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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.
Video of the sex game, apparently.
Really. No Kidding.
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Idiotic people whining about a non-issue?
Games with such sexual content are supposed to get an AO rating as far as I remember, not a mere M.
The ESRB rates what's submitted to them. Excel wasn't submitted hence no rating.
,it should have gotten an AO, Adults Only.
The issue with GTA:SA is that it was submitted and given an inappropriate rating. It recieved a MA, Mature Audience, and, __based on the ESRB's own published criteria__
There seems to be one here, but I have not tried it.
I wonder if this is such a big deal over in Europe where the attitudes towards sexual content are much more relaxed.
I do recall hearing that when GTA 3 was released, the German version had certain "violent" features removed (I think it was the ability to kick or ground stomp NPCs that had been nocked down).
One good example is Carmageddon 1 or 2.
In US: No cuts.
In Britain: All the pedestrians (that you can run over) are zombies instead of humans.
In Germany: All the pedestrians are robots (and squirt oil when ran over).
Of course, just about the next day of release a patch appeared to restore original content.
Also, in Fallout 2, children are missing from the streets so there isn't any child-killing (actually, they are still there, just invisible, so a stray shot could do some damage...)
So, in US, they cut sexual content, Germany and UK they cut violence. Luckily, these days the Nordic countries are a region of their own in game releases and usually get completely uncut content.
http://files.gtanet.com.nyud.net:8090/gtasa/videos /hotcoffee.wmvCoral Cache Version (I averaged 63KB/sec, right before I submited on this post).
Try going to the OED. It's "pro tem". I *do* trust the Oxford English Dictionary.
Also, it's "a lot".
http://www.esrb.org/esrbratings_guide.asp#symbols
M is defined as "Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content, and/or strong language."
AO is defined as "Titles in this category may include prolonged scenes of intense violence and/or graphic sexual content and nudity."
So, how exactly does GTA:SA violate M, and why should it be in AO?
It's called "Hall of Tortured Souls", here are some obligatory screenshots: http://www.atomic-eggs.com/windows/exc.html#a2
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The unspoken assumption underlying all of this brouhaha is that there is something wrong with a game of this type, and especially that there is something wrong with kids and teenagers seeing it.
I've never been convinced that this assumption is in any way valid. I didn't believe it when I was a kid, and I don't believe it today. It isn't that I think any of this is particularly good for kids, or for anyone as far as that goes. The point is that it is not harmful either. If anything it is neutral, which means it just doesn't matter. It doesn't matter any more than anything else anyone sees. Sex is an ordinary part of life for all of us, not some deep dark secret that must be kept hidden at all costs. Attempting to hide things that are sexually explicit from someone because of their age is a monumental waste of time. Not only are you going to fail for the most part (unless you lock them in a closet), but there is nothing to be gained even if you were to succeed. Of all the things that are a danger to a young person, seeing naked bodies and sex portrayed on a computer screen isn't one of them.
When I was a kid I used to think that the sex-phobia exhibited by adults was a sham, a put on, a ruse, a pretention that served to obscure their underlying malice towards the young. I reached this conclusion based upon a simple assmption: no one could actually be as stupid as they were behaving.
I was 30 years old before I finally realized that yes, people really could be that stupid, and that stupidity can even infect an entire culture. Never understimate the destructive power of idiots in large groups.
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Well aren't you special.
I've known a lot of nerdy guys in their mid-20's who hadn't even kissed a girl. Partially because of this, their self-esteem was essentially zero. Of course, as many girls will tell you, a low self-esteem is not very attractive, thus perpetuating the state of not getting laid for these poor guys.
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.
Here's a mirror to the video:
http://basharteg.com/hotcoffee.wmv
Here's a mirror of the video:
http://basharteg.com/hotcoffee.wmv
Assuming the donwloaded video is a real depiction, there is certainly nudity. Starts off with nude woman giving a blowjob (we don't see any of his naughty bits). He grabs her head and starts pushing on it, then she gets up and wipes her mouth.
Then there's a scene with them having sex - apparently, you control the rhythm with the up/down controls, and can change between 3 different positions. Again, the woman is nude, the man is fully clothed. There's an "excitement" meter, which when it peaks out results in the woman crying out and "expressing her enthusiasm", with some hokey feedback saying "That's the spot! Remember, nice guys finish last. You the man, oh yeah, you the man"
You think that would make it AO?