I don't know what this means for us Brits, but all this sounds rather nasty to me
What do other people think about all this? I think it was a bit of fun that some people blew out of proportion, forcing the ESRB to take steps to cover its arse. Then again I'm only 16 and not worried about 'my kids' seeing this, or wised up to the world of law.
Even though it is part of the original game code, surely if you need a third party patch to access it it isn't part of the off-the-shelf game. If it isn't part of the intended retail version then how can they justify recalling it? It would be similar to recalling The Sims because you can patch it with skins of naked people or remove those blurred out bits when they're in the bath.
I think it's just more likely that more bad press for an already controvertial game has tipped the balance in the favour of the censor-happy (and vocal) section of the public who never wanted the game released in the first place.
Dog Pants wrote:I think it's just more likely that more bad press for an already controvertial game has tipped the balance in the favour of the censor-happy (and vocal) section of the public who never wanted the game released in the first place.
This is my opinion as well. I'm sure many other games have had unlockable 'extras' that don't suit their rating where nothing was done, but because GTA is already a hate object of some people, the media pressure has forced the Software bodies to prove something is going to be done, just look at this quote by the ESA:
ESA wrote:The Entertainment Software Association is proud of the industry's commitment to effective and responsible self regulation, accurate ratings, and enforcement, and supports the ESRB in these efforts and its decision related to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The action announced by ESRB today should be seen as a clear reflection of the effectiveness of video game industry self regulation. We hope that in the future industry critics will avoid jumping to conclusions before the ESRB has time to complete its investigations, and will instead choose to use their resources to focus on greater cooperative efforts to ensure that parents make use of ESRB ratings so they can make the right game choices for their unique families.
And there are some definately 18+skins (NSFW) around for the Sims 2, but everyone :hump: the Sims, nice family entertainment that is.
As far as I'm concerned the uproar about sex in the game is the usual load of tabloid sensationalism. If a game is 18 don't buy it for your 12 year old then complain that it is innapropriate. (there are several games out at the moment where sex is directly involved in the gameplay, 7 sins, Playboy Mansion, Singles. But the uproar is about VC where you have to mod the game to unlock the sex!!)
For me the real problem is with Rockstar themselves who reacted to the outcry by saying that the Hot Coffee mod was a complete manipulation and hack of the game code and that it never existed in the first place.
Doh!
Big error, it was subsequently proved to have existed in the game (by gamespot I think...) Surely they would have fared much better if they told the truth and said "Yeah it exists in the game, but we decided at the last minute to make it unplayable, cos it would like, you know cause an uproar or something"
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Unless of course they knew exactly what they were doing, put it in as unplayable on purpose to be 'unlocked', then denied it knowing they'd be proven wrong = all press is good press = more sales!!
it's so stupid this has caused such an uproar, someone made a 3rd party mod wow - happens all the time. Who cares if the nookie was in the original code - that sims example is a good one... didnt see Hilary Clinton bitching about that one did we?
I like the game itself and it shouldn't be sold to people of the wrong age as with anything.
Then there are companies complaining about xbox mods to halo and stuff like that, bla bla bla... people use their hard earned money to buy this stuff. If they want to throw it on a fire they shouldn't be nagged for not using it properly as it's their property to do with it as they wish.
Yeah, cause I didn't expect the game to contain murder, g.t.a. or drugs AND SEX. Oh, i've just realised, the game in the uk is an 18, but in America, its only just been moved to 18 from 16+/17+.. hmm.. how queer.
Pfft, it's just models rubbing against other models, and people are complaining, yet there is millions of tons of Porn avaible in Newsagents and for free on the Internet.
I think people are more angry that it wasn't advertised. Hillary Clinton probably has shares in Rockstar, and she thinks that GTA:SA would of sold a lot more units if this was pushed..
Heh, you can now get a t-shirt at think geek about this. Fun fun
I think people are more angry that it wasn't advertised. Hillary Clinton probably has shares in Rockstar, and she thinks that GTA:SA would of sold a lot more units if this was pushed..
I ed at this
Edit:
ZOMG!!11!one!! Someone has been reading this thread I think:
Slashdot wrote:Miami lawyer Jack Thompson is at it again, this time with something above and beyond absurd. Gamestop is reporting that Thompson has accused The Sims 2 of contain obscene material. From the article: 'In the statement, Thompson says, "Sims 2, the latest version of the Sims video game franchise ... contains, according to video game news sites, full frontal nudity, including nipples, penises, labia, and pubic hair.
ed at this
Hard.