A Democratic lawmaker from the South Side in Chicago last week filed a bill calling for a ban on some video games to combat the city’s recent increase in violent crimes, including carjacking.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Rep. Marcus Evans Jr. called for an amendment to an existing law that would prohibit the sale of games depicting “theft of motor vehicles with a driver or passenger present”.
Fox 32 reported that Early Walker, a philanthropist in the city, said video games such as ‘Grand Theft Auto’ could affect young minds. The report pointed out that some of the suspects in the city are not even old enough to drive legally.
Last month, a 14-year-old boy was arrested for participating in multiple car hijackings, including one involving a police officer, Chicago police said. Chicago police say car caps rose about 135 percent last year to 1,415, and are still high.
According to police, the youngest motorist arrested in recent attacks was about 12 years old. The offenders often work in crew members and are motivated by pleading or using the stolen vehicle to commit other crimes.
The report pointed out that the game was ‘banned or censored’ in other countries. The idea of the legislation is to prevent these games from being sold to children in the state.
A psychology professor at DePaul told Fox 32 that these games may play a role in increasing violent outcomes, but that they are probably not the only factor. Rockstar Games did not immediately respond to a request from Fox News.
Associated Press contributed to this report