A local couple have blamed Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for their eight-year-old son’s refusal to have a bath, after concluding that the game has given him a fear of water.
Mark and Claire Wilkins say their son Ben became reluctant to wash after playing the game, in which protagonist Tommy Vercetti cannot swim and drowns if he falls into deep water.
“He’s seen what happens when Tommy goes in the water,” said Claire. “Of course he’s not going to want to get in the bath. As far as he knows, he’ll lose all his weapons and wake up outside a hospital.”
Asked why an eight-year-old was playing Vice City in the first place, Mark said the couple had checked the game carefully.
“We watched him play for ages and didn’t see any swimming,” he said. “It seemed perfectly safe.”
Ben said he was not afraid of the bath and had never thought he would drown in it. He simply didn’t want one.
“That’s exactly what someone who was afraid of the bath would say,” said Claire.
The couple consulted child behaviour specialist Dr Helen Price, who suggested Ben might not want to stop what he was doing and get washed.
“It’s quite common for children to resist bath time,” Price explained. “You could try giving him a bit of notice and keeping a consistent routine.”
“What video game put that idea in your head?” Mark asked.
Hoping to make the bath more appealing, he later told Ben it was a “water level”. The plan was abandoned when Ben replied that he hated the water levels in The Legend of Zelda.
“That’s another one,” said Claire, adding Zelda to a list of games the family believes are responsible for their son’s hygiene.
The couple confiscated Ben’s games until he agreed to wash. He spent the afternoon playing football and continued to refuse.
“We thought taking the games away would solve it,” said Mark. “Nobody warned us he could be difficult without a controller in his hands.”
After further negotiations, Ben finally agreed to have a bath. He played with his toys for half an hour and then refused to get out.
His parents say they are investigating which video game is responsible.
