The video game industry found itself embroiled in another controversy earlier this summer that invited denunciations of excess and calls for a government inquiry.
The ruckus broke out after the public learned that top-selling video game "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" included sexually explicit scenes that could be accessed using code that quickly spread across the Internet.
"GTA: San Andreas" had already been seen as a fairly extreme game, given that its players could routinely shoot police officers, beat up prostitutes, carjack at will and more. As such, the gaming industry's rating agency, the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB), had given it a rating of M, for mature. But in the wake of the revelations about the additional, sexual, content, the ESRB was forced to change the rating to A, for adults only. Such a rating would likely mean a big drop in future sales for the game, and indeed, it has been banned outright in Australia.
Before long, the so-called "Hot Coffee" scandal, named after the modification that unlocked the scenes, became a hot news item, and fodder for politicians, who used it to attack the gaming industry. Senator Hillary Clinton seized on the scandal and castigated the game's publisher, Rockstar Games, for distributing immoral material.
But through it all, the ESRB kept its cool, maintaining that the Hot Coffee modification meant nothing more than that "GTA: San Andreas" needed a different rating. Meanwhile, the ESRB kept on reviewing new games and bestowing upon them one of the six distinct ratings it gives for games, including C for early childhood, E for everyone, T for teens and the aforementioned M and A.
ZDNet UK sister site CNET News.com spoke with ESRB President Patricia Vance about the "GTA" scandal, the fallout, the board's ratings process and more.
Q: The "Grand Theft Auto" situation has put a spotlight on the industry and the rating system. Are you comfortable with that?
Yeah, the ESRB is proud of its rating system and the way it serves the public interest to be better informed about what's in video games. If the publicity surrounding the "GTA: San Andreas" situation raised awareness, and then consequently use, of the rating system, it's a good thing.
What is the proper role for ESRB in setting guidelines for game developers to follow?
We don't set guidelines for developers to follow. We rate games, and ensure [that] consumers have...
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Talkback
Well, let me see if got it. If the game ONLY showed police officers being killed, it would not be imoral. Since it also shows sex scenes than it showld never been done. To me it's quite weird such measure of morality. That's maybe because I'm brazilian so can't realize the real meaning of morality in an american society, where a game that shows scenes of human life being taken is less offensive than showing sex scenes.
Weird, very weird.
The rating was probably increased because it now contains sex AND violence as opposed to just violence. But, in my opinion, the violence of itself should have led to an 18+ (adult) rating anyway.
I imagine there are many people that think sex should be without ANY kind of moral imperatives. (They should probably think more with their brains, and not with other organs!)
George: No-one has said the game would not be considered immoral if it contained ONLY police officers being shot. Where did you get this from apart from your prejudice?
It was already given a "mature" rating for that very reason and was always considered to be immoral by many from the outset. The reaction against the "Hot Coffee" scenes was because it appeared that the games company had tried to sneak such scenes past the censors and into the hands of minors.
I see too often a desire to just "bash" Americans and paint them as "simple prudes" which I think is affecting people's ability to think through issues such as this logically.
Sex isn't always innocent; the context is important. In this context, the sex was placed in the vicinity of violence which in some people's eyes doesn't go too well together. There IS a moral dimension to sex which many "liberal-minded" people would like to convince you doesn't exist...