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Controversies surrounding Grand Theft Auto IV

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Grand Theft Auto IV (often abbreviated to GTA IV and GTA 4) is a sandbox-style action-adventure video game developed by Rockstar North.[1] It is the ninth title in the Grand Theft Auto series and the first in its fourth generation. Grand Theft Auto IV was released worldwide (except Japan)[2] on 29 April 2008 for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Prior to and since its release, the game has been subject a great deal of controversy.

Jack Thompson

File:Gta jack.jpg
Jack Thompson holding a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV.Template:Puic

In 2007, Jack Thompson, a Florida lawyer who had previously campaigned against other Grand Theft Auto games, stated he would take various measures to prevent the sale of the game by Rockstar to minors.[3] On 14 March 2007, Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two Interactive, filed a lawsuit[4] against Thompson in Florida in an attempt to pre-emptively block him from trying to declare its games a public nuisance. It would be a crime to sell games declared to be a public nuisance, effectively banning such games, which they believe would be a violation of First Amendment rights.[5] Thompson responded by filing a countersuit,[6] accusing Take-Two of violating federal RICO statutes (the charge was later dropped), committing perjury, obstruction of justice, and conspiring against him with third parties to deprive him of his civil rights.[7][8]

Both parties reached a settlement on 20 April 2007,[9] and agreed to drop their respective lawsuits. Under the terms of the settlement Thompson is barred from suing to block the sale or distribution of any future games published by Take-Two or any of its subsidiaries. He will be restricted to communicating through Take-Two's attorneys on any future matters. Thompson will still be able to maintain his outspoken stance against the publisher's titles, as well as still being allowed to act as counsel in lawsuits brought against Take-Two by other parties. For their part, Take-Two agreed to drop its contempt of court lawsuit against Thompson regarding alleged improper conduct during the Bully court hearings in Florida,[10][11] which, if found to be in contempt, would have resulted in Thompson seeing jail time.[12][13][14]

Thompson filed a document with a federal court in Florida on 18 September 2007,[15] that claims that the assassination target of a mission in GTA IV is a lawyer character based upon himself. When the main protagonist enters his office and pulls a gun on him, the lawyer yells "Guns don't kill people! Video games do!" Thompson has threatened that unless the similarities to himself are removed from the game he will "take necessary and proper means to stop release of the game".[16]

On 25 April 2008, it was reported in Metro that Jack Thompson had written a letter to the mother of Strauss Zelnick, Director of Take-Two Interactive. In the letter, which strongly criticised the game, Zelnick, and his mother, Thompson called Grand Theft Auto a "murder simulator". He went on to say that "The pornography and violence that your son trafficks in is the kind of stuff that most mothers would be ashamed to see their son putting into the hands of other mothers' children". Thompson then questions Strauss Zelnick's upbringing and says that his mother should be ashamed of herself, and that she "spared the rod and spoiled the child. That would explain why he has brought you, by the way he presently acts, to shame." He finishes by saying "Happy Mothers' Day, Mrs Zelnick, which this year is May 11, two weeks after your son unleashes porn and violence upon other mothers' boys. I'm sure you're very proud." Neither Take-Two interactive nor Rockstar Games have made any comment regarding the matter.[17] Thompson subsequently claimed he sent the letter to Zelnick's lawyer, not his mother, and that the letter was formulated as a parody intended to induce feelings of "shame" in Zelnick.[18]


Hillary Clinton

Sen.Hillary Clinton, who was one of the loudest members of the anti-GTA: San Andreas coalition in 2005, has decided to sit this round out."We are not planning to issue a statement at this point," Clinton spokeswoman Sarah Gegenheimer wrote in an e-mail.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).

In the second segment of the show, Beck spoke to Jack Thompson via satellite, as well as Gavin McKiernan, national grassroots director for the Parents Television Council. Thompson called the game "a murder simulator." He said "What makes the sale of this game a criminal act, which Take Two knows is a criminal act, is the incredible levels of simulated sex in the game. You can go into an adult strip club, have oral and anal sex, S&M between women in the club. And indeed to sell this to a minor [...] is a criminal act." McKiernan said "This is really an adult product we're talking about [...] Thirty years of medical research has shown over and over again in thousands of studies the potential effect for violent media to have on children, on the developing mind as you grow. And common sense tells you and the medical profession has backed up, there is definitely a difference between casually watching a two-hour movie with horrific acts and participating [...] and not for two hours but you can spend seventy or eighty hours on Grand Theft Auto just to finish the game and that's if you're good at it." Thompson said the game should be rated Adults Only, saying "the sex in the game was taken out so it could even be sold to adults in Australia." Thompson said "because Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Target, so forth will not sell an Adults Only game, the ESRB comes up with a phony rating [...] Therefore it is being sold to teens. This is criminal act which is in violation of 47 states and the federal jurisdiction's laws regarding sexual material harmful to minors."[19]

Mural ad for the game on a wall in New York City, July 2007.

New York City officials

After the release of the first trailer for the game, New York City officials were appalled with the choice of their city as the inspiration for the setting of Grand Theft Auto IV, and said that a game like GTA does not represent the city's crime levels accurately.[20] A spokesperson for Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, "The mayor does not support any video game where you earn points for injuring or killing police officers".[21] As a response, Jason Della Rocca, executive director of the International Game Developers Association, accused New York City officials of double standards, for criticising video games but not other forms of entertainment, such as books, films and television shows, which use New York City as the setting.[22]

Edited version for Australia and New Zealand

Despite confirmation in February 2008 that the Australian version of Grand Theft Auto IV would not be edited in any way,[23] Rockstar has now told The Sydney Morning Herald journalist Jason Hill that the Australian version will be edited.[24]

Grand Theft Auto IV was awarded an MA15+ rating on 11 December 2007. In a post on his blog, Jason Hill stated that a Rockstar spokesperson confirmed to The Sydney Morning Herald's video game section, Screenplay, that the company had produced a special version of Grand Theft Auto IV to comply with the Australian classification system. The spokesperson would not comment on what has been cut from the game.[24]

It was announced on 15 April 2008, and subsequently reported across the Internet, that the New Zealand release would be the edited Australian version.[25]

Technical issues

Just hours after the game's release, a blog entry on Kotaku reported that several PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 owners had complained of the game freezing during the initial cut-scene, rendering it unplayable.[26] While Rockstar has not commented, Kotaku stated that Rockstar is aware of the problem, but have yet to determine its cause.[27] It has also been reported on Kotaku that the online multiplayer is down for some PlayStation 3 users, with various players tipping Kotaku off that they are unable to connect to the GameSpy-hosted servers.[28]

While there was no official fix or patch released by Rockstar up until May 6 2008, many users online have come up with ways to solve some problems for the PlayStation 3 version. Kotaku reported from other users that the in-game freezing not only happens during the initial cut-scene but at random times during the game. Many users also report that they are not able to load the game save at the start and therefore cannot play the game. This being somehow connected with the PSN, it's been reported that to load the game and play the single player mode, you must disconnect the internet connection for the PlayStation 3, or disabling access to the PSN.[29]

On 7 May, Rockstar and Sony released a patch for the PlayStation 3 version of the game to improve the multiplayer experience. According to developer Rockstar, the update prevents GameSpy's servers from being overloaded and therefore reduces the impact on those servers that were causing the game to stutter and lock up.[30][31]

Mothers Against Drunk Driving

The organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) sharply criticized an in-game option that allows players to drive while intoxicated and called for a stricter rating on the game that would effectively ban its sale in the United States. "Drunk driving is not a game and it is not a joke," MADD said. "Drunk driving is a choice, a violent crime, and it is also 100 percent preventable." In an interview on National Public Radio with a senior high school student he mentioned that as in life the choice to drive drunk in the game is also 100 percent preventable. MADD is asking the Entertainment Software Rating Board to bump Grand Theft Auto IV's rating up to AO for Adults Only from M for Mature and calling for Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games to consider stopping distribution out of a sense of social responsibility, or out of respect for those who've been hurt or killed by drunk drivers.[32] The ESRB describes that the game includes "Use of drugs and Alcohol"[33] Rockstar issued a statement to the Associated Press. "We have a great deal of respect for MADD's mission, but we believe the mature audience for Grand Theft Auto IV is more than sophisticated enough to understand the game's content."[34]

In addition, Rockstar added a in-game instructional warning blip in which it tells you to hail a cab as it isn't safe to drive.

Chicago Transit Authority Lawsuit

Take-Two has filed a lawsuit in response to the Chicago Transit Authority pulling ads promoting GTA IV from their property, violating a contract for the ads to go until June 2008.[35] A CTA representative said that the ads were removed due to complaints in 2004 surrounding the ad campaign for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.[36] Miami-Dade Transit might also be facing a similar lawsuit due to similar circumstances.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Grand Theft Auto IV: GamePro is the first to play the biggest game of 2008," GamePro 235 (April 2008): 50-51.
  2. ^ Tanaka, John (2008-04-22). "GTAIV Heads to Japan". IGN. Retrieved 2008-04-25.
  3. ^ Graft, Kris (2007-01-03). "Thompson Rallies Against GTA IV". Future US. Retrieved 2007-04-01.
  4. ^ "Case 07-80238" (PDF). Gamepolitics.com. 2007-03-13. Retrieved 2007-09-05.
  5. ^ Game Politics Staff (2007-04-01) BREAKING: Take Two Sues Jack Thompson over Manhunt 2, GTA4, gamepolitics.com
  6. ^ "CASE NO. 07-20693-CIV-ALTONAGA" (PDF). gamepolitics.com. 2007-03-21. Retrieved 2007-09-05.
  7. ^ Game Politics Staff (2007-03-22) In Countersuit, Thompson Claims Take Two at Center of Vast RICO Conspiracy, gamepolitics.com
  8. ^ Sinclair, Brendan (21 March 2007) Thompson Countersues Take-Two, gamespot.com
  9. ^ "Case No. 07-20693-CIV-Altonaga/Turnoff" (PDF). Xboxusersgroup.com. 18 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ Game Politics Staff (23 October, 2006) Could Jack Thompson Be Jailed Over "Bully" Case?, gamepolitics.com
  11. ^ Dodson, Jason (23 October 2006) Report: Jack Thompson May Face Contempt Charge, gamasutra.com
  12. ^ Game Politics Staff (20 April 2007) GTA Publisher, Jack Thompson Settle Lawsuit, gamepolitics.com
  13. ^ Seff, Micah (20 April 2007) Jack Thompson and Take-Two Bury the Hatchet, ign.com
  14. ^ Xbox Users Group (20 April 2007) GTA Publisher, Jack Thompson Settle Lawsuit, xboxusersgroup.com
  15. ^ Thompson, Jack (18 September 2007) Case 1:07-cv-21256-AJ Document 12-2 (PDF), gamepolitics.com
  16. ^ "Jack Thompson Says GTA 4 Mission Target is Him; Threatens to Block Release". gamepolitics.com. 18 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ "Jack Thompson hounds Rockstar boss'... MOTHER". computerandvideogames.com. 25 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ "Jack Thompson's Open Letter to Take-Two CEO's Mother". diehardgamefan.insidepulse.com. 2008-04-22. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
  19. ^ CNN Headline News - Grand Theft Morality Pt.2 YouTube. Retrieved 2008-05-07
  20. ^ "New York appalled with GTA IV setting". Future Publishing. Retrieved 2007-04-01.
  21. ^ Gendar, Alison (2007-03-31). "Pols rage as vid game takes shot at city". NYDailyNews.com. Retrieved 2007-04-01. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ Millard, Elizabeth (2007-04-02). "New York Balks at Next Grand Theft Auto" (html). newsfactor.com.
  23. ^ Van Leuveren, Luke (2008-02-04). "Aussie version of GTA IV completely uncensored". PALGN. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  24. ^ a b Hill, Jason (2008-04-04). "GTA IV edited for Australia". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2008-04-05.
  25. ^ "New Zealand version of GTA IV also cut". GTAGaming.com. Retrieved 2008-04-16.
  26. ^ "Wait, GTA IV Is Locking Up?". Kotaku. 2008-04-29. Retrieved 2008-04-29. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  27. ^ "Rockstar Support: No GTA Freeze Fix in Sight". Kotaku. 2008-04-29. Retrieved 2008-04-29. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  28. ^ "GTA IV Multiplayer Down For Some PS3 Players". Kotaku. 2008-04-29. Retrieved 2008-04-30.
  29. ^ "GTA IV Lockup Solution: Disabling PSN?". Kotaku. 2008-05-03. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  30. ^ "GTA IV PS3 patch due today". Eurogamer. 2008-05-07. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
  31. ^ "GTA IV PS3 Patch Released". Shacknews. 2008-05-07. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
  32. ^ Sinclair, Brendan (2008-04-30). "Mothers against GTAIV's drunk driving". GameSpot. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  33. ^ Mother take on GTA 4
  34. ^ Lang, Derrik (2008-04-30). "MADD attacks 'Grand Theft Auto IV'". Associated Press. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  35. ^ Kearney, Christine; Trotta, Daniel; Eastham, Todd (2008-05-05). ""Grand Theft Auto" publisher sues over pulled ads". Reuters. Retrieved 2008-05-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  36. ^ Sinclair, Brendan (2008-04-28). "GTAIV ads pulled because of San Andreas flap". GameSpot. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
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