Gamemaker Sued Over Hidden Sex in GTA

http://enews.earthlink.net/ ^ | 27 July 2005 | staff

[Quick1]

A friend of mine works at Target, and many soccer moms have tried returning their kids copies of GTA, because of the dry humping scene (is it really a sex scene when the guy still has his pants on?). Of course most of them are refused, because the game has been opened. I'm glad I'm not working there, otherwise many of these moms would get a slap upside the head.

The stealing, vandalizing, and murdering were ok, but somehow a sex scene turns them into "MY GOD THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!" mode.

It boggles the mind.

[Terpfen]

So, why do you suppose they did it? After being so consistently brilliant for so long they suddenly turned so stupid?

Partially, yes. Here's what I think happened: the minigames were originally intended to be accessible and playable, and were in the version of the game Rockstar submitted for rating. The ESRB told Rockstar that the scenes had to be taken out to get an M rating. At that time, the game was so close to the release date that Rockstar simply walled off the code and chose to bugfix and test the rest of the game, instead of risking a delay by removing the code outright. That's how I think the code made its way into the PS2 version.

As for the Xbox and PC versions, Rockstar's GTA ports historically don't fix bugs: the company just gets the games working on the other platforms, waits until their contract with Sony dictates when they can release the games, and the games go out. What probably happened is that no one at Rockstar thought the minigames would be uncovered in the first place, as the GTA modding community is mainly interested in replacing character and car models, and making multiplayer versions. Or maybe Rockstar simply didn't think to remove the code (it's possible, and history is filled with people and groups who missed the obvious.)

Either way, it's stupid that the code was left in the Xbox and PC versions.

[Quick1]

No, this is like seeing XXX rated content on an X movie. The game went from 17+ to 18+. Also, if you are taking your children to any old R rated movie without doing any research on it to get an idea for what kind of content is in there, you're a terrible parent.

[Quick1]

If the scene was never intended to be accessed, why was it there?

We're not saying the scene was NEVER intended to be accessed. What the most likely scenario is, is this: R* created the minigame, and then after seeing it implemented, they decided to remove it from the game. Only, instead of taking it out of the game entirely, they only had time to disable it, as removing the code entirely might have created more problems than it fixed.

Or, to ask another question, how do y'all think the rating authority would have reacted if they were shown the sexual material and the ease with which it could be accessed prior to the initial release?

Which is EXACTLY why they disabled it. Somebody decided they would probably get an AO rating instead of an M rating with the minigame in, and decided to disable it instead.

[DBrow]

"Take Two Interactive initially said the scenes were not part of the retail version of the game but later admitted they were."

Not Rockstar, the parent company.

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

Laurence D. Paskowitz, the lawyer who filed the lawsuit on behalf of Cohen, said no parent would knowingly buy an adult-only video game for their children

Uh... sure.

[DBrow]

the end user had to download a third party patch: in other words, modify what Rockstar sold.

Rockstar hid the AO rated scenes on the disc, accessible by a crack download. Did they accidentally write these scenes and accidentally put them in the retail game and accidentally release the crack code information?

If they did accidentally write the scenes and accidentally paid their programmers then I guess they are not at fault.

[DBrow]

Rodney, how do you know that the son is a trial lawyer?

I speculated earlier that Hillary and the democrat's new "Family Values Think Tank" may be involved.

[Terpfen]

So now game developers are to be penalized for inaccessible content, and simultaneously be responsible for every third-party unofficial add-on for their game. Fabulous.

[Terpfen]

Either way, I'd love to see an article in which either company denies that the code was in the game to begin with, because I haven't seen anything. It would fit in with my theory that the minigame code was completely forgotten about, though.

[steveegg]

IMHO, up until "Hot Coffee" came out, it was just a big game (pardon the pun) between Rockstar and the ESRB. Rockstar pushed as far as they thought they could, and up until HC became public, the ESRB let them. Considering that there's already topless dancing in SA (it was introduced in Vice City, actually), I'll stand by my assertion that the 'difference' between M and AO is one without a real difference.

Now, had Rockstar waited until the next GTA to bring out the "Hot Coffee", it would have probably flown.

[Rodney King]

I don't know specifically, but I am friendly with some trial lawyers and know how they work. The lead plaintiffs are almost always friends or family of the trial lawyers. People have the perception that someone is wronged, and that person hires a lawyer. In reality, the trial lawyers dream up the cases, and then find a person who was wronged.

[steveegg]

Indeed. Action Quake isn't ESRB-rated either. Shall the ESRB now be responsible for rating every downloadable mod in gaming? And I'd like to see the Gamespot article.

It just goes to show how useless the ESRB is. As for the Gamespot article, I linked to it in the last post I sent your way.

Not really, as SA's violence isn't prolonged. It's certainly very common, but the game penalizes you for it (wanted stars, for example.)

Semantics between common and prolonged. Those wanted stars disappear with a quick trip into the Pay-n-Spray (after a short wait), or over the nearest police bribe, or upon the successful completion of most missions.

I'd say rendering the game unable to be sold, and sticking Rockstar with millions of unusable inventory, is a pretty dramatic move, especially if there was a tacit attempt by the ESRB to deliberately rate the game M so as to not hurt the industry in the first place. (The ESRB backpedaled pretty quickly on that rating.)

It could also be that they don't want Hitlery, the Queen of Hugh Gubmint, taking their little fiefdom away from them. Then you would get every little mod gubmint-stamped.

[Terpfen]

It just goes to show how useless the ESRB is. As for the Gamespot article, I linked to it in the last post I sent your way.

So you think every tiny skin, custom map, mod, and total conversion should be submitted for classification? As for the link, for some reason it brought be to an Action Replay purchase listing, but now it works. Thanks.

Those wanted stars disappear with a quick trip into the Pay-n-Spray (after a short wait), or over the nearest police bribe, or upon the successful completion of most missions.

The mechanics of fantasy gameplay are a wonderful thing.

It could also be that they don't want Hitlery, the Queen of Hugh Gubmint, taking their little fiefdom away from them. Then you would get every little mod gubmint-stamped.

Hillary doesn't care about video games. She saw an opportunity to appear morally responsible in preparation for her 2008 campaign and took it. No more, no less. You will hear no more from Hillary regarding video games, though she may reference the event a few times. You know, it's like how we're supposed to believe she's pro-military because she's on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

[DBrow]

My post 85 is from the article- the parent company denied that the content was there, then admitted it was. it's in the article.

[tfecw]

"So now game developers are to be penalized for inaccessible content, and simultaneously be responsible for every third-party unofficial add-on for their game. Fabulous."

Pity the company who has their code decompiled and rearranged.. heck anyone can do that right now with enough time and patience and a hex editor...whoops according to some hex editing is just using cheat codes, yup simple as that.

[Terpfen]

Pity the company who has their code decompiled and rearranged..

Bingo. That's what no one is realizing, probably because they don't know about it.

[gridlock]

Either way, it's stupid that the code was left in the Xbox and PC versions.

When you do something sufficiently stupid in this country, the lawyers will come out of the woodwork, slit your throat, and divide your carcass. It is the American way.