Drugs, violence and sex: all the ingredients of a fun weekend.
But these are also the things that caused problems for the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
which more than a year after its release is still generating controversy.
For those unfamiliar with the noble sport of PlayStation 2, in order to win at GTA:SA, the player must resort to a virtual life of crime - murder, manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter, the eponymous grand theft auto, drug dealing, arson, and, um, I think I remember committing securities fraud.
Needless to say, some people were upset about latest installment of the GTA series. Police officers protested the fact that players could murder cops and steal their cars (I just liked playing with the siren). Family values groups, such as Focus on the Family, claimed that the game encouraged 11-year-olds to steal their dad's TEC-9 (it's the Dad's God-given right to own that gun) and go on a drive-by with their homies on the West Side. However, the hubbub just made the game that much more successful.
But last summer, someone discovered a hidden sex mini-game that could be unlocked with a modification called Hot Coffee. In order to beat this mini-game, the player has to control his rhythm, switch positions and then, after the sex, avoid any awkward conversation about commitment. Compared to what you can watch on Cinemax at 2:30 a.m., the Hot Coffee mod was rather tame, the graphics were very poor and the main character was missing some, um, essential parts.
Nevertheless, the mini-game set off a new wave of hullabaloo. Politicians called for the game to be pulled off shelves. Family values groups claimed that, in addition to drive-bys, the game urged 11-year-olds to have unprotected sex while wearing a gimp suit.
This time, the controversy actually hurt sales of GTA:SA. The game's rating was changed from Mature to Adults Only, meaning most retailers wouldn't sell it. The game's developer, Rockstar Games, had to release a Mature-rated version with the mini-game removed, meaning gamers were left without their fix of pixilated porn.
However, debate about the game won't go away. Last week, the Sex Workers Outreach Project - which advocates the decriminalization of prostitution - called for a boycott of the game because of its depiction of violence against prostitutes. (For once, it's clear that the family values people are in bed with prostitutes.)
Also last week, two law firms filed class-action suits on behalf of shareholders of Take-Two Interactive, the game's publisher. The lawsuits are asking Take-Two to either recoup losses stemming from the controversy or release a version of the Hot Coffee mod with better graphics.
The whole Hot Coffee debacle is a good example of the inconsistency of American attitudes toward sex and violence. When the only problem with the game was the fact you could club random people to death with a 9 iron, the game's sales and rating were unaffected.
But what happens when people discover a hidden sex scene depicting people pantomiming certain sexual acts? The game gets pulled from shelves and the publisher loses millions of dollars.
Of course, sex in other media doesn't seem to elicit the same response as video game. You never hear about lawsuits over the release of Debbie Does Dallas 24: Debbie Goes to Ft. Worth and Surrounding Areas. Even mainstream movies with somewhat explicit sex scenes rarely earn more than an R rating, the movie equivalent of a Mature rating for video games.
So what makes video games different? Accessibility to children? The increased interactivity? The fact that most politicians can't name any video games besides the original Doom? All of these are valid arguments as to what separates video games from other media.
But the solution to the problem is not attacking video game publishers and developers. That prevents grown adults from exercising their constitutional right to throw virtual Molotov cocktails at large crowds of Elvis impersonators.
The real solution starts with good parenting. If you notice your 13-year-old playing Grand Theft Auto for 18 hours at a time, take away his PS2 privileges.
If, in response, your child tries to attack you with a golf club, then let him, because you deserve it for being stupid enough to buy him a game named after a felony.
Joe Merical is a senior journalism major. Send him an e-mail at jm184701@ohio.edu 17
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