Parents concerned by ‘suicide’ image in computer game

A NEW Japanese computer game in which players “shoot” their character in the head has caused a storm of controversy since its release.

Persona 3, on the PlayStation 2 platform, has been given an age rating of 12-plus but has already outraged parents who want the game to be banned.

The game’s launch in Ireland came three days after the body of teenager Michael Hopkins was found in a disused building in Westport. The 16-year-old’s suicide followed that of his friend and classmate at Rice College, Dylan Beirne, and shocked the nation at a time when attention is focused on mental health services for adolescents.