Houston, Wii have a problem

Stealing cars, running from the cops, shooting innocent people, soliciting hookers to revive health, never going to jail and if you die,restarting from your last save-point. It almost sounds like the life of a Hilton. Oh wait, Paris went to jail. Never mind.\nEither way, in 2001, “Grand Theft Auto III” revolutionized the video-game industry by encouraging kids to do such activities as those listed above. GTAIII was highly criticized in the news, and politicians encouraged parents to prevent their children from playing the game, an idea that never worked.\nWhat happens to a game that gets that kind of publicity? It becomes even bigger, and the anticipation of GTAIV, set to release in October on the Sony PlayStation 3 platform, is growing by the second.\nBut I’m not excited for the October release. Although it may never happen, I would be amazed to see GTAIV be released on the Nintendo Wii.\nThe Wii has been getting a lot of credit for helping control the child obesity problem because it adds a physical aspect to the normally dormant activity of video gaming. But before jumping on the Wii-saving-the-youth bandwagon, think about the events soon to come.\nImagine if GTAIV is released on the Wii. The Wii allows a player to mimic actual actions to get the character to perform the desired physical movements on the screen. \nIn a GTA game, the necessary movements are shooting, fighting, stealing and other violent actions. \nImagine swinging a Wii controller like a baseball bat as you crack an old lady upside the head to get her purse. Imagine driving the stolen cop car holding the controller like a steering wheel. Imagine pushing the B button as you hold the controller like a gun, snipping an innocent bystander miles down the road.\nIt would all be possible on the Wii system.\nBut doesn’t this seem problematic to the American youth? \nNo. The problem with American youth is that parents and politicians have taken the advice of rapper Ice T – Don’t hate the player, hate the game.\nAs an up and coming rapper, I’m here to tell you that Ice T is wrong. We need to hate the player. \nI’ve played GTAIII, and I will be one of the first people in line to buy GTAIV (if it comes out on the Wii), because the game is revolutionary. It will allow me to do physical activities that I would be arrested for doing in real life. It allows me to release my inner demon in a legal way.\nBut it’s just a game. I know that, you know that and parents should know that. It’s a parent’s job to teach their children morals and manners. \nIf I believed everything I’ve done in video games, I would believe aliens are real, IU will win March Madness six years straight and the best way to steal a cop car is to pull the cop out of the moving car, take a few gun shots in the chest and then drive away while performing a code to stop all cops from chasing you.\nBut it’s just a game, and my upbringing helps me know that. \nOnce I see bullets start shooting out of the controllers, I will be the first to tell you that Wii have a problem.