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ESRB Revokes San Andreas Rating
Alex Blonski writes "In a stunning move, the ESRB has advised retailers to stop selling Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. This report follows public pressure over the Hot Coffee debacle. Rockstar, the publishers of the game have given retailers the option of restickering the game with an 18+ rating or exchanging it for a new version with the controversial content removed. ESRB head Patricia Vance says 'After a thorough investigation, we have concluded that sexually explicit material exists in a fully rendered, unmodified form on the final discs of all three platform versions of the game (i.e., PC CD-ROM, Xbox and PS2). However, the material was programmed by Rockstar to be inaccessible to the player and they have stated that it was never intended to be made accessible. The material can only be accessed by downloading a software patch, created by an independent third party without Rockstar's permission, which is now freely available on the internet and through console accessories. Considering the existence of the undisclosed and highly pertinent content on the final discs, compounded by the broad distribution of the third party modification, the credibility and utility of the initial ESRB rating has been seriously undermined.'"
"However, the material was programmed by Rockstar to be inaccessible to the player and they have stated that it was never intended to be made accessible."
Right. Sure.
What would the reason be to put it in there then? Perhaps the publicity that they are getting now? My 8 y/o son would not have known about GTA except that it has been in the news lately. (Yep, an 8 y/o that watches the news)
"Rockstar, the publishers of the game have given retailers the option of restickering the game with an 18+ rating or exchanging it for a new version with the controversial content removed."
Well, I suspect that most will put a sticker on the game and continue to sell as usual. I also suspect that if a 15 y/o wants to buy one, they still will be able to do so.
It could be worse, it could be Monday.
This is rediciulous. What if I release a patch that will just replace the textures of any game (say Windows Solitair, or some Harry Potter game) with hardcore porn? Assume the patch becomes widespread after the game has been released.
Will this... organization... advise stores to stop sell this game too?
A kid (clearly around 13) at EBGames in line in front of me tried to buy it (GTA:SA, long before Hot Coffee). The guy behind the desk asked for his ID. The kid said he didn't have one; the EB guy said that he couldn't buy the game. Simple as that! The kid walked away embarrassed, as he should be.
It's annoying enough that I'm just buying my media online now.
What bothers me is that irregardless of the fact that this game is effectively a murder/obscenity simulator that should never fall into the hands of children forcing Rockstar to recall/modify their game or be relabeled AO is effectively censorship, albeit one that takes advantage of economics rather than legal force to effect the views of the minority over the majority. Most stores refuse to carry AO titles and therefore artificially decrease the audience for the game, putting severe pressure on the manufacturer to cater to the distribution chain by watering down their content or simply shelve products that would have been successes but for the fact that they are offered only through adult-only resellers (a chilling effect on customers who simply want to enjoy a game released as the developer intended without having porn businesses appear on their credit card statements.)
Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.
-- Dr. Spock, stardate 2822-3.
They maintain their sovereignity through the threat of force and retaliation. They have more active military personnel than any other country. I believe it's every male between 18 and 45 that is armed and trained. You're required to do service as part of your citizenship.
;-)
Also, they have much of the world's money.
This makes me want to kill the ESRB board
Why? They gave GTA:SA the M rating based on the footage that Rockstar provided, and Rockstar wasn't forthcoming about the content that was on the disc -- even if the mini-game wasn't easily accessible, now all it takes is a modified save game file. Why shouldn't the ESRB revoke the rating?
Regardless of whether you think the footage is "dangerous to children" or whatever, the fact of the matter is that Rockstar misrepresented themselves and their game, and now that they've been caught, the ESRB is entirely within its rights -- in fact, if the ESRB hadn't done this, then there would be no validity to the rating system that keeps those political monkeys off the industry's back.
As far as I'm concerned, Rockstar got what was coming to them. Their peers in the video game industry should be outraged that they would pull the wool over the eyes of the ESRB, which exists to help protect all of them from being regulated by would-be thought police.
How are we to know they even saw the scene? Perhaps they just read press releases about the ability to modify the game to ''unlock'' sexually explicit imagery.
Who says they know how difficult it is to ''unlock'' the images and how much of the information is created in process by the people modifying the game?
Will they be upset if there were a press release that a group had discovered a modification in the form of a software patch that could be applied to a certain brand of TV or DVD player to bypass the V-chip and expect the manufacturer to recall the line or add a disclaimer prohibiting sales of the TVs/DVD players to people under 18?