Report

Mass. turnpike authority removes violent video games from rest stops [w/poll]

The Boston Globe reports the Massachusetts Department of Transportation has removed violent video games from state-owned travel centers following last month's mass shooting tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut.

As the story goes, Andrew and Tracey Hyams were traveling with their 12-year-old son on Christmas Eve from Boston to New York when they took a break from their road trip at a rest area. When they did, they were jarred by the sounds of virtual gunfire as someone played a video game inside. The Hyams, relatives of one of the victims of the Newtown shooting, complained to the Department of Transportation. The agency's decision makers agreed the games were inappropriate, and promptly pulled them from the rest areas in Charlton, Ludlow, Lee and Beverly. Nine such arcade games were removed in all.

Transportation Secretary Richard Davey was quoted as saying a video game in a public space could be used by children of any age, noting that everyone can agree that there's too much violence in our society. While Davey says he didn't make the decision to pull the games, he supported the move.

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