Those who don’t want to hear about what will become fodder for the next round of "video games cause violence" uproar would do well to click away now. Police in Thailand have arrested a teenager who confessed to robbing and murdering a taxi driver based on, he claims, playing Grand Theft Auto 4.

The accused murderer, an 18-year old high school student, told the police that he killed the man because "he wanted to see if it was as easy in real life to rob a taxi as it was in the game." Additional reporting by Reuters states that the boy had originally intended only to rob the taxi driver, but then stabbed the man with a knife when he attempted to fight back. The young man was arrested when he was reported by drivers trying to navigate the stolen taxi backwards down the street. When police stopped the car, they found the critically injured driver lying in the backseat, and under questioning the suspect claimed to have committed the crime because of the game.

In reacting to the news, New Era Interactive Media, distributors of Grand Theft Auto 4 in Thailand, are asking all retailers to pull the game from shelves, as well as eliminating the title from the country’s arcade services. It is important to note that this is not a government decision to ban the game, but rather the distributor itself taking proactive steps to stay out of the line of fire.

It’s impossible to tell as of yet if the student really robbed and killed the taxi driver because of the game, or if he’s trying to use the "video games made me do it" excuse to get out of taking responsibility for his actions. The young man has been described as an "obsessive" GTA player, so there may be at least some merit to claims that his actions were motivated by the game, but it seems like a fundamental disconnect between the concepts of fantasy and reality is most strongly at play.

At any rate, expect to hear all about this case the next time a US politician begins ranting about the evils of video games, and expect the ESA, ECA, and every other video game rights group to come out swinging. Even if the alleged killer’s story is proved to be false, this event will still put yet another black mark on gaming in general, and specifically the Grand Theft Auto series.

- Via GamesIndustry.biz