Roger Bennett, director general of ELSPA (Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association) has sent an open letter to the British Home Secretary, David Blunkett, voicing his concerns over recent media reports of the murder of a 14 year old in Leicestershire and its alleged links to Rockstar’s
Manhunt.
Despite it transpiring that only the victim, not the murderer, owned a copy of the game the British tabloid press and some news programs ran a series of sensational stories concerning the murder, with the Daily Mail newspaper going so far as to call for all violent games, including the likes of
Doom 3 and
Unreal Tournament 2004 to be banned.
The open letter asks the Home Secretary to recognize the unfairness of the accusations, as well as the work that the games industry does for the British economy and education system. Bennett also criticizes MP Keith Vaz who appeared to jump on the bandwagon of criticism for
Manhunt, even when the real facts of the case were known.
The full text of the letter can be read via the link below.
Source:
ELSPA
