Gamers don't kill prostitutes for money

When Luke Adair was 15 years old, his grandfather passed away from multiple myeloma, a type of cancer that affects the production of crucial antibodies in bone marrow plasma cells.

"He was definitely my idol and my hero," Adair told me over a telephone interview. Like most people who lose their grandparents, the pain was vivid and shocking. However, Adair was able to turn into something positive with some of his friends five years later. Forming an online group called the Speeedgamers, last month they hosted an on-line video gaming marathon on their website. Tearing through seven games in 72 hours and raising $1090 for their efforts through online donations after posting videos of their progress on the web, the Arlington, Texas-based friends donated the funds to a leading cancer research institute in the U.S.A.

It's not so much the comparatively modest sum of money raised, but the manner in which these youth achieved it, through playing video games, that's important to keep in mind here.

"There is so much negative stereotyping about video gamers," said Britt LaRivière, one of the gamers in the group. Besides wanting to contribute to an important cause, breaking that stereotype is also part of why they undertook the marathon.

Unfortunately, this week, that stereotyping is about to hit the fan. Today marks the release of Grand Theft Auto IV on X-Box 360 and PS3 consoles. The GTA games usually place gamers in the role of gangster-like characters, giving them absolutely total control in an urban setting. They can steal cars, shoot cops, even hire prostitutes to "regenerate health points" and kill them to reclaim their fictional, in-game income, all the while running dangerous missions for various gangs.

The last major GTA game caused a major fuss a few years ago and had to be temporarily pulled off shelves when it was discovered a hack allowed gamers to engage in a particularly graphic sexual adventure.

There are many politicians out there who use GTA as a poster child for what's wrong with video games. Here's a little secret for you: these games are not meant to be played by kids. The rating on the box says "17 +" or "Adults only" for a reason.

The ratings system is not legally enforced in any way, but at least allows each parent to make an informed decision. Each parent should be able to decide on their own what's good for their child and what isn't.

I'm tired of parents specifically picking out video games among the sea of mass media we are constantly exposed to these days for all the supposed moral decay inflicted on their children.

Grow up and take some responsibility.

When I was growing up, the main bad boy among video games was Mortal Kombat, a one-on-one fighting game which granted gamers particularly gruesome ways to kill their opponents, such as ripping their arms off or burning them to a crisp. When Mortal Kombat II came out on home consoles, my parents firmly set their foot down. The game would not get into our household. I was quite upset at the time, but can understand their decision in retrospect, even if I'm pretty sure having a copy of the game at home would not have turned me into a bloodthirsty serial killer.

Maybe this is an approach that more parents need to consider instead of going into a mass hysteria encouraged by some of our political figures and so-called "family values" activists. After all, the last three Grand Theft Auto games have, between them, sold 53.5 million copies in the U.S. alone. There are hardly that many young men lining up to join gangs out there.

Of course, I'm not naïve enough to suggest the opposite is true either. Just because Britt, Luke and co. turned their gaming hobby to a good cause does not mean a worldwide video game fundraising epidemic is about to break out. However, the Speedgamers are continuing their efforts in June, this time with an autism charity in mind, and they did get around 35 people to donate last time, most of them gamers.

So I would suggest you take a look at their work and some of the other creative stuff game fans are doing with their hobby before you grab your pitchforks.

Or, I just might rip your arms off.