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Rockstar Censors GTA After Haitian Outcry
Thanks to VE3D for carrying a statement from Take Two/Rockstar announcing the removal of alleged anti-Haitian content from future copies of Grand Theft Auto:Vice City, after a furore which started last month following a CBS TV segment on the game. The controversy, which even had New York's Mayor Bloomberg weighing in on the game's rival gang-related urgings to "Kill all the Haitians", has ended with Rockstar's press release indicating: "We believe that recent media coverage has taken certain statements made in the game out of context... nevertheless, we are aware of the hurt and anger in the Haitian community... we will remove the objectionable statements from future copies of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City."
This is getting just ludicrous. So not only is Manhunt not Adults Only, there's also no appreciable outcry about it, and the Rockstar game being censored is getting censored for a quote that sounds racist out of context, as opposed to being censored for, say, sodomizing a gang member with a crowbar. U.S. society is collectively insane. I'm not sure what variety of insanity (although I'd speculate a diagnosis of disorganized schizophrenia), but still... This is all getting disgusting.
In Battlefield 1942 to advance to the next level sometimes you have to kill all the Germans (based on World War II). Frankly I have more German friends on IRC then I do any other nationality.
I would understand if Haitians were the only ethnic group singled out for mindless killing, but honestly....at a point in the game, you actually -work- for the Haitians, specifically for the purpose of killing the rival Cubans. At other points in the game, you kill Italians, French, Colombians, hell, I think I even killed some seagulls. If one took killing people out (and don't whine about ethnicity - in case it's not obvious, -everyone- is part of some ethnicity), you'd have.....nothing. And if you have a problem with killing in general........ DON'T BUY THE FSCKING GAME!!!!! I swear, we need to hold a telethon for these people......
[este]
Sales of Vice City spike up as the last few geeks who live under rocks crawl out to purchase a pre-censored copy.
If you disagree then it must be overrated, redundant or trolling.
I don't believe that they should sensor themselves just because certain people become offended. But, if Rockstar and Take Two truly believed that it is their right to keep a sense of realism in their game, then they shouldn't have removed the content at all. They're already getting enough bad press from the game, which has helped its popularity anyways.
Most importantly, because Rockstar and Take Two are censoring themselves in this manner, they have severely hurt the argument that video games are an artform. It's going to be much harder to have video games gain the same amount of artistic respect that movies and music have to the general public. Special interest groups will have a much easier time getting other companies to follow suit and self-censor as well, because now they can say "Rockstar and Take Two did it, why won't you?"
Until Slashdot fixes the funny modifier, use insightful or interesting. The poster knows your intentions.
It's valuable pre-christmas publicity!
Boffoonery - downloadable Comedy Benefit for Bletchley Park
Well it was different then than it is now. Today companies have to be more and more responsible because their customers are from all age groups and all walks of life. Rockstar Games isn't backing down from what they produced and they aren't silencing themselves. They are simply being socially responsible. A term that many angry gamers sometimes ignore.
The Voodoo Extreme article stated that Mayor Bloomberg said Rockstar and Take Two would be investigated for human rights violations. The New York Post article stated that Bloomberg said they would be investigated if Take Two didn't comply in removing the phrase.
Either way, what human right is being violated, other than the right to free speech?
Until Slashdot fixes the funny modifier, use insightful or interesting. The poster knows your intentions.
Videogames are the next logical step beyond the Gutenberg Bible and Talkies. To censor them is to tell Falukner, Fitzgerald and Twain they can't make black people the servants in any novel. What's the point of writing if you can't tell the truth about the times you're writing about?
I've hit Karma 50 and gotten a Score:5, Troll... I win!
not all liberals are PC fascists. i am very liberal and make un-pc jokes all the time... i dont care so much when people are stereotpyed, and it doesnt bother me when a small group of people are offended over an out of context comment from a video game.
I'm surprised that nobody really seems to understand the context from the Hatian point of view:
I think this form of censorship is along the same lines as a society censoring a public figure for making (even remotely) disparaging remarks about _any_ group. I'm sure we can recall an instance when some Mayor/Newscaster/Governor/Councilwoman/Banker/CEO made some (apparently) anti- (mexican/black/jewish/chinese/mexican/...) remarks and was taken to task to apologise.
Now, one can argue about whether GTA is a "public figure" or not and whether this is covered under "Free Speech". But inasmuch as the "opinions" of the characters in the game reflect the thoughts of the game developers - which are now broadcast to all who are within earshot - one could consider them public.
I think it's well within reason for individuals/groups/companies to seek censure against (perceived) defamatory remarks.
Do we all remember the brouhaha about a certain singer's: "Kick me, Kike me" lyrics?
I hope that, at the very least, this gives you pause to think about the feelings of individuals/groups who don't appreciate such "unpleasant" references to themselves.
You really care this much about a meaningless word change in a game?
If they had said "Kill all niggers" would you be so indignant?
Stereotyping a nationality of people as 'gang members' is certainly protected by free speech, but anyone who makes millions of dollars by indirectly making these associations deserves no sympathy.
No one is putting a gun to the heads of Rockstar games to make this change. I am surprised their lawyers missed this obvious of a slur.
This gives me hope in our seemingly lost democracy: A large number of people were offended, complained to the company, and the company listened to the will of the community by making the requested changes.
How isn't this a happy ending? We're not talking game redesign here, it is one word people, lighten up! If all developers were this responsive to the outcries of their users the software market would be awesome!
Not to mention you kill a number of Cubans in the game too.
But you don't hear Castro getting a hard on.
The Cubman-made anti-Hatian remarks are CLEARLY balanced out by the Hatian-made anti-Cuban remarks they make back!
Vonal Declosion
Change "fucking rednecks" to rednecks and I hear non-white people say it all the time, and pretty much never hear anyone take offense. Of course, throw an adjective in front of it and it changes completely. I've also known a number of jews who were refered to as names simliar to christ killer and didn't care, generally he found them fairly amusing.(occasionally a local uber-christian would get mad, but not the jewish guy).
Nigger is the only racial term I can think of at the moment that makes people mad only if a specific race uses it. I wouldn't mind much if people got mad when anyone used it, but personally it seems a bit racist for a single skin color of people to be completely singled out and not allowed to use it.
As for the whining and crying on daddy's shoulder, seems like its not the white guys that whine and cry and get angry whenever a naughty word gets used.
The long history of white slave owners and black slaves is over, lets let it pass and remember it as a bad time that is gone and must never be brought back.
Well it's a bit like tickling/back-slapping.
If a stranger tries to tickle you, that's harassment.
That said lots of people are stuck where they are because they spend more time whining than doing something positive. Or they choose to adopt a self-destructive culture.