'Grand Sex Auto'? Sex Scenes Possibly Hidden In Ga

[oldskool]

It's really just a matter of time before a smartass hacker puts some porn code into a harmless game rated E and it gets MASSIVE media coverage. Here's hoping it's somebody with some charisma that can defend the video game industry for once, instead of blaming it for everything wrong with society.

[MalaCloudy Black]

Here's a story about it courtesy 1up.com

The ESRB announced today that upon conclusion of their investigation into the "Hot Coffee" mod, the rating of "M" for Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas will be changed to an "AO", or Adults Only. Patricia Vance, president of the ESRB said, "After a thorough investigation, we have concluded that sexually explicit material exists in a full rendered, unmodified form on the final discs of all three platform versions of the game." She also noted that "the credibility and the utility of the initial ESRB rating has been seriously undermined."

Furthermore, the ESRB has changed its ratings standards. Game publishers will be required to submit for board review all relevant content on a disc, even that which is not intended to be accessed. The ESRB also calls on developers and publishers to "proactively protect their games from illegal modifications by third parties."

Take-Two and Rockstar have issued a statement saying they will fully comply with the ESRB. Rockstar has ceased manufacturing the game and has started looking into ways to increase security to prevent access to the mod in future copies. They will also be sending "AO" stickers to retailers who may want to keep the game in stock.

In the statement Take-Two's president and CEO Paul Eibeler said, "Take-Two and Rockstar Games have always worked to keep mature-themed video game content out of the hands of children and we will continue to work closely with the ESRB and community leaders to improve and better promote a reliable rating system to help consumers make informed choices about which video games are appropriate for each individual." He added, "We are deeply concerned that the publicity surrounding these unauthorized modifications has caused the game to be misrepresented to the public and has detracted from the creative merits of this award winning product."

A spokeperson from Rockstar told 1UP in a phone call that Rockstar acted responsibly in the rating process. "Based on the ruling, we see this issue as a cutting-room floor issue," he said. "In the submission process, [the controverisal element] wasn't in our minds. The elements were in the game, but they were broken. They are not meant to be accessed in a retail copy of the game." He also confirmed that Rockstar is doing everything they can to comply with the ESRB. "We understand that the ESRB needs to set a precedent," he said, "and we support this." He also said that Rockstar has no plans to sue any modders over this issue. "We've been very supportive of the modding community," he said. "They are fans who love the games."

Take-Two announced that, as a result of possible fallout from the scandal, they would be lowering their fiscal projections for the year ending July 31st to $160 million from $170 million.

Will this be the conclusion of the Hot Coffee brouhaha? Probably not, as it's far too juicy a topic for politicians.

Ryan points out that current copies with the "M" rating are sure to be collector's items. Be sure to check prices on Ebay soon--only about a bazillion copies left!

And stay tuned to 1UP for the latest developments in the story.

Guess I should be glad that I got it when it came out, eh?

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3142154 <- Source

[The LBTN Express]

I think it's bullshit to change the rating way after it's release for something that is not supposed to be accessible. The way I think about it is, if these supposed kids are downloading these things for maxdrives, for their PC, then they'll probably already be downloading porn.

[Guest Bluesman]

So wait, what exactly does this do? Raise the required age to purchase the game by a year? I sincerely hope idiots like Clinton don't think this is going to stop stores from selling the game, seeing as how 'family values whore' Wal-Mart can't seem to put enough copies on the shelf.

[tristy]

Aren't Adults Only rated games 21+?

Edited July 21, 2005 by Tristy

[zero]

Aren't Adults Only rated games 21+?

←

Nope, 18+ The only difference is that AO games are considered to be the porn of video gaming, while M games are considered to be rated R. Meaning, just like the movies, the MPAA/ESRB essentially mean jack shit. They're not real laws, and it's a recent thing for politicians to crack down on movie theaters selling kids tickets to R rated movies. Even then, I'm sure it's a state law, which means it varies pretty much everywhere you go. If you sell a 16 year old kid a ticket to Hustle & Flow, you'll probably get away with it; although it can be argued if you sell anyone a ticket to Hustle & Flow you should be imprisoned. But if you sell a 17 year old kid a hardcore porn? They will fine the hell out of your ass, possibly lock you up, and pour sugar in your gas tank. I guess that's what the ESRB is going for with the AO rating.

She also noted that "the credibility and the utility of the initial ESRB rating has been seriously undermined."

Maybe it wouldn't have if they did what they are supposed to do and you know, research the game. If this is something you can change a rating for far after release, then it's something you should have looked for in the first place. That is absolute bullshit no matter how you slice it. Of course this quote raises another question: the ESRB had credibility?

[oldskool]

So wait, what exactly does this do? Raise the required age to purchase the game by a year? I sincerely hope idiots like Clinton don't think this is going to stop stores from selling the game, seeing as how 'family values whore' Wal-Mart can't seem to put enough copies on the shelf.

←

[Yitzy]

This is shit, I hate when the media attacks video games because they are still regarded as "toys." The way I see it is this

ESRB Ratings=MPAA Ratings

AO=X/NC-17/Porn

M=R

T=PG-13

E=PG

EC=G

Now, there's pleanty of sex and nudity (something that GTA:SA doesn't have) in movies all the time, but they aren't rated X/NC-17/Porn. They're usually rated R. Sin City had all of that, and it's rated R.

Now for a game that was rated the porn equvilant of the ESRB because someone stumbled across it is shit. It's not even that good quality, I mean they leave they're clothes on for christ sakes.

I'm just so sick of the media attacking video games.

[Guest TheTokenWhiteGuy]

I hate how they (the goverment, parents, the media, etc) think that if they just place all the blame on Video Games, Music and Movies that there bad parenting will be forgotten. It's not like if you play San Andreas or any of the other GTA series games, your not going to go out and start killing prostitutes (most people anyway). Plus like other people said, is it really a bad thing to have consensual sex in a game, and not only that, most kids wouldn't even be able to get to it, if they can, they can probley use the computer and therefore are able to find much worse stuff then video game sex.

I suggest a new law, everyone who tries to blame violence on video games, music or any other common media, will be crucified. Roman style.

[InsatiableInsanity]

Ugh. Now this is gaining major media attention. ABC mentioned it this morning with the tagline "Is Porn in Your Kid's Video Game?"

Looks like another unnecessary gaming scandal has developed again, folks...

←

[Guest Bluesman]

It not only raises the required age by a year, it also scares off a bunch of stores from selling the game AT ALL. Walmarts, Targets, none of them are selling the game any more.

Rockstar, unlock the Hot Coffee and sell the AO version too, what the hell. You're already in deep shit for it, and you've got the AO rating, go nuts!  Unless they have an Elderly Only rating, things won't get any worse for you.

[oldskool]

Dude....the audible sex might actually be remnants of the Hot Coffee left in the active coding. Just realized that connection.

And GameStop won't sell AO games. They've already pulled GTA:SA from shelves.

[Guest Bluesman]

I'm almost certain the sex sounds have nothing to do with that, given how many prostitutes I've nailed in that game (what can I say, I'm the GTA version of Ringmaster).

My buddy and I saw BMX XXX there this past weekend, isn't that an AO game?

I never realized that sharkports and the like are illegal, and also violate the agreement that R-Star have. It's a good thing we've got such a rational, disciplined media to make this known...

[ROC]

My buddy and I saw BMX XXX there this past weekend, isn't that an AO game?

←

[oldskool]

For the Maddox fans of the board, he's got his opinion posted on the site:

http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c....=ticket_to_hell

[oldskool]

GameSpot's reporting that the hit to the gaming industry thanks to Hot Coffee is about $50 million, while GameStop says they'll lose about $1 million nationwide because they can't sell used copies any more.

[FunkAsPuck]

Jack Thompson, one of the guys that has pushed for the change of rating, and all round general cunt, is at it again.

Except its much funnier now.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/07/22/news_6129609.html

How do you like your hot coffee? If you're Jack Thompson, you like it scalding game publisher's laps. The Miami attorney and antigaming activist has done his share to see that games don't fall into the wrong hands. And lately, those hands have belonged to almost everyone.

Thompson was among those who spearheaded the recent effort to slap an "Adults Only" rating on Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and he's often been on the forefront of many other gaming issues, several of which have targeted the crime-spree-based GTA franchise. In the past, he's represented defendants who have been the victims of GTA-inspired crimes, including the triple homicide of three police officers by an 18-year-old boy in Alabama.

His beef with San Andreas? Unused code in the game that depicts sexual acts. These minigames can be unlocked by using game-cheat devices or patches available on the Internet.

Thompson is on a roll...and he's not done yet. His latest goat is a game that doesn't involve guns, carjacking, or prostitutes: He's going after Electronic Arts' The Sims 2.

In a manifesto sent today to press outlets, Thompson focuses on dismantling the Entertainment Software Ratings Board and exposing what he calls the industry's "latest dirty little secret." The secret's out now, and it involves nude sims.

In the statement, Thompson says, "Sims 2, the latest version of the Sims video game franchise ... contains, according to video game news sites, full frontal nudity, including nipples, penises, labia, and pubic hair."

The Sims 2 is a "life simulator." In the game, players steer their digital beings around their cyberlives. Actions include everything from the spectacular (getting married, having children, receiving promotions at work) to the mundane (cooking microwaved meals, going to the bathroom, mopping the floor). Such activities, as in real life, sometimes require nudity. EA circumvents inappropriateness by "blurring" out the nether regions, almost to a comical sense.

Knowing that the game is popular among all ages, EA has even taken steps to ensure that Sims fans aren't exposed to indecent depictions. In the recent expansion pack, The Sims 2 University, gamers can send their teenage sims off to college. However, instead of packing the expansion with "keggers" and "reefer," EA chose to use juice and bubble blowers.

Thompson doesn't seem to care. He cites a cheat code that can remove the blur that covers the nether regions. "The nudity placed there by the publisher/maker, Electronic Arts, is accessed by the use of a simple code that removes what is called 'the blur' which obscures the genital areas. In other words, the game was released to the public by the manufacturer knowing that the full frontal nudity was resident on the game and would be accessed by use of a simple code widely provided on the Internet."

It's not just the adults that are liberated from their wardrobes. Sims kids can also be nudified, "much to the delight, one can be sure, of pedophiles around the globe who can rehearse, in virtual reality, for their abuse."

Were this to be true, Thompson would have his smoking gun, and EA would be forced to recall all copies of The Sims 2. However, it's what's under the blur that Thompson's after. And what happens when the blur is lifted? A simple mannequin-esque smooth body, according to EA.

Jeff Brown, vice president of corporate communications at EA, in response to the accusations, told GameSpot, "This is nonsense. We've reviewed 100 percent of the content. There is no content inappropriate for a teen audience. Players never see a nude sim. If someone with an extreme amount of expertise and time were to remove the pixels, they would see that the sims have no genitals. They appear like Ken and Barbie."

Thompson doesn't buy it. "The sex and the nudity are in the game. That's the point. The blur is an admission that even the 'Ken and Barbie' features should not be displayed. The blur can be disarmed. This is no different than what is in San Andreas, although worse."

[uPDATE] Thompson this afternoon updated his earlier statement, saying he is aware certain mods only remove "the blur," but adds that "Electronic Arts has done nothing about this." Thompson's new conclusion: EA is "cooperating, gleefully, with the mod community to turn Sims 2 into a porn offering."

The last time we checked, The Sims 2 was rated T for Teen by the ESRB, which means that anyone 13 years of age, with $50 to spend, can purchase the game.

Edited July 25, 2005 by FunkAsPuck

[Guest ShootingStar]

HOLY SHIT! I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THAT! *downloads patch*

What a moron. "Let's raise a stink about this so we can make parents think that their kids are in danger or something." Rather than attacking games that COULD POSSIBLY help out Pedophiles with their "plans", why not spend some money on the search for pedophiles? They waste all of this money and shit trying to keep people from doing stupid shit, when they could just eliminate the stupid people doing the stupid shit.

[Darloboy]

Ugh, you would think people like Jack Thompson would have better things to do with their time.

Then again, maybe not.

[jonnycomelately]

With Action Replay codes I tried it out on PS2 the other day and its just hilarious, if anyone else tries it out just keep flipping the girl into different positions over and over because its just ridiculous.