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Article: GAME OVER? In the same week that video games rubbed shoulders with theatre and visual art at the Edinburgh festival, a US teenager was convicted for murders he claimed were inspired by Grand Theft Auto. Jenifer Johnston examines the fiercely contested social effects of an industry which now rivals Hollywood
- Article from:
- The Sunday Herald
- Article date:
- August 14, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2005 The Sunday Herald. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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DANGEROUS. Addictive. Degrading. Immoral. This was the vocabulary
of parents and politicians in 1976, when hit-and-run video game Death
Race started to grab the attention of teenagers across America. The
game featured indistinguishable white "gremlins" being run over by a
white "car" on a black background, with each hit marked with a small
white cross.
The morality of the game was enough to inspire a spot on the
flagship US current affairs programme 60 Minutes, and spark a global
debate about the content of a new genre of entertainment - gaming.
Today is the final day of the Edinburgh Interactive Entertainment
Festival, considered the Cannes of the gaming world. It is testament
to how far ...