GTA Sex Game Leads to ESRB Fracas

At first, it was nothing more than a rumour. A "sex mini-game" in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, left in the code for the PC version and unlocked by inquisitive players. Then, as more and more information became available it seemed as though the sex game might be real. This revelation has lead to California Speaker pro-tem Yee blasting the ESRB for their apparent slip-up in examining all the content in the game. The ESRB has responded by pledging a "thorough and objective investigation" of the claims to get to the bottom of the situation. Commentary is available from Joystiq, GamesAreFun, and Buttonmashing.

Comments

oh man

[BilldaCat]

think of the children!

Re:oh man

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

Are you asking for a pedophile minigame in GTA:SA as well?

Larry

[Anonymous Coward]

I hear that there's also a code you can enter into Leisure Suit Larry that unlocks a secret driving game.

Ridiculous!

[Quick Sick Nick]

As a parent, this concerns me.

I don't care if my child carjacks a senior.

I don't care if he runs over innocent bystanders.

I don't care if he joins the mafia.

I don't care if he kills police oficers.

I don't care if he picks up prostitutes then kills them to get their money.

I don't care if he takes a golf club and starts clubbing to death pedestrians.

But he may never, over my dead body, have adult on adult, consensual sex!

Re:This is bull

[jamsessionjay]

unless I live in some Bizzaro World im pretty sure just about every 17 year old has either had sex

You must be new here, may I greet you to slashdot; advertisements for nerds, stuff that won't get you laid.

Satanic messages too

[Anonymous Coward]

If you play the game backwards, satan is telling you to be nice to old ladies ...

Re:This is bull

[$RANDOMLUSER]

> Because sex is, obviously, so much more damaging to the mind of a 17 year old than killing people.

And here I thought that Columbine happened 'cause those two weren't getting any sex.
My bad.

It never ceases to amaze me how sleazebag

[multiplexo]

politicians such as LeLand Yee (Dickhead, San Francisco) can find the time to bloviate about non-issues such as this while everything else goes to Hell around them. California has huge problems, the educational system is shot, high-tech companies are moving jobs out of the state as fast as they can, it's difficult to start a business there due to the regulatory environment, the infrastructure is decaying and this useless fucktard is whining about a hack to GTA III, a game which isn't exactly kid-friendly to begin with, that allows you to see some pixellated titties.

Now, perhaps if this was the My Little Pony game and there was an easy hack to allow my little pony to join a donkey show in Tijuana and violate the PowerPuff girls in graphic detail with animations of horse-jism and blood squirting out of Buttercup as she's bent over the back of a chair and held down by the Mario Brothers and introduced to the animal kingdom then I could see some cause for concern. But for fuck's sake, it's GTA III. Leland Yee is a worthless, grandstanding sack of shit and what's amazing is that with this tantrum of his he manages to stand out from the other worthless, grandstanding sacks of shit that comprise the state government of California.

Re:Double Standard

[JohnPerkins]

There was a one-page scene in Mad Magazine, I think in the 90s.

Movie production studio. Guy rushes into the boss's office: "Hey, RJ, I got the ratings people to give (movie) an R instead of an x!"

RJ: "Great! How'd you do it?"

Guy: "Remember that scene where Brad takes Michelle home and makes wild, passionate love to her?"

RJ (looking excitied): "Boy, do I!"

Guy: "I changed the script. Now he kills her!"

A typical scene from GTA: San Andreas

[PCM2]

OK, forgive me if I've missed the whole point, but i actually played GTA for about 15 minutes last night, and though I couldn't figure out what the actual object of the game was, this was a typical sequence:

1. Walk up to a random character. For the sake of illustration, let's say it's a female.
2. Start mashing buttons. Your character begins punching the female in the face, interjecting with expressions like, "You're just a bitch!"
3. Chase the character around while still mashing buttons. You will win the "fight." She will then fall over backwards, exposing her panties.
4. Keep mashing buttons. Your character will then begin violently stomping the disabled and compromisingly-positioned female in the crotch, while yelling more epithets.
5. At some point, the female character will die (become immobile and cease making noise). If you then step back, you will see a pool of blood emanating from the character's crotch area, where you were stomping on it.

Wait, so where was I going with this? Oh, right -- depicting sex in a video game is bad.

A typical scene from Pac Man

[Theaetetus]

OK, forgive me if I've missed the whole point, but i actually played Pac Man for about 15 minutes last night, and though I couldn't figure out what the actual object of the game was, this was a typical sequence:

1. Walk up to a random character. For the sake of illustration, let's say it's the pink one.
2. Start wiggling the joystick around. Your character begins running in circles while you shout out "no, run away, you stupid biatch!"
3. Keep wiggling the joystick. Your character will eventually be eaten, while you yell more epithets.
4. At some point, some music will play. Then you get to do it all over again.

   Wait, so where was I going with this? Oh, right -- judging a game based on 15 minutes of play time without reading the manual, trying any of the objectives, or even having the slightest idea that there could be a concept for the game is a stupid idea.

Re:Better Quesiton

[d34thm0nk3y]

Despite all this I can't help but laugh.

Like usual all of a sudden I want to get my hands on a copy of this game I have been putting off buying for months...

Re:This is bull

[buckhead_buddy]

Let's hope that no GTA characters come near an orphanage or adoption program for abused children. We might see similar arguments. :-)

I'm certainly not going to argue that violence is ok and [adoption] is not, however [adoption] does carry with it certain responsibilities. The fear in parents is that their children will be attracted to unsafe and irresponsible [adoption]. Also that [adoption] won't be associated with love but rather just used in a physical manner

Unprotected [adoption] can lead to disease including [typhoid, rabies, hepatitis C, and mad cow disease] which will change your life forever and kill you. Unprotected [adoption] can also lead to [another mouth to feed] which in a lot of ways is worse than disease as it impacts an entirely new life. [Sex] has a dramatic physchological impact and can't be considered an "easy" solution to [adoption].

Now I'm all for more [adoption] and less violence and I don't consider the [orphaned] human body something sinful. The fact is though, that depicting [adoption] should also educate about the possible dangers. Maybe virtual [adoption] needs virtual [adoption agencies]. After all your GTA character gets fat if he eats too much junk food and doesn't exercise. Maybe he should come down with a [child transmitted disease] if he [adopts] every [abused and neglected child] in the neighborhood. Or maybe he can be have his cash taken away to support the kid he [adopted].

Herbie gettin' it on!

[HTH NE1]

Maybe he should come down with an STD if he fucks every skank in the neighborhood. Or maybe he can be have his cash taken away to support the kid he fathered.

I haven't played San Andreas (been waiting for the PC version's price to drop), but with the population I've seen in GTA3 and Vice City, the whole population must be sterile. (Or at least half of it.) Everyone apparently reproduces by full body mitosis whenever you turn your back on them. Even their clothes get in on the cloning action.

As to STDs, I don't know what ones you think you can catch from the sex depicted in those two games. You're just sitting motionless in the front seats of a car while its shocks bounce it around. The characters don't even touch each other. As far as I can tell, it's the car that's getting off!

Re:that was only in office '97

[Basehart]

There's also a pretty realistic living hell in Windows ME

Re:This is bull

[dancingmad]

I for one have dated a couple virgin nerds and subsequently deflowered them. I found that once they got over their issues, they were quite spectacular in bed. Non-nerds can't compete in that arena, IMHO.

Obligatory Futurama quote:

Bender: "C'mon, it's just like making love! Y'know...Left, down...Rotate 62 degrees...Engage rotor..."

Re:It's a mirror.

[danila]

Sure, there are times when players just "go nuts", start messing around and go on random killing sprees, seeing how much carnage they can commit before being caught or killed - but if you persist, the consequences will always, always catch up with you.

Unless you have a tank.

Which, once again, conclusively proves - the one with the bigger stick makes the rules.

Re:Better Quesiton

[anagama]

No doubt -- this will send sales through the roof. Why doesn't someone break down and just make a great porn game? I mean, anyone remember Passionate Patty? If Larry got some in the early 90s, why isn't any one doing something similar anymore? Even with EGA graphics, helping Larry get laid was a blast. Nowadays, all we get is FPS after FPS? Damnit ... I'd really like an FPF instead!!

Re:and violence is completely resopsibily free

[DavidTC]

1. How many times have you watched graphic sexual content (pornagraphy, whatever) and wanted to have sex yourself during or after viewing it?

Remember, folks, if you never watch porn you'll never want to have sex.

And remember that wanting to have sex is Wrong(TM).