Grand Theft Auto IV-- Hello! Anybody home??

In regards to the release of the new violent video game "Grand Theft Auto IV," the Ann Arbor News reports that Cheryl K. Olson, co-director of the Harvard Medical School Center for Mental Health and Media said "most parents need not worry."  Well... so glad to hear that someone from Harvard thinks there's no need for parents to worry.  (Course we all know of the infallibility of Harvard scholars, right?)

Whether or not these games encourage young people to adopt the behavior modeled in the game, why on EARTH would a parent allow a minor to play a game like this?  Are we trying to raise children of character? Do we want them to become responsible citizens some day?  And most importantly, are we raising children of heroic virtue who will one day be citizens of heaven?  Or are we just trying to avoid conflict with them, allowing them to do whatever they please as long as it's not illegal (and this game should be).

Want to know what I think?  I THINK IT'S A SICK GAME THAT NO ONE SHOULD BE PLAYING!!!!  Where are the adults??  Is anyone in charge in the houses where kids are playing this sick game?

To those who say there is no harm done since it's just a video game, I say why would you want to appeal to the basest of human instincts?  Why would you want to encourage a fascination with evil?  Why would you want your child to enter an imaginary world in which he is committing violent and horrible crimes?  I don't get it.  This is SICK.  It's just plain sick and what a world we live in where people can make money selling games like this to children and the parents do nothing about it.  (And adults who are playing the game are appealing to the darkest, most psychopathic aspects of their beings....they are in danger too.)  I don't know.  Where are the people with common sense?