Terrorist attacks around the globe. High-ranking White House officials revealing classified information to reporters. We're at war in Iraq. And what is our Congress spending their time (and money) worrying about? People having imaginary sex, obviously:
Just after 7 pm on Capitol Hill today, the House of Representatives voted 355 to 21 to support a Federal Trade Commission inquiry into Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The purpose of the probe will be to determine if take-Two Interactive and its publishing subsidiary Rockstar Games deceived the voluntary Entertainment Software Ratings Board when it submitted Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
Today's vote advanced House Resolution 376, introduced by Congressman Fred Upton (R-MI). In Upton's words, he is "leading the Congressional effort to determine if a best selling video game maker intentionally deceived the industry’s ratings board to avoid an 'Adults-Only' rating."
In a statement, Upton recently said he was "outraged by the brazenness of Rockstar Games in their effort to do an end-run around the ratings system.... Rockstar Games’ deceit has severely undermined the integrity of the ratings system."
Remember that movie Teen Wolf? Sure you do. At the end, after the basketball game, if you look to the stands during the big celebration, you can see one of the extras expose himself to the camera. That's right: he pulls his wang out for the world to see. It's there, but you probably never noticed. The MPAA never noticed, either: Teen Wolf is rated PG.
Where's the Congressionally-backed FTC investigation of the producers of Teen Wolf? Where's the outrage at their brazenness in doing an end-run around the MPAA?
There isn't any, because it would be ridiculous. And so is this.
But Teen Wolf is rated PG -- it's suitable for kids. It a harmless teen comedy about a kid who turns into a werewolf and plays basketball. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, on the other hand, is a game about carjacking, organized crime, mowing down pedestrians in your stolen car, and shooting police officers. And it's the sex that's a problem?
And as for destroying the integrity of the ratings system -- too late. Much like the idiotic MPAA, the ESRB finds nudity and sex far more offensive than graphic violence, which is why a Hot Coffee-less GTA will get an M. The message: having sex is worse than killing a cop.
I cannot understand where these people are coming from with this controversy. And don't give me that "But the children!" crap either, because if a parent is allowing his/her child to play GTA games, they have no one to blame but themselves. There was a great big M rating on the box. Fuck, the game is called Grand Theft Auto, what did you think?
Did Rockstar deceive the ESRB? It's possible. But considering that the ESRB's job -- in fact, their reason for existence -- is to determine the content of these games, how they can they really be claiming they were misled? If they did their jobs properly, they would have found this stuff. After all, players found it. Why couldn't they?
Also: the game God of War features a sex mini-game. Along with gratuitous nudity everywhere. It was given an M. I've heard nothing from anyone.
And finally: I would like someone to explain to me the difference between the Mature rating and the Adults Only rating. Well, more specifically: explain the need for two different ratings at all. One is for 17 and up; the other is for 18 and up. Huh?
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