Thai official wants to prosecute game makers for copycat crimes

What would you say if we told you that a Thai government official said that he wants to prosecute game makers for instances of people performing crimes that mimic things they saw in a video game?

That’s exactly what one Somchai Jaroen-amnuaysuk of the Welfare Promotion, Protection and Empowerment of Vulnerable Groups Office said recently. Find out what the official said after the jump!

Imagine this very unlikely scenario: You’re playing Funcom‘s Age of Conan (or heck, even the Conan game on the 360 or PS3) and you perform a couple of fatalities.

Thinking these fatalities to be awesome, you grab a sharp tool and set out to see if you can pull it off in real life. You’re caught after committing your first murder, and you confess that you were just trying to act out what you saw in AoC.

Alright, that’s strange enough. Now, what would you say if we told you that a Thai government official said that he wants to prosecute game makers for instances of people performing crimes that mimic things they saw in a video game? Well, that’s exactly what one Somchai Jaroen-amnuaysuk of the Welfare Promotion, Protection and Empowerment of Vulnerable Groups Office said recently.

To quote the official:

When a player copycats a crime he or she sees in the game, the game maker should be prosecuted. Prosecutions will automatically force game makers to act more responsibly.

We foresee quite a number of logistical problems (among other concerns) in implementing such a thing, should such an idea ever become a law. Thankfully, it’s just one government official speaking his mind. Feel free to speak your mind as well in the comments.

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Via Asia One Digital