Dixons withdraws "Manhunt" after brutal murder

Just this week, a 17 year old boy Warren LeBlanc murdered his so-called friend, Stefan Pakeerah with a claw hammer, beating him and stabbing him repeatedly. He'd been playing a copy of the infamous uber-violent game Manhunt, in which a character is forced to act out all manners of violent and gruesome murders, and rewarded for how gruesome they are.

As is usually the case, Rockstar Games' Manhunt is being blamed for the killings. But is it really videogames that are to blame, here? Manhunt (and I say this as a gamer, not as a journalist) has very little in the way of content, and much more in the way of OTT gore and violence.

However, videogames themselves don't turn people into psychotics - although yes, they may desensitise players to violence, but the same could be said of violent films. To carry out such an act, someone would surely already have to be very disturbed.

After the tragic murder, electronics retailer Dixons dropped the game from its shelves. Retailer Game has already withdrawn the game from its line, and WH Smith is contemplating doing the same. A ban is a possibility.

Stefan's mother Giselle told The Mirror that "there is definitely a link of some sort." She didn't outright accuse Rockstar of being responsible for the murder, but she did say of them "Rockstar are guilty of irresponsibly providing a template for murder."

As with previous shock-games such as Carmageddon and Grand Theft Auto, it looks like there's going to be another sensationalist games-panic on the way. µ