Iain Thomson, vnunet.com 11 Jul 2005

A US media monitoring group has issued a "nationwide parental alert" after hidden pornographic scenes were found in the popular game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

The organisation, National Institute on the Media and the Family, issued the warning after it was revealed that a software modification allows players to see pornographic scenes contained in the game.

The modification is called 'Hot Coffee' and was created by Patrick Wildenborg, 36, from the Netherlands. He claims that the modification adds nothing illegal to the game and merely allows users to see what is already written into the code.

"If Rockstar Games denies that, then they're lying and I will be able to prove that," said Patrick Wildenborg, mod author, in a email to Associated Press.

"My mod does not introduce anything to the game. All the content that is shown was already present on the DVD."

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is one of the most controversial games of all time. In order to take part players must steal cars, deliver drugs and use prostitutes. There have been calls for it to be banned in some US states.

"It should be clear to everyone by now that video games do influence young people," said Dr David Walsh, author of the best selling book on teenage brain development, Why Do They Act That Way?.

"Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas never belonged in the hands of kids. We are taking the unusual step of alerting parents to the pornography available through this game to any child or teen who is internet savvy."

So all of a sudden this game should be banned, becuase it cotains some hidden sex scenes, and all the other cop killing, drug dealing, ho pinpin' parts of the game are OK?

I teach 7th grade and it blows my mind how many parents actually bought this game for their 12 and 13 year old children. I don't blame the maker of the game one bit because you have to be an adult to purchase it. Its the irresponsible parents who don't monitor their childrens' leisure time that should be locked when kids commit viscious crimes such as the ones portrayed in this game.

I like that last paragraph.

Awesome! Screen shot?



I'm far from convinced.

My guess is they left it out because they probably realized how embarassingly lame the whole idea was.

That would be cool if you could spend less money on different sex acts and get less energy in return. Like a blowjob only restores 15% of your energy, but it only costs 15 bucks.

This is just an addon by Rockstar designed to sell more copies of the game to the people who already have it for their PS2. This way people will go out and get the PC version or the Xbox version.

Theres no such thing as bad publicity

Semi-agreed. I teach 7th grade as well, and although most of the students in my school are from families poor enough to qualify for free lunch, at least half in every class had that game. I conducted a poll after it kept showing up in their writing. In this case, however, most had gotten it thanks to an older brother or sister. Some had been able to buy it at used game stores with no trouble at all. A lot of my kids have parents who work two jobs to stay afloat, so nobody's home to know what they're playing.



Unfortunately, most research supports the idea that adolescents who play violent video games or watch violent TV are far more likely to engage in violent behavior, make poor choices, and even develop slower mentally. However, what's interesting is that if adolescents spend less than an hour a day playing games or watching TV, the influence vanishes. It just seems to depend on whether or not the shows/movies/games are a significant source of socialization cues.

However, I would say that's irrelevant. We don't need to outlaw guns because some people are assholes, and we don't need to outlaw video games because pretty much everybody between the ages of 10 and 20 is a retard.

Yea, at least 80% of the kids at my school are on free or reduced lunch, yet it seems like almost everyone of them has a PS2 or Xbox. What gives?

when someone else pays the majority of your bills it's not difficult to afford a $200 gaming system when working even the most meger of jobs.

It's just all part of the cycle of fiscal and social irresponsibility.

Just because someone is low-income doesn't necessarily mean that mom and dad didn't save up to get the kid an XBox for Christmas one year. Besides, it's not as if most Americans have their priorities straight when it comes to finances.

Considering all of the grief that the Republican-controlled House Commerce Committee took during the MLB steroid hearings (people complained there are more important things to worry about) should provide people with a lot of fodder for this thread in light of this article:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/07/15/ ... index.html

Clinton seeks video game sex scene probe

Friday, July 15, 2005; Posted: 8:38 a.m. EDT (12:38 GMT)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Sen. Hillary Clinton pressed Thursday for a government investigation into how simulated sex cropped up in a modified version of the blockbuster criminal adventure video game "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas."

Clinton asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the origins of a downloadable modification that allows simulated sex in the personal computer version of one of the most popular and controversial video games in history.

"We should all be deeply disturbed that a game which now permits the simulation of lewd sexual acts in an interactive format with highly realistic graphics has fallen into the hands of young people across the country," Clinton wrote in a letter to the head of the Federal Trade Commission.

Saying the problem of explicit video games was "spiraling out of control," Clinton also said she was introducing legislation that would crack down on the sale of violent and sex-laden games to minors.

The legislation would impose a $5,000 penalty on retailers who sell adult-rated video games to underage children.

Clinton asked the FTC to look into whether Grand Theft Auto's rating of "M" (Mature 17+) should be changed to the rare "AO" (Adult Only), which would threaten to crimp sales at large retail outlets.

The PlayStation2 version of "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" was the No. 1 game of 2004, selling just over 5 million copies, according to industry researcher NPD Funworld.

She requested the agency to study whether retailers' enforcement policies were adequate to keep adult-rated video games out of the hands of minors.

An FTC spokeswoman said the agency had received Clinton's letter and was reviewing it.

Clinton's comments were the latest in a chorus of criticism that has intensified since the revelation about sex scenes in the modified Grand Theft Auto. The game series has drawn numerous detractors because of its sexual and violent content.

Players who download a modification, known as "hot coffee," from the Internet can make a male character engage in various sex acts with a virtual "girlfriend." Sex is suggested in the official version of the game, but does not happen on screen.

The game's manufacturer, a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. called Rockstar Games, has said hackers are responsible for the modification.

In a statement released Thursday, Rockstar said it supported the video game rating system and efforts to keep adult-rated games away from children.

But without referring to Clinton, the company said it was "disappointed by comments that misrepresent Grand Theft Auto, detracting from the innovative and artistic merits of the game."

"Unfortunately, the recent confusion only serves to suggest that games do not deserve the same treatment as other forms of creative expression," Rockstar said in its statement.

The Entertainment Software Rating Board last week launched a probe into whether the sexual minigame content was deliberately hidden in the game code and unlocked by the "hot coffee" modification, or if it was solely the result of the modification.

The "hot coffee" modification, which violates the game's software user agreement, is the result of hackers disassembling and then combining, recompiling and altering the game's source code, Rockstar said.

I wasn't even aware there was an AO rating for games. I'm surprised the GTA: San Andreas doesn't have one even without the sex.

I was playing sexually oriented video games 20 years ago. It was called "Sex Games". The decathalon ended with an orgy.

Don't forget Custer's Revenge:

Holy shit.

And least we forget, "Pancake Boy".....