Skip to main content

Drive by shooting: Massachusetts pulls violent games from roadside rest stops

Time Crisis 3
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ever since December 14, the day that Adam Lanza opened fire on the students of Sandy Hook Elementary, citizens and law makers alike have been frantically searching for any kind of solution to America’s ongoing trend of horrific gun violence. In fact, a new study recently published by Common Sense Media (.pdf) claims that the average person’s fear that he or she (or their children) will be gunned down at random in public has never been higher. 

In times like these, where fear is a prime motivator, it’s not uncommon to witness bold, drastic action. Massachusetts is a perfect example of this: After receiving a concerned letter from Andrew and Tracey Hyams of Newton, MA, state officials have decided to remove all violent games from those highway rest areas that normally serve as coffee dispensaries and illicit sex dens for whoever might need an illicit sex den. The Hyams’ had recently visited one of the state’s rest areas and their 12-year-old son found himself enjoying an unnamed light gun shooter, which apparently disturbed his parents.

Recommended Videos

“People have the freedom to have whatever video games in their own homes that they want,” the Hyams’ told the Boston Globe (apologies for the paywall). “We were struck by walking into a [state-owned] rest stop within an hour’s drive of Newtown and seeing and hearing a life-sized, mounted machine gun on a video game.”

As they point out, Newtown, MA and Newtown, CT are relatively close together, and thus the Hyams remain extra-sensitive about this sort of thing. So much so that they were the ones to suggest the removal of violent games from rest stops, only to have state officials agree with the move. “Bottom line is I think there isn’t a person who doesn’t ­believe that there isn’t too much violence in our society, and games can glorify that,” said Massachusetts Transportation Secretary Richard Davey. “A video game in a public space could be used by anybody of any age.”

“At the end of the day, those games are there to entertain kids, probably for a few minutes, while their parents are resting from a long trip. I just think it makes all the sense in the world to have it be a more passive [game].”

After delivering this pertinent information, the Boston Globe piece attempts to poll the common man to see what he or she thinks of this decision. The majority of respondents agree with the move, but to its credit, the Globe also offered up commentary from a truck driver who sees this as an overreaction. “I think it’s just a little over the top,” said 32-year-old Chris Gerdes.

Interestingly, and to Chris Gerdes’ likely dismay, this isn’t the only anti-violent games effort currently brewing in Massachusetts. Robert Dolan, Mayor of Melrose, MA, has created a program dubbed “New Year — New Direction” which allows participants to trade in violent games for things like “a coupon sheet, which will include deals at local businesses and possibly a ‘get out of homework free’ coupon.”

“I’m not saying people shouldn’t have [violent games and toys], but, at least in my house, things have changed since Connecticut,” Dolan explained.

Earnest Cavalli
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Earnest Cavalli has been writing about games, tech and digital culture since 2005 for outlets including Wired, Joystiq…
The hardest video games of all time
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

We all come to video games for different reasons. Sometimes we want a chill game to relax to, others a fun co-op experience with a friend, but other times we're looking for a challenge. Early on in the console generations, difficulty was the norm and it took a lot of trial, error, and skill to even see the end of most games. We still face hard bosses in modern games, but it usually isn't the entire game that is punishing. There's an expectation that most people will be able to beat most current and upcoming video games, but not all games are so kind. Whether it be due to bad controls, unfair mechanics, or simply because the developers wanted to make things unfair, these are the most difficult video games of all time.

Before getting to the list, we are basing this list on the core game itself and not any extra challenges or going for secret endings. We also won't be including games that are meant to be impossible or that feature user-generated content.

Read more
PlayStation Network is still down after more than 12 hours
A soldier fighting a bile spewer in Helldivers 2.

Last night, PlayStation Network went down across the globe — and it's still not back online. The number of complaints about the outage peaked around 7 PM, with more than 14,000 users reporting issues at DownDetector. When the service first went offline, many players assumed it was temporary — perhaps overloaded servers on a Friday night — but you still can't log on, and the outage has revealed more cracks in Sony's network.

Sony posted on X that the company was aware of the outage and suggested players check status.playstation.com for more information. Unfortunately, every single indicator from Account Management to PlayStation Direct is currently offline, and there isn't an estimated resolution time in sight.

Read more
WWE 2K25’s bloody new match type is its ‘Final Destination, no items’ mode
Carmelo Hayes beats up a wrestler in WWE 2K25.

As a professional wrestling simulator, the WWE 2K series is already a complete package. It doesn’t just offer a massive roster of wrestlers and arenas, but a long list of match types too. Ladder matches, TLC, backstage brawls -- you name it, and it’s there. What more is there to add in a game that already has it all?

WWE 2K25 has a few answers this year, including a new kind of battle: underground matches. During a recent hands-on preview, I gave the option for a spin in a series of hard-hitting matches. While it certainly isn’t a game-changer, it might just be the best new mode for casual players who want to make a complex battle system just a bit easier to pick up and play.

Read more