CEO of Grand Theft Auto creators slams Trump in wake of mass shootings in El Paso and Ohio

The CEO of the gaming company behind Grand Theft Auto has slammed Donald Trump for blaming the two deadly mass shootings on video games, saying it is disrespectful to the victims’ families. 

Strauss Zelnick, head of Take-Two Interactive, also called gun violence ‘uniquely American’ but said ‘entertainment is consumed world-wide’.  

Speaking to Barron’s Zelnick said: ‘We’re just sickened and saddened by these senseless tragedies. 

‘That said, blaming entertainment is irresponsible. Moreover, it is highly disrespectful to the victims and their families. 

‘The fact is entertainment is consumed world-wide…but gun violence is uniquely American. So we need to address the real issues.’

The president, as well as lawmakers, blamed the internet, social media, computer games and ‘mental illness’ on Monday for the two mass shootings that killed 31 people in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio this weekend. 

Strauss Zelnick, chief executive officer of Take-Two Interactive, pictured, has slammed President Donald Trump for blaming the two deadly mass shootings on video games, saying it is disrespectful to the victims’ families and said gun violence is ‘uniquely American’

Take-Two, which publishes Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, saw its stock decline by five per cent in the wake of the two shootings. House minority leader Kevin McCarthy told Fox News that games, including Grand Theft Auto, pictured, 'dehumanize individuals'

Take-Two, which publishes Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, saw its stock decline by five per cent in the wake of the two shootings. House minority leader Kevin McCarthy told Fox News that games, including Grand Theft Auto, pictured, ‘dehumanize individuals’

Trump used a White House address to the nation to outline what he said were the causes of the mass murder, accusing the internet of providing a ‘dangerous avenue’ which was twisting minds.

He said on Monday that it was time to stop glorifying violence in society, and pointed to ‘gruesome and grisly’ video games.

‘It is too easy today for troubled youth to surround themselves with a culture that celebrates violence. We must stop or substantially reduce this and it has to begin immediately’, Trump said. 

Take-Two, which publishes Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, saw its stock decline by five per cent. 

Those behind Call of Duty and Battlefield saw similar losses on Monday. 

Trump used a White House address to the nation to say it was time to stop glorifying violence in society, and pointed to 'gruesome and grisly' video games

Trump used a White House address to the nation to say it was time to stop glorifying violence in society, and pointed to ‘gruesome and grisly’ video games

A spokesman for the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the leading trade group for the industry, said: ‘More than 165 million Americans enjoy video games, and billions of people play video games worldwide.

‘Yet other societies, where video games are played as avidly, do not contend with the tragic levels of violence that occur in the U.S.’

God of War director Cory Barlog tweeted: ‘Wait…that’s it??? Violent video games and mental health? Not the high powered weapons of war being sold to civilians by the millions that are actually being USED to carry out these acts of domestic terror??’ 

House minority leader Kevin McCarthy told Fox News that games ‘dehumanize individuals’. 

McCarthy lamented ‘these video games that dehumanize individuals’, calling it a ‘problem for future generations’ and citing unnamed ‘studies that show what it does to individuals’.

His comments backed up those of Texas Lt. Gov Dan Patrick, a fellow Republican, who pointed the finger at a ‘video game industry that teaches young people to kill’. 

The two Republicans were among several in their party who have tried to steer the conversation away from white supremacy.   

McCarthy was responding to Lt. Gov Patrick, a fellow Republican, who said: We’ve always had guns, always had evil, but I see a video game industry that teaches young people to kill.’

‘In this manifesto he talks about living out his super soldier fantasy on Call of Duty’, Patrick claimed, although in fact the El Paso shooter’s purported manifesto tells its readers not to do that.  

El Paso suspect Patrick Crusius, 21, is believed to have shared a twisted anti-immigrant manifesto online shortly before opening fire at a Walmart on Saturday, killing 21 before he was arrested.

The document denounced a supposed ‘Hispanic invasion’ of Texas and praised the murder of 51 Muslims in the New Zealand terror attack in March.    

Family of Walmart shooting victims embrace during a vigil at the Immanuel Church for victims of a shooting that left a total of 22 people dead at the Cielo Vista Mall WalMart. Trump accused the internet of providing a 'dangerous avenue' which was twisting minds

Family of Walmart shooting victims embrace during a vigil at the Immanuel Church for victims of a shooting that left a total of 22 people dead at the Cielo Vista Mall WalMart. Trump accused the internet of providing a ‘dangerous avenue’ which was twisting minds

Officers return to search for more evidence at the scene of Sunday Morning's mass shooting in the Oregon District. The Supreme Court has also played down the role of video games in the past, refusing in 2011 to uphold a California law that restricted their sale to youngsters

Officers return to search for more evidence at the scene of Sunday Morning’s mass shooting in the Oregon District. The Supreme Court has also played down the role of video games in the past, refusing in 2011 to uphold a California law that restricted their sale to youngsters

Connor Betts, 24, opened fire in Dayton, killing nine including his own sister

Patrick Crusius, 21, is believed to be the man who opened fire on the Walmart in El Paso, Texas, on Saturday

Patrick Crusius, 21, right, is believed to be the man who opened fire on the Walmart in El Paso, Texas, on Saturday. Connor Betts, 24, left, opened fire in Dayton, killing nine 

In 2017 the Pew Research Center found that 30 per cent of Americans surveyed believed that gaming contributed ‘a great deal’ to gun violence.  

And politicians have long speculated that video games could be to blame for acts of violence.

Last year Donald Trump hosted video game industry chiefs at the White House in the wake of the Parkland shooting in Florida.

However, an Oxford University study published earlier this year found no relationship between aggressive behavior in teenagers and the amount of time spent playing violent video games.

The Supreme Court has also played down the role of video games in the past, refusing in 2011 to uphold a California law that restricted their sale to youngsters.

Studies cited by California ‘do not prove that violent video games cause minors to act aggressively,’ the Court held.

While the El Paso shooter’s motivations are believed to be known from the manifesto, it is not yet clear why 24-year-old Connor Betts opened fire in Dayton, killing nine including his own sister.  

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