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Plant destruction blamed on GTA IV: Game hysteria officially jumps the shark photo

Okay, that's it, this bollocks has gone on long enough. With Grand Theft Auto IV, as well as games in general, being blamed for murder, the corruption of our youth and the breakdown of American values, you'd think that anti-game sentiment had reached its ludicrous peak -- not so. Now, following a string of wanton plant destruction in a Swedish park, Rockstar can add another indirect crime to its list of supposed evildoings.

"I am very much considering getting surveillance," says Swedish park supervisor Gert Axelsson. In Lulea, old Gert has to deal with his plants being viciously and brutally attacked by chlorophyll hating vandals and naturally there is only ONE thing to blame. 

Yep, Grand Theft Auto IV, "where you wreak havoc in the city." Of course, the parallels are distinct and many. After a round of GTA, there's nothing I like to do more than kick the sh*t out of a mulberry bush and squeeze nectarines to pulp in my almighty hands, before taking my revolver out and blasting a row of sunflowers in the temple, gangland execution style. 

This has gone beyond a bloody joke.


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39 comments | showing # 1 to 39

J03yyz's Avatar
J03yyz at 08/07/2008 07:44
are you fucking kidding me?

my dog died of natural causes last week - im going to write my member of parliament to have GTA4 RIPPED from store shelves
Gibbo's Avatar
Gibbo at 08/07/2008 07:51
Bloody Hell.
nintendoll's Avatar
nintendoll at 08/07/2008 07:53
I couldn't get into some stores for weeks; GTAIV made me think I could only go inside strip clubs and pools halls.

FUCK YOU GTA!
Alexradl's Avatar
Alexradl at 08/07/2008 07:53
I think he forgot to take his meds.
Clance's Avatar
Clance at 08/07/2008 07:56
I wonder if the vandals experienced any pop-up while approaching the flower beds.

I think Rockstar needs to create a plant-ripping engine for the next game and have a mission titled 'Weedkiller' or 'AmBUSHed' or something that is actually clever, like they normally do.
Cartman's Avatar
Cartman at 08/07/2008 07:56
You can bet southpark will be all over this.
Clance's Avatar
Clance at 08/07/2008 08:03
Do they still make that shit?
Rob-EP's Avatar
Rob-EP at 08/07/2008 08:06
I actually laughed at the pun. I should feel ashamed... I'm not! :)

But this is getting out of control. When will it end? How will it end? Eventually they'll end up blaming stupidity on GTA. I'm disowning humanity.
Cartman's Avatar
Cartman at 08/07/2008 08:06
You better be fucking joking.
Fusiontr's Avatar
Fusiontr at 08/07/2008 08:08
All pigeons now appear red to me

FUCK YOU GTAIV

This is just getting absurd now though

Next they'll be blaming heavy rain on GTA because "It rains in Liberty City and thus is the cause of all rain"
Torzelan's Avatar
Torzelan at 08/07/2008 08:08
I totally did the same thing after playing Zelda and pulling bush after bush to find me some rupees.
TorpedoTed's Avatar
TorpedoTed at 08/07/2008 08:15
'After a round of GTA, there's nothing I like to do more than kick the sh*t out of a mulberry bush '

That comment made me spit tea on my monitor, im banning the site!!
Gen Eric Gui's Avatar
Gen Eric Gui at 08/07/2008 08:26
GTA4 was the root cause of the Crusades. It's also the reason dinosaurs don't exist anymore. Hitler? Grew up playing GTA4.
Silverback 55's Avatar
Silverback 55 at 08/07/2008 08:27
I'd blame it on Pixel Junk Monsters. Having to trample those poor bushes just so you can find coins, for shame.
Leathersoup's Avatar
Leathersoup at 08/07/2008 08:35
Grand Theft Auto made my car keys disappear.
c0dek's Avatar
c0dek at 08/07/2008 08:39
Were any of the plants humped in a car before being pummeled into oblivion with a baseball bat?

IF THE PLANTS WEREN'T HIT, YOU MUST ACQUIT!
Tubatic's Avatar
Tubatic at 08/07/2008 09:14
You've got to be shitting me.
RJG's Avatar
RJG at 08/07/2008 09:17
Jim, you are going to hell for the pun in that picture.

I'll see you there.
myaimistrue's Avatar
myaimistrue at 08/07/2008 09:20
I live in Stockholm, Sweden.
And People in northern Sweden (like the city LuleƄ) is well known for being... a little bit behind the times. I'm shocked he doesn't blame Rock'n'roll music or satan.
Holyetheline's Avatar
Holyetheline at 08/07/2008 09:20
GTA = All things bad in this world
Chibi_Zero's Avatar
Chibi_Zero at 08/07/2008 09:27
haha, I really didn't see this coming.
Brando's Avatar
Brando at 08/07/2008 09:44
Yeah they really need to ban this game. It made me hang out with this guy at the gym who pumped iron all the time. He promised he'd let me "ride his helicopter". Boy, did that take a turn for the worse...
taterchimp's Avatar
taterchimp at 08/07/2008 09:49
I blame Zelda. Cut down bushes, find money.
pendelton21's Avatar
pendelton21 at 08/07/2008 09:54
OW!!! Dammit, I just stubbed my toe...

DARN YOU GTA!!!
shawn is boring's Avatar
shawn is boring at 08/07/2008 10:09
well with invincible plants in gta4 they had to venture out into the real world to get their plant mauling kicks, duh.
Projectexodus's Avatar
Projectexodus at 08/07/2008 10:33
Maybe this guy is demonstrating how ridicilous it is to blame videogames? :)
Bans's Avatar
Bans at 08/07/2008 11:05
TAKE THAT VEAGEN BITCHES!!
TrailerParkJesus's Avatar
TrailerParkJesus at 08/07/2008 11:49
let this be the end of it
brainderailment's Avatar
brainderailment at 08/07/2008 13:18
GTA4 taught me how to go Cow-Tipping, whatever will I do?
Spartacus's Avatar
Spartacus at 08/07/2008 13:21
Good God. Can you even hurt plants in GTAIV?
TheDreadHawk's Avatar
TheDreadHawk at 08/07/2008 13:35
GTA IV killed my father and raped my mother. It also spread wicked rumors about me on the internet. =[[[[ I'm scared to leave my house!
Dexter345's Avatar
Dexter345 at 08/07/2008 14:42
Huh.
Syn's Avatar
Syn at 08/07/2008 14:58
Thats hilarious because you couldn't even damage the plants in GTA4, you could knock down a street light but if you dare to run into a tree you're gonna kiss your windshield. The plants are invulnerable in GTA!

But I guess I can't blame them, for a short while after I got into Final Fantasy I would walk into random people's houses and search their pots and bookshelves for stuff. Sometimes I would even touch their fire just so I could say ouch.
MechaMonkey's Avatar
MechaMonkey at 08/07/2008 20:26
Obviously he didn't see what trees did to your car in the game.
007's Avatar
007 at 08/07/2008 22:23
nice caption.
Mekanikles's Avatar
Mekanikles at 08/08/2008 03:48
"Gert Axelsson believes that computer games such as GTA, where the point is to wreck havoc in the city, is one of the reasons behind increased vandalism"

Is this news, really? One elderly citizen blames those darn kids, that listens to music with rocks in and whatnot, and it gets plastered all over. The news source is even a small local magazine, they might as well have reported about a missing cat.

I, too, hate how everyone blames games instead of parental ineptness but this is not worthy of reporting.
Matthew Blake's Avatar
Matthew Blake at 08/08/2008 07:45
Video games get blamed for everything now.

Before that, it was rap music.
Before that? Rock music.
Before that? Comic books.
Before that? Movies.
Before that? Jazz music.

Imagine that: Of all the things signifying the end of civilization, jazz is not the first thing that comes to my mind. These idiots will slowly die out, and hopefully our generation can learn from their mistakes and stop demonizing every single thing we didn't grow up with.
GohanGVO's Avatar
GohanGVO at 08/09/2008 21:16
Thanks to this, my palm is permanently attached to my face.
RAB's Avatar
RAB at 08/13/2008 19:27
I wish we knew more of the story.

Because if this is the whole story... what the fuck..
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