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Jeremy Clarkson on GTA IV: 'Game's not to blame' photo

The Sun is not a newspaper in which one could expect to find a sensible opinion, especially when it comes to videogames. I must confess, however, that I was quite pleasantly surprised when I opened up a colleague's copy at my other job to find that TV presenter and Sun columnist Jeremy Clarkson was actually defending Grand Theft Auto IV ... kind of. In his short piece entitled "Game's not to blame," Clarkson shares a belief I think many of us have:

"This week the latest version of videogame Grand Theft Auto hit the shelves -- and pretty soon it will be cited as the reason why people feel compelled to lock their children in cellars, why Israel cannot find peace with the Palestinians and why everyone in Britain has been stabbed." 

Hmmm, I played an earlier version of the game and must say that at no point did I feel the need to go outside and chop off a prostitute's head.

In fact, as is the case with most videogames, I hadn't a clue what was going on. I sat there, frantically stabbing at all the buttons, until a message on the screen told me the game was over.

It was annoying. Not dangerous." 

It's nice to see someone like Clarkson admit that although he clearly doesn't "get" videogames, that doesn't mean he thinks they are something to be feared. I wouldn't expect a British tabloid to print such an unbiased opinion about the controversial GTA IV, but I am glad it did. This, along with The Guardian and the BBC taking excellent approaches to videogames coverage, makes me wonder just how long the age of media panic over gaming has to last in the UK.

I think the vendettas of such anti-game tabloids as The Daily Mail are soon to be rendered obsolete. To those still using their positions in mainstream press to attack games, I suggest you start doing some serious sucking up to the industry if you don't want to be the last fossil in the museum. You are outdated, and your time is ending.


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46 comments | showing # 1 to 46

linuxguy's Avatar
linuxguy at 05/03/2008 21:45
nice to see a journalist that actually played the games before judging it
bruceleethree's Avatar
bruceleethree at 05/03/2008 21:48
stop camping dtoid.com linux.
Wiid Whacker's Avatar
Wiid Whacker at 05/03/2008 21:48
My god, RATIONAL MEDIA! It is truly the apocalypse!
krylonkoopa's Avatar
krylonkoopa at 05/03/2008 21:51
Everything he said was true.Jermey clarkson is awsome. he does good shows. I used to torrent every episode of top gear. The Stig is the shit. All those guys are great.
Dexter345's Avatar
Dexter345 at 05/03/2008 21:51
Eh, I don't know. He says he had no idea what was going on and he got game over'd. He probably didn't even get to the more deplorable parts of the game. I wonder what he would have said if he actually did understand it.
mistic's Avatar
mistic at 05/03/2008 21:54
Jeremy Clarckson absolutely rocks :-)

even though he got his ass handed to him by a chick when driving on the nurburgring with a Jaguar ( she was driving a Ford Transit Van ) :-)
myzz's Avatar
myzz at 05/03/2008 21:54
at least he is honest :X
Jim Sterling's Avatar
Jim Sterling at 05/03/2008 21:59
"He probably didn't even get to the more deplorable parts of the game."

To be fair, nor have the others that have blamed it for the evils of the world. :-D

I'm sure he knows what the game's about though. And I think he's put more effort into trying it it than most of his peers.
liquidninja's Avatar
liquidninja at 05/03/2008 22:02
Oh, I thought this was about the PS3 version freezing.
Dennen's Avatar
Dennen at 05/03/2008 22:02
On a related note to this. A lot of people have recently been getting it somewhat right. That "aggressive behavior"... Or more accurately, the ability to react faster to what one would call "bad" - the news calls this desensitization.. But that's another topic...

That "aggressive behavior" is not caused by video games, but rather all of the society we live in. Face it, I usually hear of somebody that got murdered on TV every morning. I've come to unfortunately expect it... Usually it's accompanied by a picture that would cause some very weak stomached people to perhaps toss their breakfast if they feel so wishing at the sight of a blood spattered sidewalk complete with chalk outline or the occasional half covered corpse.

This led me to wonder if perhaps something is wrong with me. But then I think of the violence and people that act on that violence that live in our world. People who never played a video game, yet are far more violent than myself or the next. Why the school bully around 2003 felt video games were still a "nerdy" thing to do, yet continued to be the most violent person in school.

Or why it's acceptable to allow a child to learn martial arts *I was one of these* yet it's the will of parents to blame a video game put in the childs hands when they are being rough children.

I wonder why the level of parents hitting their children for discipline has declined steadily with the rate of which violence and sex has increased on TV. (Don't get me wrong, I loathe parents who beat their children for practically any reason under the sun.. But damnit, if little jimmy calls his mother a whore in Wal-mart - the first thing that goes through my mind is "Somebody's gonna get his ass kicked, or at least spanked".. Instead I hear "That's not a very nice thing to say to mommy!".. It boggles me.)

Anyhow, on to my point - before I end up rambling again.

What I wonder is, is there anyone that can imagine a world without the violence, sex and pain we see? Can anyone imagine a world where there are no school bullies, violent films and games are extremely restricted, and the world is generally peaceful?... I certainly cannot. The world at large is this way, I think. Maybe music did make peoples sexual orientations, monogamistic practices and "proper sexual age" looser than they were 20 years ago. But even if things like Rock N Roll, Dry Humping to Rap Music, Videogames, Movies and the advertisments preying on sexuality never happened. I honestly don't think the world would be any better off. I think it'd be worse.

To people like Jack Thompson. I say it's fine to try to pass a law. But as always, kids will find a way around it. Regardless of what we ban, violence will still be in our lives. Regardless of how we are raised, we will be desensitized. The children are our futures. Laws will not stop them from getting worse. As it was in the old day, as it is in our day, the parents are the number one key factor in deciding the next step in humanity's fate. Why do the media and individuals with outspoken media voices continue to focus targets on the next big hit movie and it's ratings, or the next big video game to be the center of some "scandal". Why instead do they never take the time out to properly research? Why instead do they never take the time to educate the parents on something they likely did not grow up with. The best way to understand the youth is to expose yourself to what is the newest fad. Most of the time it's harmless. But it can be restricted. It can be controlled. All people have to do is care.

And if few people care about raising their children rather than letting their children raise themselves, we can't blame Electronics for the future.
Dennen's Avatar
Dennen at 05/03/2008 22:03
I always overtype don't I? Meh. I start to ramble and then I forget how much i've typed =)

Sorry about that!
Wexx's Avatar
Wexx at 05/03/2008 22:13
!Dennen++

good job picking up your co-worker's paper Jim. Without you doing so, I would have just completely written off the print media as it is. </sarcasm>
Dennen's Avatar
Dennen at 05/03/2008 22:31
*glances over this.... THING before him, lifting his monitor and tilting it side to side like an ape before a puzzle*

What is this.... "!Dennen++".... Is it harmful?.... And is that click before my name?
Vlambo's Avatar
Vlambo at 05/03/2008 22:40
It's from IRC Dennen. When someone goes !something++ that means your karma went up, thus meaning people like it.
Dennen's Avatar
Dennen at 05/03/2008 22:41
Oh I see! Well thank you for the explanation sir, and thank yas Wexx!

I thought he was referencing names in such a fashion *nod*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqn9rXu1TCM

Around the 3:18 mark.
Vlambo's Avatar
Vlambo at 05/03/2008 22:45
You should hop into IRC one day. Always a party in IRC

/end plug
linuxguy's Avatar
linuxguy at 05/03/2008 23:50
@Vlambo:what IRC?
Cheeburga's Avatar
Cheeburga at 05/04/2008 00:14
All hail Clarkson.
taumpytears's Avatar
taumpytears at 05/04/2008 00:15
Silly Brits and their positive articles on gaming.
animateria's Avatar
animateria at 05/04/2008 00:32
All hail Clarkson.

That game was Gran Turismo 4 I think? (or 3)

It was a tribute to the ending of the production of Honda NSXs. He couldn't beat his videogame run of Laguna Seca in real life however. Videogames lack gravity, consequences and fear, obviously.
Phoenix0783's Avatar
Phoenix0783 at 05/04/2008 00:34
And now we hand it over to our tame racing driver...
exanimo's Avatar
exanimo at 05/04/2008 00:39
Some say that ...
Respectable Gentleman's Avatar
Respectable Gentleman at 05/04/2008 00:46
Um... It sounds like this is a very VERY unlegit opinion. It doesn't even sound like he played the game... He merely stabbed wildly at it. This proves that videogames are harmless... To old men.
animateria's Avatar
animateria at 05/04/2008 00:48
Some say that, he's wanted by the CIA, and that he sleeps upside down like a bat... all we know is, he's called the Stig!
Raymod's Avatar
Raymod at 05/04/2008 02:16
British Media seems to be going Crazy Check out this on the Sky News Site.
GTA on SKY NEWS
Emrah's Avatar
Emrah at 05/04/2008 02:46
I'm not a fan of the gameplay elements of GTA's. Of course it is not the source of society's problems but I believe it does simplify violence and the results of violence, for anyone under their 12's or 13's, and morons at any age, and the difference with movies is that it puts you right in the driving seat of this violence.
razerangel's Avatar
razerangel at 05/04/2008 03:47
Clarkson FTW!
DrXym's Avatar
DrXym at 05/04/2008 04:23
GTA has a "gameover"?

Anyway Clarkson says some frankly stupid things (mostly in defence of cars), so do not get too excited about his defence of GTA.
BritiniMartini's Avatar
BritiniMartini at 05/04/2008 05:28
It's nice to see good news about video games like this every once in a while. it makes me happy panda :P
glad to see that not all non-gamers are ignorant and judgmental.

thanks for this :)
garrfunkel's Avatar
garrfunkel at 05/04/2008 06:02
Im glad he's not a dick because I like Top Gear and would have hated for him to be a GTA blamer. Now i can love him even more.
nopk's Avatar
nopk at 05/04/2008 06:37
I fucking love Jeremy Clarkson.

Thanks for the heads up Jim.

Can't wait for the next series of Top Gear.
Tamz's Avatar
Tamz at 05/04/2008 06:37
Awesome, I guess he's had enough good experiences with games to overcome the fears that render most politicians and media figures into babbling narrow minded wimps.

Anyone see the episode where he plays Gran Tourismo, that was a great episode.
nopk's Avatar
nopk at 05/04/2008 06:40
Oh and by the way, I remember there was a debate over who should be gaming's anti Jack Thompson.

We need someone who is an exact copy of Jeremy Clarkson, but for games. Someone not PC, someone intelligent, funny, and easy to listen to like and listen to.

That's what gaming needs.
exodus1925's Avatar
exodus1925 at 05/04/2008 06:43
LEGEND
PSIq0ut's Avatar
PSIq0ut at 05/04/2008 06:46
Great, always good to have some Racist neo nazi defending your game. -_-'
nopk's Avatar
nopk at 05/04/2008 07:17
PSlq0ut

I'm not sure if you're serious or not, but just in case-

Fuck you. Jeremy Clarkson is the only hope for foul toothed brits around the world, and if I was unfortunate enough to live in the post-1984 dystopia that we now call United Kningdomland, I would spend every day of my life making sure he was put into some sort of power.

So fuck you.

DrXym
Same to you. If you think he says stupid things, watch fifth gear. Otherwise, GTFO.

Reaprar
A /b/ reference AND completely neglecting to see the purpose of his inpolitical corectness. Why do you bother breathing?



I love Destructoid except for the blatant idiocy that the site is explicitly veneered in when it comes to comments. If you assholes don't like JC, then you need to take a reading comprehension course at your nearest community college. Chances are you either buy the environmentalist bullshit, or you don't know the difference between the word "Affect" and "Effect". If that's the case, stop watching Al Gore fill your head full of shit, and pick up a fucking book.

Goddamn.
Holyetheline's Avatar
Holyetheline at 05/04/2008 08:36
What a noob he is for stabbing at buttons until he dies. I love him.
Qraze's Avatar
Qraze at 05/04/2008 08:40
good for him and us.
Slique's Avatar
Slique at 05/04/2008 09:13
There's also a great article in today's News of the World where the Rockstar Founders' mother defends the game. It's pretty awesome, especially after how Jack Thompson wrote her a letter condemning them.
niacin's Avatar
niacin at 05/04/2008 09:48
Well I'm shocked, a paper that has both Trevor Kavanagh and kelvin mackenzie is able to give a half assed opinion on GTA 4 that vaguely comes down on the side of it's not going to kill us all.
Takeshi's Avatar
Takeshi at 05/04/2008 11:26
If there's anyone to blame it's Jeremy himself

Jeremy Clarkson vs Smallest Car Ever Made
Drunken Haze's Avatar
Drunken Haze at 05/04/2008 12:33
Seeing as how clarkson spends a lot of his real life straping bombs to cars, speeding and crashing i can understand why he wasnt overwhelmed by the game, but didnt see it as shockingly bad.
slapme7times's Avatar
slapme7times at 05/04/2008 15:12
Games are bad for Society.

Guantanamo Bay, on the otherhand, is protecting us from dangerous non-white people.
Necros's Avatar
Necros at 05/04/2008 21:13
It still seems that he's following the mantra of "I don't understand these crazy video games," he's just reaching the opposite viewpoint with equal disregard for understanding.
Paul Soth's Avatar
Paul Soth at 05/05/2008 00:27
Clarkson is basically a well-behaved sociopath, which makes him so entertaining. Anyway, here's where he compares GT4's Laguna Seca to the real Laguna Seca:

Top Gear: GT4 vs Reality

And if that's not enough, here's his review of GT4:

Gran Turismo 4: Pass the joystick, sonny, this is the future of driving
PSIq0ut's Avatar
PSIq0ut at 05/08/2008 12:13
nopk:

"Fuck you. Jeremy Clarkson is the only hope for foul toothed brits around the world"

I stopped reading past there.
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