fucking videogame. This world makes me want to going on a killing spree sometimes. Search and destroy all the retarded people that try to force their ways upon you. Go smoke some weed and have a epiphany you stupid government fucks.

kingofwale @ May 17th 2007 12:38PM

yeah, VT shooter was inspired by video game, and cop killing ONLY started after GTA3

and what's next? Internet is a series of Tubes?

LowerHouseMember @ May 17th 2007 12:39PM

Here we go again!

Dathos @ May 17th 2007 12:40PM

So lets get this straight, it's not okay to make games where you go around killing people, even though it's based on a reasonably important historic event? Well then lets take all the WW1 and WW2 games off of the shelves!! No ones complained about them yet, maybe it'll get me some publicity!

By the way I don't agree with the V-Tech shooting game, as it may be have been a little more sympathetic to the families of the victims if it wasn't created so soon after the event.

comradepenguin @ May 17th 2007 12:46PM

I agree with Dathos. The V-Tech game is in bad taste but that is no reason to ban it. Reports repeatedly show that people won't be influenced, its just not a very sympathetic thing to make so soon.

As for GTA do what we in the uk do. Get it rated 18 by the film ratings authority and hence illegal for anyone under that age to buy. Making retailers and parents responsible.

Jack of No Trades @ May 17th 2007 12:46PM

How can these people be so stupid? Last time I check violence has been around long before Pong. Sometimes I catch myself hating other people because of their stupidity.

Anyone else have the same problem as me?

Theta @ May 17th 2007 12:47PM

Hai look guyz, talking pointz!

Martez @ May 17th 2007 12:56PM

Great headline. I'm still lol-ing, inside.

Jamie @ May 17th 2007 12:57PM

It would have taken about 30 seconds of internet research to find out this game (V-Tech Rampage) hasn't been published and/or distributed commercially.

JodyAnthony @ May 17th 2007 1:00PM

We can all take a lesson from this man: to get people to ignore something, talk about it for no reason.

Noone listen to my band We Make Thunder (www.myspace.com/wemakethunder) and while you're at it, do not come see us play at the Gallery Cabaret (2020 North Oakley, Chicago, IL 60613) After that, please do not come see us play at Subterranean (2011 W North Ave, Chicago IL, 60647) for the chicagoist.com 3rd anniversary party. Please understand that I do not want you to pay attention to my band.

HaloBreaker @ May 17th 2007 1:01PM

Freedom of creativity. Get over it.

Satsuki @ May 17th 2007 3:32PM

Hahaha! Do you think they're forcing these games down our throats? WE LIKE TO KILL PIGS! What about movies? What about your Army? Desensitizing, lying, killing... There are many other things YOU should REALLY concern yourself with! PERSUADING/LIEING TO ALL THESE TEENAGERS TO GET THEM TO JOIN THE ARMY AND FIGHT FOR YOUR POWER WAR IS ONE!
**WAR IS DISGUSTING AND AN IMMATURE SOLUTION TO YOUR PROBLEMS** You're disgusting!

Go sit down.

Poisoned Al @ May 17th 2007 1:10PM

@Jack of No Trades: Before Pong, rock and roll was the cause of all society's ills. Hell, you can trace back dick-head politions blaming something popular they don't understand for all problems in the world. In the 14th century it was theatre and William Shakespeare was the times Rockstar.

This wankary will continue until the human race comes extinct. Which I predict will be with 100 years the way we are going.

JodyAnthony @ May 17th 2007 1:14PM

"until the human race comes extinct. Which I predict will be with 100 years the way we are going."

you, me, and carl sagan.

Ted @ May 17th 2007 1:37PM

Ignorance about video games will only be overcome once those in their early 20's become the money-makers and the parents. So my estimate is for about 10-15 years before games become mainstream and we get to stop hearing this sort of BS.

Jack of No Trades @ May 17th 2007 1:40PM

TED

Hopefully these old asshole won't find a way to ruin games before that 10-15 years is up.

Greg @ May 17th 2007 1:53PM

Whatever.

Way to take a bold stance, Lanza. What's next, a press conference about how puppies are adorable?

My favorite quote is the one about "putting [violent games]in the hands of kids." If anybody knows where this free-game-stand is, please tell me, I feel like a sucker for still paying actual money for my games. Nobody's "putting" anything in anyone's hands. GTAIV will be $60, and won't play on anything that sells for less than $300.

I love how politicians will jump so quickly on media, which doesn't really hurt anybody (except for when American Idol makes me violently ill), but offer tax breaks to cigarette companies, which sell a product that actually kills people.

samfish @ May 17th 2007 2:33PM

"Movies are 100X worst at showing violence than a fucking videogame."

In fairness, though, a videogame makes you CHOOSE to engage in the violence. With a movie, you're pretty much just watching it go by.

That said, video game violence is the only bipartisan subject left in American politics.
Gotta love ignorance and pandering rolled into a nice big Katamari-sized ball like that.

Anonymous (He who does not forgive) @ May 17th 2007 2:48PM

Man he's just pissy because Staten Island wasn't included in GTA 4. Then again Staten Island doesn't exist in reality, so they're just going for accuracy.

Grant @ May 17th 2007 3:56PM

staten island... the biggest landfill in the nation.
can we kick them out of the united states yet?
clearly they don't contribute useful things to senate, but do they contribute anything useful at all... you know... besides the complete desecration of the english language, they do that quite well.

Aberu @ May 17th 2007 6:03PM

Video games are an expression of art through a certain medium. Movies are the exact same thing.

They made a 9/11 movie, and plenty of movies that bring up the subject of modern terrorism. Is that any less sensitive? Both are attempting to capitalize on a tragedy. Fact is, who cares, it's art, let it be. Ignore it if you don't like it.

Frankie @ May 17th 2007 7:08PM

But it's okay to US tax dollars to release America's Army PC so we can train kids to shoot and kill Iraqis instead.

TheBigDude @ May 18th 2007 9:06AM

i'd really like to hear a list of things Mr. Lanza has actually DONE for the community beside waste taxpayer's dollars and talk about shit he does not understand.

he used to be a manager of a big Wall Street firm, so i guess that makes him not only "a man of the people" but also an expert on video games.

you have to be real smart to pay $$ to live in the world's most polluted 5-mile radius (great kills) i guess.

what a piece of shit, why not mind your own buisness and get your nose back where it belongs- banning metal bats from Little League games and talking bribes like a good little Republican.

TheBigDude @ May 18th 2007 9:17AM

hey joystiq, you should be writing about THIS, he's only running for NY state senate, how could you miss this !!!
if you read this story at all, read THESE:

http://ftl.nypress.com/index.cfm?search=andrew%20lanza

Lanza gets big donations from interests he opposes- full story:
http://www.silive.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news/115340227631380.xml&coll=1

Councilman enters race for state Senate with 47% absence rate- 'If he can't make a meeting in Manhattan, why do we think he'd make a meeting in Albany?'

http://www.silive.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news/1147354283240230.xml&coll=1

he's been actually asked REAL questions in the last 2 weeks, been under ethics investigation for months, and of course, he's talking about video games this week. and running for the state senate.

way to go, prove to voters that you're a 100% scumbag, instead of just a 47% scumbag.