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GTA Sex Game Debate Intensifies
The ESRB kerfluffle with Rockstar shows no signs of ebbing. Gamespot is reporting that a watchdog group has gotten into the act. From the article: "The Minneapolis-based watchdog group, founded by Dr. David Walsh, previously decried the game for its glorification of cop-killing with an online petition. Now the group is issuing a National Parental Warning for the game, giving concerned mothers and fathers a heads-up that their children could be playing with their joysticks in an inappropriate way. The National Institute on Media and the Family joins an already active debate on the game, its content, and the appropriateness of its current M rating." Additionally, the Dutch hacker who claims to have uncovered the game content has been identified. From the article: "...the mod was authored by 36-year-old Patrick Wildenborg, a Dutch gamer and a member of the modder community...Wildenborg insists that the X-rated code is already in the game and that all his patch does is bypass the game's 'censor flags.'" Among many others, Game Girl Advance has commentary on the story.
Game Girl Advance provides two solid viewpoints on the issue.
One is the whole "It was locked out, had to be hacked to access" issue.
And the other, "It was still on the final master disc when it shipped."
It's a tough question, should the ESRB have access to all materials on the master disc? or just the materials that are available to anyone who doesn't attempt to hack the game?
However, GTA : SA is a Mature game, at least in terms of rating, and as far as I've seen, the sex, though more explict than that found in most video games isn't a big deal.
But then again, I'm one of those whackos who doesn't have a problem with sex.
And one of those who finds a certain catharsis through violence.
America, wake up! You should do something about the VIOLENCE, not the SEX! America has FAR MANY PEOPLE KILLED EACH DAY, still organizations seem to care about nudity issues.
I'm confused. GTA has been a Mature rated game, meaning 18 and older for a long time. How about we educate the parents, to take an interest in what their children are doing, and stop buying inappropriate games for them.
Sit down and play the games that your kid is playing, who cares if you're not interested, at least you won't be blind sided by your ignorance, when something like this comes out of left field.
Take an interest in your kids activities, and you won't have 12 year olds, playing games with organized crime, prostitution, assassinations and sex.
I think it's called parenting.
The game is rated 18+, and only after installing a patch the 'naughty bits' become available.
There a thousands of 18+ movies/site with far more explicit sex scenes, and far more easily accessible.
If Microsoft was mass, stupidity would be gravity.
How can the creators be resposinble for material that was never supposed to be seen. How about in an online game, for example an MMORPG where people strip their clothes and use the dance emotes to act some really naughty stuff. Is the creators resposible for people "abusing" the system to create something that would be over the original rating of the game? How are the programmers supposed to block from player doing things like this? How about those Video Game porn archives where there are really really naughty scenes involving Pikachu and Yoshi, i guess those games should be banned too.
As the GamerGirlAdvance article said, this is just works of the anti-GTA crowd. There are no intellectual/logical base for these accusations, they are just flames that are thrown towards their enemy. In court, i doubt that these claims would stand. The only problem is some distributors and store owners that might ban the game from their shelves by these flames. On the other hand, the sales of the game will propably rise anyhow as it gains more free controversial press.
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millions and millions of young people now see how sex works. They will try it out, have sex and not buy guns and kill or whatever. They will have sex.
Right now millions of people do have sex. Almost everybody on this globe has, had, will have, has right now sex. Sex is everywhere. We reproduce through this.
And those american morons have nothing better to do than whine about such a stupid mini-game?
I think those people have a too god life. They should be sent to some poor areas in the world. Live there for 5 years in shelters, boxes and eat the dirt and trash from the others. I am sure they will never ever complain about such a stupid useless thing again.
"Freiheit ist immer auch die Freiheit des Andersdenkenden" - Rosa Luxemburg, 1871 - 1919
Well, for whatever it's worth I ain't no expert on parenting, don't even have kids, but I think you simply have to use your best judgement and learn to live with it. Your best is all you can do.
However, as a child from a dysfunctional household, my best advice is whatever happens, make damn sure that you keep communications open with your kids. In my experience, it's when the trust erodes and talking becomes forced that the real problems start. Talk to your kids as often as they let you, and remember talking means listening too not just laying down edicts.
..is not that people are outraged. That is there perogative. People can vote with their dollars and not buy the game. What gets me is that groups like this are so well organized that they can effectively move legislation to outlaw games like GTA (which is fun, btw), even while the "silent majority" just doesn't care.
Would I let my young son or daughter play GTA? Of course not, it is extremely violent. Would they play it behind my back? Probably. But like most rational people, I'd probably talk to my kids about why I didn't want them playing it.
Either way, what I wouldn't do is force my neighbor to make his children not play GTA.
But this is exactly what this group is going to try and do.
-- bearclaw