A Democratic lawmaker on the South Side of Chicago introduced a bill last week calling for a ban on some video games in an effort to combat the city’s recent rise in violent crime, including car theft.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Representative Marcus Evans Jr. called for an amendment to an existing law that would prevent the sale of games that depict “motor vehicle theft in the presence of a driver or passenger”.
Fox 32 reported that Early Walker, a city philanthropist, said that video games like “Grand Theft Auto” can have an impact on the minds of young people. The report found that some of the suspected car theft in the city are not old enough to even legally drive.
Last month, a 14-year-old boy was arrested for participating in several car thefts, including one involving an off-duty police officer, Chicago police said. Chicago police say car thefts increased about 135% last year, to 1,415, and are still on the rise this year.
While the youngest car thief arrested in the latest attacks was about 12, police said. Perpetrators often work in teams and are motivated both by horseback riding and by using the stolen vehicle to commit other crimes.
The report noted 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 results, but they are probably not the only factor. Rockstar Games did not immediately answer a question from Fox News.
The Associated Press contributed to this report