- Cai Haoxiang, newsroom intern, with additional reporting by Vissuta Jiwariyavej
So, should it be game over for Grand Theft Auto (GTA) in Singapore too?
No, say gamers contacted by The New Paper.
"It's a game, it's just for fun," said student Julius Wong, 20, who completed the latest version of the game series.
"What makes the game popular is that you get to do things you don't normally get to do in real life." Playing the game was "stress relief".
GTA made headlines earlier this week when an 18-year-old high school student in Thailand - allegedly inspired by the game - killed a 54-year-old taxi driver with a knife.
"He wanted to find out if it was as easy in real life to rob a taxi as it was in the game," chief police investigator Veeravit Pipattanasak told Reuters.
But Julius, a regular gamer, felt there are more violent games around, and GTA should not be banned just because of an individual act.
Student Poh Koon Kiat, 23, was also against a ban, saying it would be a knee-jerk reaction. "I don't think games affect how I act in real life," he said.
Following the news of the murder, New Era Interactive Media, which distributes the first three versions of the game in Thailand, announced it will stop distribution of GTA.
NO MOVE TO BAN HERE
The distributor of GTA 4 here, IAHGames, told The New Paper that there was no move to ban the game here.
The IAHGames spokesman added that only a mature audience should be playing the game due to its M18 classification.
"We have done our part to ensure that local retailers adhere to the M18 guideline, and will continue to work with the authorities to ensure that games of such nature are played by the right audience," he said.
Mr Lim Wei Jie, 35, who has a child in primary school and another in preschool, said parents should be informed and aware of what their children play.
"The Government should enforce the M18 rating, but it can only do so much," he said.
In Singapore, GTA 4 was a bestseller when it was launched in May.
It sold 20,000 copies here within the first week of the release, and created a new sales record.
Critics of the game attack its exploitative and violent attitude towards women and its tendency to glorify crime.
