Stupid over-reactive idiots.
I swear it's people like this, not the violent videogames that makes me want to snap.
There has been a controversy brewing for the last week or so in some circles. In the game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas there is a mod that has been released that unlocks this sex mini-game that has been dubbed "Hot Coffee". Of course, this has caused all sorts of senators and politicians in the US to hold forth on this being the moral decay that shall destroy the teeth of virtue... Hmm... that analogy went horribly awry.
For people who have an image of games being all about Donkey Kong, Mario and Pac-Man, this is shocking. For those of us who actually PLAY the games and are old enough to buy the games, this is actually quite tame stuff. Sure, it's purile and stupid and I don't know why anyone who isn't a 14-year old boy would actually get a kick out of it, but it's nothing worse than what you'd stumble across on Showcase or any R-rated movie. Heck, it's a lot tamer than most of that stuff.
Here's the kicker. The ESRB, the board that rates games (and does a damned good job of it, if I do say so myself) has not only been taken to task for not catching the inaccessible content, but they've also had to change the rating from Mature (17+) to Adults Only (18+).
Granted, the reason most games aren't rated AO (even though they probably should be) is that the large stores like Walmart and K-Mart, etc., won't stock them. This means that most games are rated M. Technically, that means that unless little Johnny's parents buy him the game, he shouldn't be allowed to buy it until he turns 17. Not all stores are strict about enforcing this, but stores aren't always strict about enforcing the sale of R-rated movies to people in their teens either.
I have a problem with people who say that the ESRB ratings are confusing. Sure, it's different than the movie rating system that people are used to dealing with, but it's not THAT different. It has the meanings of the giant letters stamped onto every game package and on the back of every game there is even a breakdown of why the game got that rating. There's even a handy website that breaks it all down for those too dumb to get a handle on what they mean.
Hell, the FCC even said that it was the best and most comprehensive of the three rating systems currently out (TV, Movie & Video Game).
Sigh...
Understand that you have to really work to unlock the 'explicit' content anyway. Rockstar has recalled the game and is going to put out a 'tamer' version. By which it means a version where you don't see the material that you wouldn't see anyway unless you really went out and found the proper instructions and files on the net... and that's for the PC version. The PS2 version is even trickier to mod.
The funniest thing is that if the politicians and family groups hadn't gotten on their high horses about this and made it the topic du jour on every gaming and even non-gaming website, there would be a handful of gamers who would know about the content and would probably just snicker and move on. Now every 12 year old wants to get the mod and see the sex. Of course, Rockstar is laughing all the way to the bank as they've probably sold many more copies since the story broke than before (not that San Andreas was a slouch at retail to begin with).
Of course, the saddest thing is that this is a game where the main activities, should you choose to pursue them, involve gang violence, mass murder, destruction of vehicles and property and many other unsavoury acts. Granted, they're all wrapped up in an awesome story that ultimately tells the tale of one man's struggle to get out of the downward spiral that is his life and get his friends and family out of trouble, but still. The one act of consensual sex is probably the most redeeming feature of the game!
Sigh.
The worst thing is that if this had been done as a movie, it would have been rated properly (like San Andreas was anyway) and enjoyed by those old enough to appreciate a good gangland saga and not watched by those who don't. Heck, they could have even left in the whole sex scene (which is MUCH tamer than anything shown in, heck, Open Water of all movies) and nobody would bat an eye. If need be, they could have put it on the DVD as a deleted, unrated scene and it would be perfectly accessible.
That's what the whole Hot Coffee scenario is. It's a deleted scene that you have to really work at to find and that wasn't intended as part of the original release anyway.
Sorry for the insane verbosity of the above post. This is just something that I've been watching for a week or so and have let perculate in my noggin the whole time. I just don't like seeing censorship. If they are going to crack down on something like this, you should act the same way for movies and books. I don't want them to, but I think it's the fair thing to do. Don't forget, the average age of gamers is 28 and rising. It's as foolish to think that only kids play games as it is to think that only kids go to movies.
And that's all I'm saying. I'm going to go have some supper.
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What I'm Reading: Harry Pots
What I'm Playing: Killer 7, Word 2000
What I'm Watching: The West Wing: Season 2
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