Dan DaranciangThe video game “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas” was briefly retracted from store shelves over the summer after discovery of hidden content forced it to be re-rated from “Mature” to “Adults Only.” A fair question is immediately brought to mind, as in, why should I care? What I feel this story underscores is a further intrusion by a conservative U.S. government into matters of free speech and sexual liberty, inane pandering by the Democratic party to right-wing voters, and a resounding death knell for personal responsibility in American life.
Grand Theft Auto (GTA) is a series produced by Rockstar Games that prides itself on open-ended action. You control some sort of a male strong-arm type and run around cities performing tasks that usually involve killing people or transporting drugs. For its scope and ingenuity, it has been hailed as a milestone in video game history, and has sold millions upon millions of copies. Considering the level of violence in the game, it is arguably the most popular game of its type ever produced.
In a series of events that would surprise no one living in America for the last decade, the game’s content has led to any number of lawsuits claiming, among other things, that it inspires children to kill. Since the first title in the series, it has been the whipping boy of groups ranging from Evangelical Christians to the GOP, if a distinction can be drawn between the two on this issue. Until now it has been relatively unscathed by any social controversy it engendered. Then it was released on PC.
It turns out that when video games are released, unused code sometimes cannot be deleted and so merely gets tucked out of the consumer’s purview. To exploit this, a computer program was written and released by a consumer that allowed access to what Rockstar Games had hidden: a mini-game in which the main character has sex with a woman. The male character keeps his clothes on and the female character is nude, although in an extremely crude and rudimentary manner; suggestive poses and dry humping ensue as the player tries to succeed filling a progress bar marked, simply, “excitement.” Titillating, I know. What may been considered a faux pas in a more sexually-liberated nation came as godsend to those seeking a foothold against video game producers. Rockstar Games had finally made a misstep. On cue, the crazies came out of the woodwork.
The first lawsuit filed “on behalf of consumers nationwide” was by a grandmother who bought GTA: San Andreas for her 14-year old grandson (www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/fun.games/07/27/game.lawsuit.ap/index.html). She claimed that Rockstar Games misled consumers, and asked that they be forced to “give up any profits from the game for what amounted to false advertising, consumer deception and unfair business practices.” To shorten a list that would run pages, events in the game include drive-by shootings, vehicular manslaughter, drug use, racial slurs, prostitution, gang warfare, and heavily implied sexual intercourse. The newest official rating, clearly labeled on its box, listed it as containing “blood and gore, intense violence, strong language, strong sexual content, use of drugs, [and] nudity.” The addition to this list after the computer patch was made public? Nudity. The lawsuit seemingly has nothing to do with the charges, as they appear to be after-the-fact rationalizations in an attempt to bankrupt Rockstar Games. What good are ratings if consumers willfully ignore them, and then sue to declare they aren’t good enough?
In what has become a common phrase in the over-hyperbolized realm of social issues, Hilary Clinton said “the problem of explicit video games [is] ‘spiraling out of control'” (www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/07/15/senate.videogame.reut/index.html). Her attempt to lead this conservative crusade is emblematic of a deeper problem within American politics, that of politicians finding themselves unable to piece together arguments that don’t hinge upon one of the following: God’s divine will, White Man’s burden, the moral depravity of liberals, or how awful it is to kill babies. We as Americans are no longer even pretending that personal integrity exists. In a letter she wrote to the Federal Trade Commission, which would have the power to discipline Rockstar Games, Clinton opined that GTA “has fallen into the hands of young people across the country,” while neglecting to address how many adults purchased this game for children without even bothering to flip the box over and read about what they were buying.
I have not and will not say that Rockstar Games is without fault, but their complicity in this is quite beside the point. Long after issues of regulating creative expression and free speech have been decided, the specifics of this incident will be forgotten. The fact that it helped pave the way for a narrowing of social freedom and responsible living, however, should stick in your mind.