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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."
What about the Orcs? Nobody ever backs the Orcs. They get dissed in more games than anyone. How many other enemies explode on eye contact?
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.
Kill cops.. thats politically correct
Wasn't the point of the game to be crude and offensive?? That's what makes it fun. If they're going to censor themselves they have a lot of work ahead of them
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.
Cop killing has been one of the most criticized aspects of this game, but the Hatian comment is what gets the changes made? And really, it's not that out of context of a statement, as there is an unfortunate and very strong anti-Hatian sentiment in South Florida that I have personally witnessed as have many who live down there.
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.
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I hate liberals. If you are a liberal, do not reply.
Why is everyone so surprised? This is America! You can kill as many people in as many ways as you want, just as long as you're PC about it.
They can replace the Haitians with elves and the cubans with reindeer. The main character will be Santa Claus and he only scores with Mrs. Claus, who happens to wear a bikini. Merry Christmas indeed! Or was that not the effect these people were looking for?
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!
Hey there Mr Mike Hawk, if you are going to try and grab a first post, please take your head out of your ass long enough to turn on "AC".
So they've effectively shut up the critics by promising to remove the offending dialogue from all copies of the game produced at some unspecified point in the future after the ten trillion copies currently on store shelves have sold out. Pretty good move on their part if you ask me. Say, did Eidos ever get around to releasing the "censored" version of Hitman 2 without all the Sikh stuff?
With all the WW2 games out nowadays, I wouldn't be surprised if thats what they'll replace the Haitians with in the censored version. Hell, if they did that, I'd buy the game again just so I could hear German ghetto talk.
Ja sind jene Weinerschnitzel die Bombe!
Oh yeah, a Mercedes S class with hydraulics would be better than those slow Voodoos.
Seriously, though, we should really be more concerned about the rampant genocide already present in gaming culture.
One last thing: why is the "strike" tag not supported? I can't be the only one sick of seeing ^Hs.
Co-founder of GerbilMechs
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.
Brits call themselves brits, Scots call themselves Scots so those two are probably self explanatory.
It probably doesn't help if you've been at war with someone in reasonably recent history as the abbreviated names tend to have retained their pejorative edge.
It also has to be said that I don't think I've ever heard "nip", "chink" or "paki" said without a degree of ill-feeling behind it (GWB's "pakis" statement being the exception).
It's not terribly unreasonable to accept that some shortened names have gathered a negative meaning while some haven't. Language evolves like that.
Boffoonery - downloadable Comedy Benefit for Bletchley Park
...if any. If none, I apologize.
Frankly, I'm ready to write to them, and say thank you for making such a great game. It's rare you see a title where everyone has an equal opportunity to get shot in the face.
Informatus Technologicus
There was an _awesome_ scene in Medal of Honor, in the level where you infiltrate the German submarine pen in Norway. Dressed as a kraut officer, you walk past two troopers having a chat in perfectly accented idiomatic German; something utterly hilarious, to the extent of "I don't know why the Norwegians are all so mad at us, we just want to bring their chicks back to Germany to breed the master race."
I'm a native German speaker, and I think I would have noticed any trace of an accent there, so I can only assume that they used real Germans to record the voiceovers. Frankly, I can't imagine a German voice actor not pissing himself laughing when asked to read something like that out loud."
The BF1942 clips are actually pretty funny--I like the Italians best--it all sounds romantic and beautiful (Va fa'in culo! I have a headwound! Mamma mia, I love you!)
Cole's Law: Thinly sliced cabbage
END THE HATE!
. ht ml</LI>
Join my petition.. demand that humantiy be taken out of such a wretched game! Rockstar must not use humanity for greed!!!
<LI>http://www.petitiononline.com/havc/petition
Let them know! Let our voices be heard!!
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.
"Kill all the Haitians!" flows. The creators used those words -- that is what they felt would compel the player the most in that situation. Changing a single thing due to censorship utterly destroys the creative flow of the work. And GTA:VC was another masterpiece, from what I've heard, so this is really bad news. What's next, telling them to remove black and mexican gang members form GTA3? I never thought Take Two would cave in this fast. Here's a list of easy things they could have said to protect their creation and creativity in the future: 1) They could say "It's rated M for Mature, deal." 2) They could say "It's called the first ammendment, deal" 3) They could say "It's just a game, deal" 4) They could say "We don't even make that game anymore, it's so last year." 5) They could say "Shut up, guys. Nobody cares. Quit being a bunch of sensative pussies." If somehow none of those things worked, they finally could have come to some kind of agreement by simply not selling the game in that city. If they said "Kill all the Finnish-German-Americans!" I would have laughed my ass off.. Like those Haitians should have too, not spoiled it.
Beware this is Slashdot. You aren't supposed to wonder those kinds of things lest ye be mocked.