Video Game Theme Tonight on Law and Order: SVU

When Detectives Stabler (Chris Meloni) and Fin (Ice-T) investigate the rape and murder of a prostitute, the detectives find that the teenagers were re-enacting scenes from their favorite video game. The case goes to court, and tension builds as Novak (Diane Neal) must argue against opposing counsel Gates (guest star Barry Bostwick) that the teenagers were influenced by the violent video game.

http://www.nbc.com/Law_&_Order:_Special_Victims_Unit/index.html

I won't be able to catch this episode because the two-hour Amazing Race finale is on tonight, but I thought someone here might be interested.

PREDICT THE GAME!

I say Grand Theft Auto.

Let me be the first to say that media sucks for drivel like this. Back in the day it was music, then movies, and now friggin video games. I for one will not watch this since I'd rather play Outrun 2. At least in another decade, teh intarweb will become the new scapegoat and video games will be left alone like music and film.

I predict EA will use this to promote the Godfather game in the works

[quote name='Scorch']PREDICT THE GAME!

I say Grand Theft Auto.[/quote]

I doubt they'll name any game specifically as to avoid a lawsuit from the game's publisher. I'll bet they will show some kind of GTA knockoff or even show screens of it without saying it by name.

[quote name='RedvsBlue'][quote name='Scorch']PREDICT THE GAME!

I say Grand Theft Auto.[/quote]

I doubt they'll name any game specifically as to avoid a lawsuit from the game's publisher. I'll bet they will show some kind of GTA knockoff or even show screens of it without saying it by name.[/quote]

Still not as good as that episode of Law and Order: Criminal Intent with the vampire LARPers/cosplayers and that woman who went to cons and seduced nerds so she could steal their rare collectibles. That's a sign of the times!

What if the kids were playing Law & Order: The Video Game? Would the universe then explode?

it will probably be a fake game with all those old school game sounds.

[quote name='PsyClerk']What if the kids were playing Law & Order: The Video Game? Would the universe then explode?[/quote]

k

edit: by the way, the show is about a dead prostitute, thats what the kids were reenacting, so 10 to 1 says its influenced by GTA, though im sure they wont mention the name for reasons already stated.

SPOILERS:

This is a repeat, right? I believe the video game they reference is the ficitional CarJack 2000. MAJOR SPOILERS (I believe in the end the kids admit they were just using the game as an excuse for their stupid behavior.)

^ No, this is a new episode. The TV Guide description says "Teens are suspected of rape and murder." And it has an (N) next to it to designate a new episode.

I hope the game is Space Invaders and Law and Order goes into space to bust some Martian ass. I'd buy that.

Well it's on now...

Can someone keep us informed on how it ends.

Sure, I'll write a halfway summary, then one when the show is over

right now, just gotta say it's really biased and the parody of GTA is pretty much 60 times worse (you play as a goddamn rapist) and the company that makes the game was just a bunch of idiot stoners.

When it starts off, they find a woman who was hit by a car, beaten, and then raped. After a little beating around the bush (the only real hint came from tracking her phone calls, she was a hooker, talking to her pimp, then someone picked up the phone and said some crap about “she can’t talk, she’s playing with us” and there was a girl’s voice in the background; also she was killed by a stiletto), one of the detective’s kid sees the pictures and says that it just so happens to look like this game (I forgot the name). The kid demonstrates the game to the detectives, showing how you can run over a girl then take her wallet, and to make it seem really believable, the kid is constantly saying crap like “awesome huh?” “Everyone loves this game” and the rest of the time his eyes are glued to the screen. The detectives (I’ve been watching the show for two years and still can’t remember the detective’s names) go to see the programmers, who are a bunch of stoners. They mention a modder who recently made a program that let you rip off the girl’s clothes. They burst into the modder’s house, find some emails from fans about new (and sick) ideas… and then there is another murder. Cue to commercial.

*phew*

This time, the murder is the suicide of a man named Larry. Two hookers saw Larry and they find another suspect: a jealous Ex-girlfriend. They find blood on the girl’s boot and she confesses. She and Larry killed the hooker along with a third guy (who I think they mentioned earlier), Garret. The cops discover that by walking into his apartment, they just deleted the guy’s hard drive, and any evidence they have against him. He’s brought into questioning, where you find out just how messed up the guy is. Even though he’s being charged with murder, he’s talking about wanting to kill someone and how great it would be. Then it’s revealed that Garret was the one who talked on the phone. His lawyer claims that Garret was drunk and drugged by Larry while playing the game with the others, and then taken on a joyride. He didn’t realize what he was doing, and did not know whether it was reality or fiction. If the defense can put enough blame on the game industry, he’ll be seen as mentally ill and able to walk free.

The only hope for evidence is surveillance videos of the area (or… something like that, sorry), but the spooty FBI won’t let them see it, as the camera secret cannot get out, so now the murderer has a good chance of being pronounced not guilty. Psychiatrist-man asks to question the people, hoping to counter psyche defense with psyche offense, and you learn that these guys are shaq-fuin HARDCORE (6 hours a day) There’s some crazy love triangle between Larry, his girlfriend, and video games. Garret is a narcissist and the girlfriend would follow Larry anywhere. Psychiatrist-man does not believe games are a reason for murder (w00t!), and the defense attorney wants to get a brain scan to see whether or not playing the game changes his brain. His brain did change a slight bit, but that was pretty common with doing anything fun. At the trial, defense attorney changes, and now says that the game “gave him the idea” to do these things, then Garret is on the witness stand, he show’s seemingly fake remorse, and says that everything was just like the game. Larry told Garret what to do, and Garret, being completely out of it, obeyed.

They find a connection between Garret and the modder. Garret told the modder to make a movie where Larry killed the hooker in the game world and it said “you killed her LARRY YOU KILLED HER LMAO” Two hours later, Larry killed himself. This proved that Garret knew he was doing, and tried to get Larry to believe he did it. The jury finds both suspects guilty (the system works!) Garret says some creepy game references as he’s taken away. And then the detective finally learns his lesson, he monitors what his kid is playing, and decides they should do more stuff together, like talk!

I'd like to apologize if I missed anything, and if anyone wants to make any corrections, feel free to. I found it pretty hard to type what I see.

Overall, the episode ended pretty well as it told parents to watch and be alert of what their kids are watching (who knows, maybe it did just stop a future murder) but how violent games are was a huge exageration to real games.

I also noticed in the end that the kid was playing a Zodiac Tapwave. Strange choice, I would have thought they'd go with something a little more mainstream.

I'm surprised they actually referenced that crackpot Grossman's book on video game violence. At least the writing team does their research.

It was a pretty mediocre episode, but at least the prosecution took the side that the video game causation was merely a red herring (I was afraid they'd take the opposite and try to crucify the game industry).

[quote name='dcfox']I also noticed in the end that the kid was playing a Zodiac Tapwave. Strange choice, I would have thought they'd go with something a little more mainstream.[/quote]

That's what it was! I was wondering if that was a real system or something completely made up.

Just noticed that Gamespot talked about the episode in their news section: http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/02/08/news_6118208.html

Wolf2282: oh, they're definetly making a spoof of GTA on Law & Order SVU
punq sux: how can you spoof gta?
punq sux: thats like making a parody of spaceballs

The best part was at the end when Stabler says to his kid, "Want to play a game? Or talk or something?" And the kid puts the game down and says, "Ok, let's talk." And Stabler just looks like "I wasn't expecting that..."

I also liked the Postal 2 reference (cat silencers).

yeah it was funny when stable didn't know what to say to the kid...was that stablers boy, as I thought he only had 3 daughters

i say this episode has a dead pixel... just a hunch.

just watched this on my TiVo. the media is right. video games turn people into lunatics with foxy redhead (murderous) girlfriends.

im gonna start collecting stamps instead.

Wow, that was a bad episode, even for the traditionally axe-grinding Law & Order crew.

First, they engage in ridiculous piling on by having a supposedly popular game contain such outrageous content. Apparently this is the same alternate universe in which 'Custer's Revenge' was the all-time bestseller on the Atari 2600. Who published this game? Is it a PC game or a console game. (Note that the accused is using a GameCube controller during the brainscan scene but only PCs and a very pricey handheld for a kid are ever shown.) Why does the game look so crappy? Can't Dick Wolf afford any decent animation guys for less than five minutes of material?

IF I was Sony I'd throw some advertising dollars toward this show since they did Sony the remarkable service of depicting a middle-class kid as having a $250+ handheld as a toy. The father sure as hell didn't buy it for himself.