Master P
Member
I thought I'd take a few minutes out of my evening to discuss something that's been on my mind lately, as well as all over TV. Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you know that the latest Grand Theft Auto game, San Andreas, has a bizarre "sex scene" mini-game hidden within its program that can only be accessed with mods and/or a gameshark. It's been taken off the shelves for the time being, and even banned in Australia. With all that's going on, I'd like to vent a few things about this obvious moral crisis that threatens to destroy our very civilization... or does it?
I think this entire thing has been blown COMPLETELY out of porportion by alarmist politicians, angry ignorant parents, media idiots who don't know all the facts, and other morons who believe that video games are causing "moral decay" in America.
First, let's look at the actual sex scene within the game... if you could call it that. Look at the pictures. Do a google search or whatever, you can find them. They don't involve any nudity or shown genatalia, just simulated "sexual" positioning and sound effects. But, since you won't see any of these pictures on the news, parents and politicians assume that their kids are being subjected to hardcore pornography, and that's just not the case! You can see far "worse" content on any drama show on NBC or whatever.
If anything, the hidden sex games might be a good idea for boys who play the game; since the goal of the mini-game is to please your female partner, it teaches kids to be considerate lovers in bed and not to just worry about their own satisfaction. :laugh:
The reaction has been severe. As I said, the game has been pulled from the shelves and given an "Adults Only" rating, it can't be bought in Australia, and eBay has stopped selling it unless it's in the mature section. Don't you think that's a bit severe for some silly, cartoonish "simulated" sex that's not even playabe without a mod, and no more graphic than an episode of ER?
Now, because of this event, Senator Hillary Clinton is demanding that the Federal Trade Commission make Rockstar stop destroying our youth with its violent content and vulgarity. Before you applaud Senator Clinton for attempting to save America from itself, stop and think for a second: do you think she has young children who play video games? Answer: no. Do you think she herself has ever played a video game aside from Pong? Answer: probably not. Then why should she care about Grand Theft Auto?
Try and see past the bullshit for just a second. One of the main reasons the Democrats lost the last Presidential election is because they came off as being softer on "family values" (which, by the way, doesn't mean taking measures to assist and strengthen families, it means making sure gay people can't get married... but that's another rant for another day) than the Republicans. Now they're grasping at straws to try and seem as "moral" and centered around the family as their opponent party. And for Clinton, that means attacking violent video games as destroying our youth. You think she really cares THAT much? No. This is just a great opportunity for her to look like someone who cares about the family. This GTA thing is just a springboard she's using to further her career. This is just like in the 80's when Tipper Gore tried to ban offensive music from being sold because she heard a rap song with the word "gun" in it, or something. And the end result of that were those stupid Parental Advisory Warning stickers on CDs.
It amounts to censorship, and I fucking hate censorship, no matter which side of the government tries to put it in place.
It all goes back to this stupid myth that video games and rock music create youth violence. And I say myth because that's exactly what it is. There is no data whatsoever that indicates whether video games make kids more violent or decadent or not. In fact, according to some of the in-depth data from this site (http://gr.bolt.com/articles/violence/violence.htm), youth violence has actually gone DOWN drastically over the past 15 years! And during that time... video games have increased in popularity! GASP! Could this mean that video games may even reduce violence? Maybe even giving kids a fantasy outlet to release their anger without going out and blowing away some real cops? No, no, that's not true, because those kids from Columbine played Doom and ****, didn't they?
...well, so what? So did I and all my friends growing up. Like everyone else who grew up in the 1990's, I was raised playing fairly violent video games. And I've never killed anyone because of it, nor have any of my friends, or anyone else I've ever met. These incidents of kids killing people are pretty rare in most cases. Sure, the Columbine shooters played violent video games, but if everyone else did and very, very, very few became killers, then it ain't because of video games. That's like saying anyone who owns a car is drunk-driving, vehicular manslaughterer. Read the statistcs on that site. You'll see beyond the myth too.
To be fair, Mrs. Clinton isn't the only one who's using this "coffeegate" scandal to further herself in the world. Check out this site, www.stopkill.com.
Now, the site doesn't mention how Miami attorney Jack Thompson stands to make a ridiculous amount of money in legal fees if he acts on behalf of those "harmed" by video games, does it? Maybe I should put up a website that gives Miami attorney Jack Thompson the means to kiss my royal Irish ass.
Okay, so is Rockstar and Take-Two Interactive blameless for what happened? **** no! Those guys know that the Grand Theft Auto series has been controversial since day one. They should have known that something like this "hot coffee" mod, no matter how silly and stupid it is or how well it's hidden in the game, would have caused more controversy than usual and come back to bite them in the ass. If they didn't know it was in the programming when it was released... then someone needs to get fired. Seriously, Rockstar is an experienced company by now. They know the game and the rules they have to play by, so this is just a major ****-up on their part. But it's up to the company to use their discretion on what to put in the game and what to leave out, not the government.
Listen, if this whole thing goes in the direction it could be going, then video game censorship by a self-righteous government will be rampant. They won't stop with GTA, they'll move on to shooting games, and fighting games, and wrestling games, and anything they can get their hands on. "Gran Turismo encourages kids to drive too fast! Final Fantasy encourages kids to bean people with swords! Katamari Damacy encourages kids to create giant, ever-growing balls of private property!" Pretty soon, the games won't be fun anymore. Most of the people on this board are gamers. You don't wanna see that happen and neither do I.
So see past the bullshit and the lies of opportunist politicians, alarmist lawyers, scared parents, and people who just don't know the truth. Just because the Columbine kids played violent video games doesn't mean that all kids who do will turn violent. Hitler did a whole lot of violent ****, and he never played video games, and I'm sure that Osama bin Laden didn't, either.
One last thing. If the game says 17 or older, DON'T BUY IT FOR YOUR EIGHT YEAR OLD! Is this really that hard to understand? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills here! A little bit of parental discretion goes a LONG way! I guess all these adults are angry that they actually have to act like parents and give their kids proper guidance and structure. It's like the 85 year old grandmother who's suing Rockstar over this because she bought it for her 14 year old grandson. (http://www.bdgamer.net/?itemid=19532) Don't get me started on how an 85 year old knows nothing at all about gaming... would it have killed the woman to ask a clerk, "Hey, is this an okay game for a 14 year old?" But no... these idiots want the TV and the government to raise their kids, not them.
Thanks for reading, if you read any of it. :laugh: I didn't mean to rant or push my beliefs on anyone else, I'm just voicing my opinion to people who I think will care about it. Feel free to disagree or agree with me, I'd love to hear it. This is something that I'm pretty passionate about. Besides, I don't see why all these "family media groups" are so crazy when it comes to sex. How do they think the family got started? SEX!
-Master P
I think this entire thing has been blown COMPLETELY out of porportion by alarmist politicians, angry ignorant parents, media idiots who don't know all the facts, and other morons who believe that video games are causing "moral decay" in America.
First, let's look at the actual sex scene within the game... if you could call it that. Look at the pictures. Do a google search or whatever, you can find them. They don't involve any nudity or shown genatalia, just simulated "sexual" positioning and sound effects. But, since you won't see any of these pictures on the news, parents and politicians assume that their kids are being subjected to hardcore pornography, and that's just not the case! You can see far "worse" content on any drama show on NBC or whatever.
If anything, the hidden sex games might be a good idea for boys who play the game; since the goal of the mini-game is to please your female partner, it teaches kids to be considerate lovers in bed and not to just worry about their own satisfaction. :laugh:
The reaction has been severe. As I said, the game has been pulled from the shelves and given an "Adults Only" rating, it can't be bought in Australia, and eBay has stopped selling it unless it's in the mature section. Don't you think that's a bit severe for some silly, cartoonish "simulated" sex that's not even playabe without a mod, and no more graphic than an episode of ER?
Now, because of this event, Senator Hillary Clinton is demanding that the Federal Trade Commission make Rockstar stop destroying our youth with its violent content and vulgarity. Before you applaud Senator Clinton for attempting to save America from itself, stop and think for a second: do you think she has young children who play video games? Answer: no. Do you think she herself has ever played a video game aside from Pong? Answer: probably not. Then why should she care about Grand Theft Auto?
Try and see past the bullshit for just a second. One of the main reasons the Democrats lost the last Presidential election is because they came off as being softer on "family values" (which, by the way, doesn't mean taking measures to assist and strengthen families, it means making sure gay people can't get married... but that's another rant for another day) than the Republicans. Now they're grasping at straws to try and seem as "moral" and centered around the family as their opponent party. And for Clinton, that means attacking violent video games as destroying our youth. You think she really cares THAT much? No. This is just a great opportunity for her to look like someone who cares about the family. This GTA thing is just a springboard she's using to further her career. This is just like in the 80's when Tipper Gore tried to ban offensive music from being sold because she heard a rap song with the word "gun" in it, or something. And the end result of that were those stupid Parental Advisory Warning stickers on CDs.
It amounts to censorship, and I fucking hate censorship, no matter which side of the government tries to put it in place.
It all goes back to this stupid myth that video games and rock music create youth violence. And I say myth because that's exactly what it is. There is no data whatsoever that indicates whether video games make kids more violent or decadent or not. In fact, according to some of the in-depth data from this site (http://gr.bolt.com/articles/violence/violence.htm), youth violence has actually gone DOWN drastically over the past 15 years! And during that time... video games have increased in popularity! GASP! Could this mean that video games may even reduce violence? Maybe even giving kids a fantasy outlet to release their anger without going out and blowing away some real cops? No, no, that's not true, because those kids from Columbine played Doom and ****, didn't they?
...well, so what? So did I and all my friends growing up. Like everyone else who grew up in the 1990's, I was raised playing fairly violent video games. And I've never killed anyone because of it, nor have any of my friends, or anyone else I've ever met. These incidents of kids killing people are pretty rare in most cases. Sure, the Columbine shooters played violent video games, but if everyone else did and very, very, very few became killers, then it ain't because of video games. That's like saying anyone who owns a car is drunk-driving, vehicular manslaughterer. Read the statistcs on that site. You'll see beyond the myth too.
To be fair, Mrs. Clinton isn't the only one who's using this "coffeegate" scandal to further herself in the world. Check out this site, www.stopkill.com.
Now, the site doesn't mention how Miami attorney Jack Thompson stands to make a ridiculous amount of money in legal fees if he acts on behalf of those "harmed" by video games, does it? Maybe I should put up a website that gives Miami attorney Jack Thompson the means to kiss my royal Irish ass.
Okay, so is Rockstar and Take-Two Interactive blameless for what happened? **** no! Those guys know that the Grand Theft Auto series has been controversial since day one. They should have known that something like this "hot coffee" mod, no matter how silly and stupid it is or how well it's hidden in the game, would have caused more controversy than usual and come back to bite them in the ass. If they didn't know it was in the programming when it was released... then someone needs to get fired. Seriously, Rockstar is an experienced company by now. They know the game and the rules they have to play by, so this is just a major ****-up on their part. But it's up to the company to use their discretion on what to put in the game and what to leave out, not the government.
Listen, if this whole thing goes in the direction it could be going, then video game censorship by a self-righteous government will be rampant. They won't stop with GTA, they'll move on to shooting games, and fighting games, and wrestling games, and anything they can get their hands on. "Gran Turismo encourages kids to drive too fast! Final Fantasy encourages kids to bean people with swords! Katamari Damacy encourages kids to create giant, ever-growing balls of private property!" Pretty soon, the games won't be fun anymore. Most of the people on this board are gamers. You don't wanna see that happen and neither do I.
So see past the bullshit and the lies of opportunist politicians, alarmist lawyers, scared parents, and people who just don't know the truth. Just because the Columbine kids played violent video games doesn't mean that all kids who do will turn violent. Hitler did a whole lot of violent ****, and he never played video games, and I'm sure that Osama bin Laden didn't, either.
One last thing. If the game says 17 or older, DON'T BUY IT FOR YOUR EIGHT YEAR OLD! Is this really that hard to understand? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills here! A little bit of parental discretion goes a LONG way! I guess all these adults are angry that they actually have to act like parents and give their kids proper guidance and structure. It's like the 85 year old grandmother who's suing Rockstar over this because she bought it for her 14 year old grandson. (http://www.bdgamer.net/?itemid=19532) Don't get me started on how an 85 year old knows nothing at all about gaming... would it have killed the woman to ask a clerk, "Hey, is this an okay game for a 14 year old?" But no... these idiots want the TV and the government to raise their kids, not them.
Thanks for reading, if you read any of it. :laugh: I didn't mean to rant or push my beliefs on anyone else, I'm just voicing my opinion to people who I think will care about it. Feel free to disagree or agree with me, I'd love to hear it. This is something that I'm pretty passionate about. Besides, I don't see why all these "family media groups" are so crazy when it comes to sex. How do they think the family got started? SEX!
-Master P
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