Cortannnnna.
Posted on 07/23/2005 6:07:43 AM PDT by CollegeRepublicanNU
With many video games, there's no "game over" screen, no reason to ever get bored. In a long-standing practice called "modding," fans create their own new chapters, artwork and other twists to extend the lives of their favorite games. Many game makers freely encourage the practice and give away free software tools to help.
But some in the industry are now wondering about the ratings implications posed by mods after a Dutch programmer created one that unlocks a hidden sex level in the violent action game "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas." After all, video games aren't like the feature films you see in the theater or get on a DVD. They're made of software code. They're malleable.
The Grand Theft Auto mod, called "hot coffee," was developed by Patrick Wildenborg, who made downloads freely available on the Internet about a month ago.
Most major retailers promptly removed the game from store shelves after the Entertainment Software Rating Board, an industry body, changed its rating Wednesday to "adults only" from "mature."
Like souping up car engines or expanding the capacity of TiVo digital video recorders, modding is largely unsolicited and uncompensated.
For most, modding is all about the love of games, not of dollars — though many large publishers have found ways to cash in on the tinkering that can change the way characters appear or add elements the creators hadn't intended.
Though most mods are written for PC games, it is becoming increasingly popular on consoles.
In 1999, modders turned Half-Life's "X-Files" world of government conspiracies and alien invasions into Counter-Strike, a multiplayer game that pits soldiers against terrorists. The mod, which remains popular to this day, had completely new maps, weaponry, graphics and sound effects.
Half-Life's owner, Valve Corp., eventually released Counter-Strike to commercial success. Many workers at the Bellevue, Wash., company are themselves former modders.
"Hot coffee" in many ways is unique among mods because it accessed content left in the game by its maker, Rockstar Games, instead of adding new material, said Jeff Gerstmann, senior editor at the review and news Web site GameSpot.
When the sex scene was discovered, Rockstar initially blamed malicious hackers for the problem but later conceded that the material had been left in the game by its commercial developers.
It depicts the fully clothed lead character having sex with a woman wearing a thong and T-shirt. The mini-game can be won or lost depending on how well players fill up an "excitement meter."
Even though Rockstar admitted the mini-game was hidden in the retail game, the "San Andreas" ratings flap could change the way game companies view mods.
In a statement, the Entertainment Software Rating Board's chief, Patricia Vance, called on the industry to proactively protect games from illegal modifications by third parties, "particularly when they serve to undermine the accuracy of the rating."
But completely stopping modders could to be a near impossible task, said Sid Shuman, an editor for GamePro.com.
"It's something, frankly, that digital entertainment is not really well equipped to deal with. You can't really stop people from making changes," he said. "People will always find where that one file is, and they will always be able to modify it."
Another catch is that the game-development process involves programming concepts or levels that are never fully explored but left in games because altering or removing them could cause other parts to stop working.
"Grand Theft Auto" was released in October with an "M" rating, for players 17 and older. It was last year's top console game, selling more than 5.1 million copies in the U.S., according to market analyst NPD Group. Xbox and PC versions were released last month.
Rockstar has now stopped making that version of "Grand Theft Auto" and is working on secure update that complies with an "M" rating.
In a bit of irony the company is apt not to find amusing, Rockstar says it will also offer a downloadable patch to fix the sexual content in current PC versions.
Hillary has nothing to do with this.
This subject is old.
Hillery has a lot to do with this and the subject is not old. It has been going on for a bit now.
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=5932
There is also a story I posted about a week ago on FR stating Hillary and Libermans involvement.
Frankly while my opinion is probably not a popular one... GTA is not allowed in our house.. the name alone tells you what it's about.. Crime...
My opinions not popular in my house either - but too bad... it's sort of a line in the sand around here..
Video game ping!
If you want on or off this list, Freepmail me
"In a statement, the Entertainment Software Rating Board's chief, Patricia Vance, called on the industry to proactively protect games from illegal modifications by third parties, "particularly when they serve to undermine the accuracy of the rating.""
How stupid. Anyone who can mod their game to put sexual content in it can probably manage to "free porn" into a search engine and get that type of content without the game.
I agree that kids should not be playing this game. I was not allowed to do much until I was 17 and 18 and even then I was limited. By my parents though not the GOVERNMENT. Or Hillary Clinton.......... I would go to school and see how my friends acted. Not saying that my childhood was censored completely but there is a difference between the kids who play these games and the ones who don't.
"I mean good for Rockstar Games to be releasing a patch for that nudity mod, but come on!"
I never understood that. Gee, let me go actively download a patch to prevent myself from actively modding the game.
I guess they were hoping that parents could use it to keep their kids from getting the mod, but all the kid would have to do is re-install.
What part of ESRB rating MATURE do parents not understand about GTA: San Andreas???
Even though in this case the developer Rockstar is responsible for creating the sex scene in question the fact remains that game code is so malleable that modders can not only access 'hidden levels' left in by developers but 'locked' as this one was, or create completely NEW levels the developers had nothing to do with and no control over or responsibility for, but modders can even create a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT GAME out of the code using the games 'engine'...this is called TOTAL CONVERSION.
So in principle modders could remake "Doom3" into 'Half Life2 TC for Doom3' using Doom's engine or conversely "Half Life2" into 'Doom3 TC for Half Life 2' using HL2's Source engine if they wanted...or remake "Far Cry" into a 'Jurassic Park Trespasser TC for Far Cry' game or even something ENTIRELY new...with or without sex scenes...
Game fans who mod or TC are more creative than Hollyweird has been lately and I hope that continues.
Now can someone please tell me how to unlock the secret level in "Halo" where Master Chief gets out of his Spartan armour in the Library AI core for a hot and heavy naked holoencounter with his gorgeous purple cyber-companion Cortana???
Just kidding...or was that a hint to modders? ;-)... LOL.
LOL, I'm not much of a gamer myself. My parents allowed me to watch the news and read the paper when I was young. For music.. What music? My Dad would pop in Rush Limbaugh audio books for me to listen too... LOL, I did play some games though. And I enjoy GTA but never play the missions I like to put in the cheat codes and just fly around or steal cars. It does not encourage me to go out and steal a car though.
I applaud your position - you are a responsible parent who takes the heat in your house to stand for good values against negative pop culture influences on your children...BRAVO.
I wont play GTA for the same reason that its about crime. I have no more desire to play at being a murderous criminal street thug than to play at being an Al Qaeda terrorist blowing up London.
Though I suspect there is probably some modder making a mod for some game to allow a player to do exactly that :-(...NOT a hint to modders.
Well thats a free choice...for ADULTS...but I wont play that either.
Hot Coffee isn't a "mod." It is more like an easter egg put into the game for people to find.
The entire game is vile. The amoral nature of the graphic violence is far worse than the sex scene.
Best Buy and the others pulled the game because they have policies banning sale of adult only rated games. This game has severely harmed the rating system Since Rockstar games left in adult-rated content in a mature-rated game, they are the ones who have given politicians an opportunity to attack video games.
You nailed it. The reason the Hillary is right, in this case, is that the games need to be rated correctly or parents can't make the proper decisions. I am not for censorship, but the ratings need to be accurate. By the company leaving the Adult material in the game and yet selling it as a Mature game it invited scrutiny on itself.
opps, the italics quote is from another thread, but my comment is right.
Hmm, seem to have crossed threads and posts? My bad
"The entire game is vile. The amoral nature of the graphic violence is far worse than the sex scene."
yes I agree the context of the violence is more disturbing to me than any sex scene but from what I understand [since I dont play it I stand to be corrected] the game intends for you to play at violent criminality as a violent criminal 'thug' character...that is not Amoral violence but IMmoral violence imo.
Contrast with "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" [which I do play and is my favourite game next to Halo] which can perhaps be more fairly described as Amoral...in KOTOR one has the MORAL CHOICE to develop your own character and play as either a 'light side' Jedi or turn to the 'dark side' of the Sith...and there is a well developed system of MORAL CONSEQUENCE that affects gameplay following from one's choices...yet one CHOOSES which path to follow [I choose the light side for my character Kel Fyr] and can 'win' the game either way...but what kind of 'person' your player character becomes is determined by your behavioural choices...just like in Real Life.
This imo is better than a game like GTA that if i understand it correctly forces you to play as a murderous thug character...if you could as easily play and succeed at the game as a COP protecting the citizens of San Andreas from murderous gangsta thugs like the main character is THEN maybe GTA might interest me.
MMMMmmmm... Cortannnnna
I actually thought she was more attractive in Halo with the short hair than Halo 2...maybe because I got used to my glowing purple Cortana dol...err...action figure [and what a figure ;-)]...men buy action figures darnit ;-) LOL
But long hair or short any superintelligent shining sleek gal who can virtually read ones mind [and hey if shes purple and named for a sword all the better] has to be quite MMMMmmmm indeed.
Exactly. Games like that shouldn't be available. At the least all the killing and mayhem should pit good guys against bad guys.
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