Thai game distributor halts GTA IV sales

Most of us gamers are plenty responsible, and it is one of the reasons so many of us cringe when we hear about games being blamed for real-world violence. A game distributor in Thailand isn't so convinced that games are safe, and thus has halted sales of GTA due to a specific crime in the country.

The distributor is also asking local arcades to pull the game from their rotation. This “voluntary recall” of sorts is a continuing but still relatively small trend in the video gaming market in which countries or regions try to restrict sales of games due to concerns over violence, including a ban on Manhunt 2 in the U.K. that was later lifted and a potential future embargo on Fallout 3 in Australia.

If these companies are out to stop violence, they'll have to do more than pull the game from shelves months after release. After all, GTA IV managed to get over 6 million copies sold in the first two weeks.