A publication that shall remain nameless because the last thing I want to do is contribute to their traffic – let's just say it rhymes with Spewsday – reported that six teens arrested for basic thuggery were inspired by Grand Theft Auto IV. The story is now making the rounds on various gaming sites such as this one. Because it is, after all, outrageous – outrageous, I tell you! – and it's just going to lead to the government not letting us play Gears of War 2 and other violent games.

However, the story is not true. Nowhere in Newsday's story – oops, I guess I let the name slip so I might as well link it – did the police in Nassau County say the teens were inspired by GTA4. The police said they were "emulating" GTA4. There's a difference. With "inspired", the prime mover is Grand Theft Auto IV. With "emulated", the prime movers are a bunch of a-hole kids who should be held accountable for their actions.

Of course, part of the difference is that one makes for a more dramatic headline. But the integrity and intelligence of the gaming press is pretty much on par with Newsday, so rather than reading critically, they're content to just parrot the dramatic headline. And this makes them part of the very problem they'll gripe about when these stories get unnecessary traction: that videogames are misunderstood.