Child's Play? Grand Theft Auto III Provides Video Gamers With a Virtual World of Extreme Violence                                   

By Michele Norris
ABCNews.com

MONTICELLO, N.Y., July 1 — In the video game called Grand Theft Auto III, players enter a virtual world called Liberty City and assume the role of an escaped criminal who hijacks cars, guns down pedestrians, has sex with a prostitute and then earns extra points by killing her so he can take back his money. 

"It is as close as you can get to killing someone without being arrested or really killing someone," says 13-year-old Lawrence Jones, who played the game one recent afternoon with three schoolmates in Monticello, N.Y.

The boys — all masters of the game, yell at the screen and make macabre jokes as they carry out a killing, carjacking, murder spree on screen that would place them on the nation's most-wanted list in real life.

"Sayonara hooker!," says Kevin Regan as he manipulates the joy stick so the convict on screen repeatedly shoots a prostitute in the head. Blood spurts from her body as she collapses to the ground. Between the staccato fire of gunshots, the players can hear her moan in pain.

"The graphics are more realistic. The sound is more realistic. Everything about these products is getting very close to life," says Matt Firme, executive editor of PC Gamer magazine.

So close that GTA-3, as it is commonly called, was banned in Australia and denounced by Congress here in the United States in the annual report card on video game violence. Despite, or perhaps because of such complaints, it is the nation's top-selling video game this year. It's a particularly big hit with adolescent boys.

"I just think it makes it more exciting 'cause you're not supposed to have it," says Robert Crawford, 13.

"I think that's why a lot of people our age buy it."

The combat video game, Grand Theft Auto III, uses this image when the game is in "pause" mode. (ABCNEWS.com)

The phenomenal success of Grand Theft Auto-III has created a rush to match the game's shocking realism.

New titles such as Max Payne and State of Emergency allow players to enter realistic and disturbing situations.

In Max Payne, a police officer seeks revenge against a gang of thugs who killed his wife and child, and in State of Emergency players join a massive and extremely violent street riot.

All of these games carry a Mature rating but since there are no penalties for marketing or selling Mature games to minors, children are sure to be among the biggest fans.