10. Grand Theft Auto IV
Be honest, this one could hardly be omitted from the list now could it? Having received a startling amount of media attention in the US at the time of its release, GTA 4 is the newest instalment in what is possibly the second most scapegoated video-game series of all time (no prizes for guessing the first). In it you play the part of a lovable gangster going about his days driving cars, taking long runs with his police friends, shooting pigeons. and beating hookers to death with baseball bats. You know, just normal everyday stuff. Theres a lot of potential to commit heinous acts in this game, from mowing down hundreds of innocent civilians with an attack chopper to seeing how many joggers you can run over before your car breaks, potentially allowing players to become the a terrorist so vicious theyd make Bin Laden look like Mr Blobby. It allows players to enact these fantasies of power sure, yet, despite what the politicians and paranoid house-wives say, this could theoretically mean players of GTA 4 are less likely to commit any real acts of violence. I mean, if someone can play out a situation where they are essentially a God in their living room without fear of consequence, why would they do the same things in real life and risk life-imprisonment? But heres the thing GTA 4 doesnt force you to do any of those overtly aggressive things. Thats why it only makes 10th place as, if a player is that way inclined, he/she could easily spend the game paying attention to traffic lights and avoiding killing any character that wasnt actively pointing a gun at them, so the game only becomes a horrific massacre when those playing it want it to be so, rather than the massacre being a necessity.