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Grand Theft Auto Stalls
PC World.com ^ | 7/21/2005 | Dan Nystedt

Posted on 07/21/2005 11:00:49 AM PDT by Mike Bates

The maker of the popular video game "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" has halted production of the PC version of the game and predicted millions of dollars in lost sales due to a re-rating of the title to adults only.

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) revised the game's rating Wednesday amid a controversy over sexually explicit material in the game. The additional material is unlocked by a software modification dubbed Hot Coffee, allegedly created by hackers and readily available on the Internet.

Explicit Add-Ons

The rating revision hurts game maker Take-Two Interactive Software because stores in the U.S. won't be allowed to sell the game to anyone under 18 years old. The revised rating may also cause video game makers to spend more on increasing security in their products to avoid similar tampering with their software code.

Trouble with "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" started shortly after the PC version was released in June. Someone posted Hot Coffee on the Internet, a software modification that allowed users to play sexually explicit mini-games on the title.

The modification caused an uproar, culminating in a call by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton for increased legislation and stiffer penalties to keep violent or pornographic video games away from kids. The New York senator also prodded the ESRB to revise its mature rating on "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" to adults only, which the group did.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Music/Entertainment
KEYWORDS: hillaryclinton; nannystate; pcgames; ratings; video; videogames
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To: Mike Bates

I wonder what will happen to Leisure Suit Larry....


81 posted on 07/21/2005 12:11:17 PM PDT by Dan from Michigan (Member - NRA, SAF, MGO, SAFR)
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To: johnb838

Soldier of Fortune II is great. I think it is the most violent game I've ever played; but unfortunately it also has some of the crappiest graphics of any game out there. They need to make a sequel to this game with a seriously upgraded look.


82 posted on 07/21/2005 12:11:48 PM PDT by Junior_G
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To: dfwgator
I know it's Hillary!

Yeah it is. Were it a conservative, we'd be hearing about the "chilling effect" of government interfering with civil liberties, censorship, trampling on Constitutional rights, etc.

83 posted on 07/21/2005 12:11:52 PM PDT by Mike Bates (Irish Alzheimer's victim: I only remember the grudges.)
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To: rwfromkansas
I don't want to wait until tomorrow because I am afraid it will be off the shelves.

You're too late; Best Buy pulled the PC version, and everybody else seems to have pulled all versions.

84 posted on 07/21/2005 12:12:46 PM PDT by steveegg (Real torture is taking a ride with Sen Ted "Swimmer" Kennedy in a 1968 Oldsmobile off a short bridge)
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To: Junior_G
They shouldn't whine about the fact that their game is now appropriately labeled

When it's all said & done, I have a feeling they'll be "whining" all the way to the bank.

Nothing like making something forbidden fruit to drive up sales. Thanks for playing along.

85 posted on 07/21/2005 12:13:38 PM PDT by gdani
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To: sharktrager

I found that out after further digging.


86 posted on 07/21/2005 12:13:41 PM PDT by steveegg (Real torture is taking a ride with Sen Ted "Swimmer" Kennedy in a 1968 Oldsmobile off a short bridge)
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To: steveegg

Go to used game places, like CD/Game Exchange. I bet you could find it at Babbages.


87 posted on 07/21/2005 12:15:53 PM PDT by Sensei Ern (Christian, Comedian, Husband,Opa, Dog Owner, former Cat Co-dweller, and all around good guy.)
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To: steveegg
You're too late; Best Buy pulled the PC version, and everybody else seems to have pulled all versions

There's a copy on Ebay with less than 2 hours left going for $70+. Not bad for a $45-50 game.

88 posted on 07/21/2005 12:15:54 PM PDT by gdani
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To: gdani
Ha ha. Good luck. All it's doing is making the game that much more popular.

According to the article the company claims they are going to lose millions in sales.

89 posted on 07/21/2005 12:16:05 PM PDT by Moonman62 (Federal creed: If it moves tax it. If it keeps moving regulate it. If it stops moving subsidize it)
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To: OXENinFLA
Check out this board for GTA.

Wow there are a lot of stupid people who play video games. Some of those quotes are priceless. "Is it better to create life or to take life?" I feel like I went to a Phish concert when I read that board.

90 posted on 07/21/2005 12:18:33 PM PDT by Texas Federalist (No matter what my work/play ratio is, I am never a dull boy.)
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To: Moonman62
According to the article the company claims they are going to lose millions in sales

Yeah - I'm sure they are just crushed about all this free publicity. And any recalls or modifications they do will simply be written off.

Anyone - of any age - who wants a copy of the game will be able to get a copy, no matter what rating is on it.

91 posted on 07/21/2005 12:19:54 PM PDT by gdani
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To: OXENinFLA
I may be wrong but I think the only way to get "hot coffee" w/ the ps2 is to use the GAME SHARK, it's not just "in the game".

If GameShark/Action Replay/et al can get to it (and yes, the codes are very publicly out there), it's "in the game".

92 posted on 07/21/2005 12:20:44 PM PDT by steveegg (Real torture is taking a ride with Sen Ted "Swimmer" Kennedy in a 1968 Oldsmobile off a short bridge)
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To: markman46

BOTH and I have hired 100's of both over the years.


93 posted on 07/21/2005 12:23:51 PM PDT by edcoil (Reality doesn't say much - doesn't need too)
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To: gdani
Anyone - of any age - who wants a copy of the game will be able to get a copy, no matter what rating is on it.

Not at Circuit City or Best Buy.

Circuit City halts sale of Grand Theft Auto game

Best Buy takes San Andreas video game off shelves

94 posted on 07/21/2005 12:28:01 PM PDT by Moonman62 (Federal creed: If it moves tax it. If it keeps moving regulate it. If it stops moving subsidize it)
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To: Moonman62
Not at Circuit City or Best Buy

But, of course, there's about one zillion more places (including online) to shop for video games besides Circuit City & Best Buy. With most of them not giving two squirts what your age is.

95 posted on 07/21/2005 12:31:20 PM PDT by gdani
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To: steveegg
Yeah, I read a bit more on it. You're right.

http://www.gta-sanandreas.com/index.php

And OMG!! Is this what we're going to get in the PS3?

WOW!

96 posted on 07/21/2005 12:49:57 PM PDT by OXENinFLA
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To: Mike Bates

I see the big government liberals and the big government conservatives are all over this one.


97 posted on 07/21/2005 12:52:28 PM PDT by FreedomAvatar (Gravity is only a theory - Teach the controversy)
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To: tfecw

That works for getting the ones published (or were leaked by QA), the others are a different story.


98 posted on 07/21/2005 1:46:14 PM PDT by discostu (The dude abides)
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To: gdani
But, of course, there's about one zillion more places (including online) to shop for video games besides Circuit City & Best Buy. With most of them not giving two squirts what your age is.

Quite a bit fewer than that, actually, and most of them will be on-line; nearly all the "chain" brick-and-mortar stores either won't sell AO games (GameStop, Circuit City and Best Buy are among those that won't) or require IDs for them.

Further complicating the search for the freshly-minted AO version of San Andreas - Take Two stopped pressing the disks for all 3 versions.

99 posted on 07/21/2005 1:52:07 PM PDT by steveegg (Real torture is taking a ride with Sen Ted "Swimmer" Kennedy in a 1968 Oldsmobile off a short bridge)
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To: Moonman62

Temporarily they will. It's in the second month of PC availability, this will seriously impede on their gravy time, but over the long haul it'll have little effect, it's not like GTA3 or Vice City dropped in price very quickly. Might hurt them with some places like WalMart, but they've always treated GTA like an adult only game (card you and everything) so maybe not.


100 posted on 07/21/2005 1:57:04 PM PDT by discostu (The dude abides)
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