Kanagawa bans sale of 'Grand Theft Auto' game to U-18s

[sludge]

Kanagawa bans sale of 'Grand Theft Auto' game to U-18s

YOKOHAMA -- The Kanagawa Prefectural Government's child welfare council on Monday designated Capcom's video game "Grand Theft Auto 3" as a harmful publication and submitted a report to prefectural authorities to ban its sale to youths under the age of 18.
Kanagawa Gov. Shigefumi Matsuzawa will issue a notice on the designation on June 7. Prefectural officials say it is the first time in Japan a video game has been designated as a harmful publication because of the cruelty it depicts.
"Grand Theft Auto 3" is an American-made game in which the main character kills people one by one with guns and other weapons. Since its release in Japan in September 2003, it has sold 350,000 copies.
The specified nonprofit corporation Computer Entertainment Rating Organization (CERO) has designated the game as one for computer users aged 18 or over.
Under Kanagawa Prefecture's decision, the game will have to be displayed apart from other software, and those who sell it to minors under the age of 18 will be liable to pay a fine of up to 300,000 yen. (Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, May 30, 2005)

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See Pics: NSFW

[emperor]

main character kills people one by one with guns and other weapons

I believe when I played the game - it was quite common to kill as many as 4-8 people simultaneously...

I reacon kids that are at an impressionable age should be sheltered from these kind of games but once a kid turns 13/14 he/she is usually well able to handle these kinds of games and movies - without having any profoundly damaging effects.
In an ideal world - parents screen what their kids watch and do - but v often youll get parents who couldnt give two shits and then someone has to step in.

[puargs]

Good thing they ban the sale of this game and yet show unmitigated violence in the form of animation day and night on network television. I love it when the government makes moral decisions so parents (and children, for that matter) don't have to. Distinguishing between reality and fantasy is something none of us should have to do.