Concerned parents rant on sex in GTAIV

[Kiinted]

Cliffs: Get off the drugs, grown an attention span and READ it.

 

i: This is an Australian question.

ii: The game is meant to be MA15+ here.

iii: The game is censored, we know this.

iv: Rockstar wont release details on what exactly has been censored.

v: Australian parents can't make an informed decision on whether the game has been censored enough from the uncut version to be suitable for 15yo kids because Rockstar wont release details on what has been censored.

vi: Dont waste time posting ESRB, 17+ 18+ comments, the game in Australia is meant for 15yo kids, a far cry from 17yo or 18yo "adults".

 

Now, I understand there is a very large number of kids on this forum, both those under 17, and those over 17. I am well aware that what I am about to post will be met largely with criticism from those kids, however I need to get this off my chest and hopefully in front of a Rockstar employee if they read these forums.

 

First and foremost, I DO NOT advocate the banning of GTAIV in any way shape or form. I love the game, the series and everything about it. Hell, I wrote one of the first video walkthroughs of GTAIII still hosted with gta3.com (unfortunately I lost all the videos in pictures about the same time as the website went down) ... I digress ...

 

I have a problem with Rockstar ... quite a big problem as of GTAIV. Its not the sex itself that I have a problem with so much as the fact that Rockstar wont "man up" and detail all the activities that a player can complete in the game, specifically in relation to said sex acts.

 

As a parent, I would like to know all the activities that can be completed by a player so I can determine if my teenage son can play the game. LOL IRONY WHAT ABOUT THE VIOLENCE DUH calm down children, let me explain as best I can for your obviously limited intelligence on the issue of sex and violence in video games.

 

Violence in and of itself is not disturbing, it begins in the playground and is sensationalised regularly in the news, music, movies and computer games. Children grow up with violence in the DAILY lives. However, children DO NOT grow up with sex in their daily lives (I mean sexual acts, not sexuality) - meaning there arent billboards of a man getting a headjob on every highway, nor are there advertisements on television for strip joints with the john getting a lap dance during the evening sitcoms.

 

Sex in a young teen male is like amphetamines, if you are 14 or so, hell even older will work as well, try not jerking off for a month ... let those people around you know to pay attention to your moods. I guarantee that within a week you will become moody, angry even violent (potentially) unless you are a little catholic boy who already doesnt spill his seed because it will piss god off ... thats beside the point. However, as soon as you jerk off, the "pressure" (mental) as it were will be released and your mood immediately will calm down. This is the "reward" effect of masturbation, the "reward" of sex as it were.

 

The problem is when you combine the sexual acts with either immediately preceeding or following violence that it becomes a serious issue ... in males during puberty there is a very real danger that the association of a violent act followed/preceeded by sexual act can glorify that violent act providing sex as the reward for violence ... this as you can imagine is very dangerous, and for the most part many here will say "I was looking at bondage on the internet when I was 9yo and I am now 18 and I am OK" ... well sure, but are you really? ... How many here are incapable of having an actual INTIMATE relationship? Most here get ballsy with "Ahh f*ck off bitch" and thats the actual realisation of the problem, you are incapable of intimacy with a partner because you werent taught intimacy, you were taught objectification (internet porn, etc). Its this objectification of sex, emasculated by violence that I have a problem with. Sexual respect and intimacy are in sharp decline in favour of short f*cks and casual relationships, its pretty clear in society today, and its a symptom of a much larger underlying problem. This can tentatively but with confidence be linked back to a violent nature, while not physically manifested, it is manifested by ambivelence and lack of intimacy in a relationship ... a lack of respect as it were.

 

It takes alot of balls to take a step back and see the reality, and I doubt many under 25s here will be able to without resorting to calling me names and carrying on like 13yo kids who have just had their internet porn taken off them.

 

I dont have a problem with the voilence and the sex in the game for someone who is mature enough to handle it (and the fact the 13yo kids here will say "I am mature enough" proves they arent) as long as you are capable of differentiating the sexual and violent behaviour, which unfortunately most teens arent able to do. Its a little thing called conditioning (see references to Pavlovs Dog on wikipedia for more info).

 

I am not a prude of a parent, I dont have a problem with my teenage kids seeing sex (both stylised and strong) as long as its contextualised correctly without violence present within a close approximate timeframe. In essence, I wouldnt have a problem letting my kids play GTAIV if it wasnt for the simulated sex present.

 

This isnt a case of supervision (there needs to be an element of trust in every parental relationship) this is more about the fact that kids just cannot be trusted to tell the truth when it really counts. Kids lie ... when a kid wants something they wont tell the truth, there wouldnt be any kid under 17 here who would honestly say to their parents "Hey, can you buy me GTAIV, it has handjobs and lapdances with strippers" ... yeah sure, record the event on video and post on youtube and you will be a legend.

 

Basically I am thankful that GTAIV was leaked on the internet, and *accidentally* released early by some shops, the handjob video was released as a result before the actual full release date, and as now I am an informed parent who can make the informed decision not to play the game when the kids are around/awake/whatever. I for one certainly hope other parents will learn of the content before falling to their childrens lies of "Its OK mom, its just a bit of shooting like the other one I play" or "But mom, Johns mom bought it for him so it must be OK".

 

Its unfortunate for Rockstar that the game was pirated and the street date was broken, however as a consumer I have less sympathy for them because they were not forthright enough with the public to inform parents of the full nature of the content prior to the release date, instead now parents will buy the game on their kids insitence, and when they discover the sexual content will freak out and there WILL be a much larger sh*tstorm than Hot Coffee ever produced.

 

The ESRB is wholely inadequate for describing the ACTUAL nature of the content ... the public has an individual approach to what is considered strong sexual content, some parents may consider themselves quite liberal and see the ESRB rating of strong sexual content thinking its fairly innocent as depicted in the previous GTA games, and therefore they see the warning and ignore it based on previous history. However these same parents will be the ones knocking R* door down when they discover what their kids can actually do in the game. So please, dont pull the ESRB card on me, it wont work and I am not interested in what 3 little words say in comparison to the actual content. I consider the actual content as "Graphic sexual content" not "Strong sexual content" and many parents will agree with the slight difference in distinction.

 

Rockstar can avoid all the negative publicity (although I firmly believe they revel in it) if they would be a little more forthright and public about the full length and breadth of the content so that those parents who they DONT want the game to get in the hands of their children ... wont let it get into their hands. Help inform the consumers before the purchase and you will avoid all the negativity associated with parents screaming at their children enjoying the hooker giving Niko a handjob.

 

ESRB only gos so far, its inneffective as is clearly indicated by the large number of children who love the fact their parents are too stupid to find out about the content in the game before they buy it for them, its unfortunate, however Rockstar can help by being a little more forthright and helping inform those parents before the sh*t hits the fan.

 

Thanks for your time, and I am already wearing the flame suit. If you reply with anything I have covered in my post that doesnt include an intelligent counter, then dont be surprised if I do not reply to you, especially WAHH ESRB etc.

Edited April 28, 2008 by P1aGu3

[GrandTheftWalrus]

no. yes.

[kronz]

I can't wrap my head around people thinking SEX is the worst thing in the game. The complaining parents used this method to conceive the damn kids in question. But murdering thousands of people and doing drugs.. nah no mention that.

 

Idiots.

[ChaseMeFaster]

I didn't read it but my parents are very conservative and wouldn't let me play it if they knew what was in the game.

[unlucky]

simple solution: don't let your kids play this unless they are 17+

 

 

if your kid bitches and whines then oh well, YOU are in charge...be a man about it.

 

 

[QwertyAAA]

get the game before your kid and see what's in it. Simple.

[torres6783]

must of took you a while to write this knowing its just gonna be ignored but at least i read the whole thing i want a cookie

[MalR]

Dude, you're a retarded parent.

 

If they're not 17, don' let them play it.

 

If they are 17, grow some f*cking balls because VIRTUAL SEX/VIOLENCE is no different from MOVIE SEX/VIOLENCE.

[lepoisson]

I have skimmed through this post, as I am actually procrastinating from important stuff right now that I should get back too..

 

However, as a concerned parent I can understand your viewpoint, afterall I'm only 19, just in college, my parents still worry about me! The opposition argument I would advance is a simple one. Look at European culture. In Europe it is the exact opposite of the US. They are exposed to sex at a younger age, a bigger emphasis is placed on sex ed, and they are much more sexually open and do not view teenage sex as the worst thing in history. They also operate their health care system differently, and especially advocate using condoms and advising on their use at a young age. They most certainly do not have a system of preaching abstinence as we do here. They also have a lower rate of STDs, and sexually oriented crimes. Coincidence? Ok, this is getting off topic, admittedly, but I feel that exposure to sex as a teenager is not necessarily a bad thing. The ONLY reason it is thought of as so horrible is simply because it is culture! Now, this is all personal perception, and the small reading I have done on this sort of topic. If I am off base, I apologize and stand corrected.

 

But, while I understand that the sexual acts may be upsetting, I am willing to bet that your son may already know about most of them. This is not meant to be a personal attack at your parenting, nor is it to say your son is bad. I don't know his exact age, I could be off by a lot. But I began learning this stuff through peers in junior high, by the time I was in high school I was well versed, so to speak.

 

The best advice I could give is to just sit down with him and speak about it. Will it be incredibly awkward for him, yes. Will it make you feel better afterwards knowing that your son is still a good person even with this knowledge he already possesses (if he indeed does possess it at all), most likely. Again, I am not trying to tell you how to do your job as a parent, I just know that my mother has always been relatively open with me about these things, I mean not explicitly going so far as to say "do you know what a blow job is son", but she has made herself available to go to if I need help, and nudged me in the direction of using rubbers and being careful when I do choose to have sex.

 

Now, this also has to do with how you feel your child will receive and perceive the game world. If it'll make him think it's ok to go around school smacking girls' asses, then I'd advise you to keep him away from it

 

If I have offended you in any way during this post I am profoundly sorry, that was not my intention. I hope I have helped some.

[kaotik]

I can't wrap my head around people thinking SEX is the worst thing in the game. The complaining parents used this method to conceive the damn kids in question. But murdering thousands of people and doing drugs.. nah no mention that.

 

Idiots.

You didn't read it all, did you?

 

The OP said they don't have a problem with the sex in the game, it's the association of sex and violence together.

 

While I agree with your principles, OP, I disagree with your post. You have a problem with Rockstar because they didn't inform you. Well, they did, and here's how:

 

The rating on the box clearly states partial nudity and "strong sexual content", along with "intense violence". The game is rated as Mature or 18+ for a reason. The content of this game is too objectionable for anyone under 18, in general terms. No one under 18 should be playing this, according to Rockstar.

 

Rockstar warned you fully, they said "No one under 18." The fact that you wanted to decide for yourself is where your problem lies, not with Rockstar.

[LCPD's Finest]

The simple solution here is to check out the game yourself before letting your kids play it. It is not Rockstar's responsibility to list every single intimate detail about the sexual content of the game. The 17+ rating of the game should take care of that. If a <17 year old kid wants to play a 17+ rated game, the parent should do their own research. I don't see what the problem is with this. By blaming Rockstar, you are just being ignorant.

[MalR]

Btw, asshat. I've been playing and watching things way past my age limit since I was a little kid, and yes I am and have been in an INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP for four years.

 

So, I think you might wanna re-think how you think.

 

Also, you say it's immature to "call people names" instead of "debating" with you?

 

Well then, you are the king of contradiction.

Edited April 28, 2008 by MalR

[kaotik]

Btw, asshat. I've been playing and watching things way past my age limit since I was a little kid, and yes I am and have been in an INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP for four years.

 

So, I think you might wanna re-think how you think.

Calm down? Wow.

[Ekoms]

Just think about it.... whats worse?

 

Accurately Simulating Death and violent crimes? or Dull sex scenes?

 

Get f*ckin real the game is rated M for a reason.

 

Lock.

[ivfreak]

Bullsh*t!

I'm 15, mature enough to drive, legally, alone, yet, I am not mature enough to play ag game?

C'mon

[FxE_Silver]

All games are tested and rated according to the content of the game, the developer gives details about things like violence and sex in the game so that the testers can focus on them. I still can't understand all the fuss about 'children' playing this game, its rated for 18+, anyone under 18 playing the game is doing so illegally, thats not the fault of the game developer. My advice is man up and realise that your inability to open up to your child and talk openly about sex will do more damage than a few pixels bouncing about on a TV screen.

[yoko]

[DieScream]

Your whole post is pointless I'm afraid. The game is not to be sold to minors. Law says at 18 you are mature enough.

R* can't do anything about negligent stores and parents anymore than they could about pirates.

[kaotik]

Bullsh*t!

I'm 15, mature enough to drive, legally, alone, yet, I am not mature enough to play ag game?

C'mon

That's a bad argument. The legal driving age should be raised. Mind you, I started driving when I was 16, and I would not have liked then for it to be raised, but really. The licensing system is not rigid enough, for the young or the old, if you ask me.

[luger]

I agree with most of what you said. The problem is GTA IV is a game meant for 17+ year olds, who, I'd like to think, are old enough to disassociate sex and violence. This was your main argument, and why I think it's flawed. Those who should be playing the game are old enough to not make that connection that sex is glorified or followed by violence, and vice versa.

 

You cannot blame R* for releasing an adult product in the same way you cannot blame movie producers for releasing an R rated film. Both are not meant for those under 17, and both have vague content descriptions and overarching ratings. Movies contain "Brief Sexual Content" in the same way GTA IV contains... whatever the ESRB refers to the handjobs and stripper scenes as.

 

Sure, kids will see the movies and they will play the game, but that is not R*'s fault. Anyone playing the game or viewing an R rated movie under the age of 17 shouldn't be, according to the ESRB and people who rate movies. Developers and producers shouldn't have to be held to strict standards in terms of describing the content of their respecticve works simply because parent's are too lazy to investigate these matters themselves.

 

With all that said, I'm glad you're taking a stand and not letting your son play a game you think he cannot handle. It is a sign of good parenting and your kid will eventually be better for it. Probably not because he won't see the sex and violence in the game, but because he knows he can't always get what he wants. Cookie for you.

 

I disagree with the above poster who said you need to "realize your inability to open up to your child about sex," as I think you made perfectly clear, the problem is sex and violence.

 

I'm 18, btw. And this sums up my whole post, essentially:

 

 

Your whole post is pointless I'm afraid. The game is not to be sold to  minors. Law says at 18 you are mature enough.

R* can't do anything about negligent stores and parents anymore than they could about pirates.

[Crimson Engage]

Cliffs: Get off the drugs, grown an attention span and READ it.

 

Now, I understand there is a very large number of kids on this forum, both those under 17, and those over 17. I am well aware that what I am about to post will be met largely with criticism from those kids, however I need to get this off my chest and hopefully in front of a Rockstar employee if they read these forums.

 

First and foremost, I DO NOT advocate the banning of GTAIV in any way shape or form. I love the game, the series and everything about it. Hell, I wrote one of the first video walkthroughs of GTAIII still hosted with gta3.com (unfortunately I lost all the videos in pictures about the same time as the website went down) ... I digress ...

 

I have a problem with Rockstar ... quite a big problem as of GTAIV. Its not the sex itself that I have a problem with so much as the fact that Rockstar wont "man up" and detail all the activities that a player can complete in the game, specifically in relation to said sex acts.

 

As a parent, I would like to know all the activities that can be completed by a player so I can determine if my teenage son can play the game. LOL IRONY WHAT ABOUT THE VIOLENCE DUH calm down children, let me explain as best I can for your obviously limited intelligence on the issue of sex and violence in video games.

 

Violence in and of itself is not disturbing, it begins in the playground and is sensationalised regularly in the news, music, movies and computer games. Children grow up with violence in the DAILY lives. However, children DO NOT grow up with sex in their daily lives (I mean sexual acts, not sexuality) - meaning there arent billboards of a man getting a headjob on every highway, nor are there advertisements on television for strip joints with the john getting a lap dance during the evening sitcoms.

 

Sex in a young teen male is like amphetamines, if you are 14 or so, hell even older will work as well, try not jerking off for a month ... let those people around you know to pay attention to your moods. I guarantee that within a week you will become moody, angry even violent (potentially) unless you are a little catholic boy who already doesnt spill his seed because it will piss god off ... thats beside the point. However, as soon as you jerk off, the "pressure" (mental) as it were will be released and your mood immediately will calm down. This is the "reward" effect of masturbation, the "reward" of sex as it were.

 

The problem is when you combine the sexual acts with either immediately preceeding or following violence that it becomes a serious issue ... in males during puberty there is a very real danger that the association of a violent act followed/preceeded by sexual act can glorify that violent act providing sex as the reward for violence ... this as you can imagine is very dangerous, and for the most part many here will say "I was looking at bondage on the internet when I was 9yo and I am now 18 and I am OK" ... well sure, but are you really? ... How many here are incapable of having an actual INTIMATE relationship? Most here get ballsy with "Ahh f*ck off bitch" and thats the actual realisation of the problem, you are incapable of intimacy with a partner because you werent taught intimacy, you were taught objectification (internet porn, etc). Its this objectification of sex, emasculated by violence that I have a problem with. Sexual respect and intimacy are in sharp decline in favour of short f*cks and casual relationships, its pretty clear in society today, and its a symptom of a much larger underlying problem. This can tentatively but with confidence be linked back to a violent nature, while not physically manifested, it is manifested by ambivelence and lack of intimacy in a relationship ... a lack of respect as it were.

 

It takes alot of balls to take a step back and see the reality, and I doubt many under 25s here will be able to without resorting to calling me names and carrying on like 13yo kids who have just had their internet porn taken off them.

 

I dont have a problem with the voilence and the sex in the game for someone who is mature enough to handle it (and the fact the 13yo kids here will say "I am mature enough" proves they arent) as long as you are capable of differentiating the sexual and violent behaviour, which unfortunately most teens arent able to do. Its a little thing called conditioning (see references to Pavlovs Dog on wikipedia for more info).

 

I am not a prude of a parent, I dont have a problem with my teenage kids seeing sex (both stylised and strong) as long as its contextualised correctly without violence present within a close approximate timeframe. In essence, I wouldnt have a problem letting my kids play GTAIV if it wasnt for the simulated sex present.

 

This isnt a case of supervision (there needs to be an element of trust in every parental relationship) this is more about the fact that kids just cannot be trusted to tell the truth when it really counts. Kids lie ... when a kid wants something they wont tell the truth, there wouldnt be any kid under 17 here who would honestly say to their parents "Hey, can you buy me GTAIV, it has handjobs and lapdances with strippers" ... yeah sure, record the event on video and post on youtube and you will be a legend.

 

Basically I am thankful that GTAIV was leaked on the internet, and *accidentally* released early by some shops, the handjob video was released as a result before the actual full release date, and as now I am an informed parent who can make the informed decision not to play the game when the kids are around/awake/whatever. I for one certainly hope other parents will learn of the content before falling to their childrens lies of "Its OK mom, its just a bit of shooting like the other one I play" or "But mom, Johns mom bought it for him so it must be OK".

 

Its unfortunate for Rockstar that the game was pirated and the street date was broken, however as a consumer I have less sympathy for them because they were not forthright enough with the public to inform parents of the full nature of the content prior to the release date, instead now parents will buy the game on their kids insitence, and when they discover the sexual content will freak out and there WILL be a much larger sh*tstorm than Hot Coffee ever produced.

 

The ESRB is wholely inadequate for describing the ACTUAL nature of the content ... the public has an individual approach to what is considered strong sexual content, some parents may consider themselves quite liberal and see the ESRB rating of strong sexual content thinking its fairly innocent as depicted in the previous GTA games, and therefore they see the warning and ignore it based on previous history. However these same parents will be the ones knocking R* door down when they discover what their kids can actually do in the game. So please, dont pull the ESRB card on me, it wont work and I am not interested in what 3 little words say in comparison to the actual content. I consider the actual content as "Graphic sexual content" not "Strong sexual content" and many parents will agree with the slight difference in distinction.

 

Rockstar can avoid all the negative publicity (although I firmly believe they revel in it) if they would be a little more forthright and public about the full length and breadth of the content so that those parents who they DONT want the game to get in the hands of their children ... wont let it get into their hands. Help inform the consumers before the purchase and you will avoid all the negativity associated with parents screaming at their children enjoying the hooker giving Niko a handjob.

 

ESRB only gos so far, its inneffective as is clearly indicated by the large number of children who love the fact their parents are too stupid to find out about the content in the game before they buy it for them, its unfortunate, however Rockstar can help by being a little more forthright and helping inform those parents before the sh*t hits the fan.

 

Thanks for your time, and I am already wearing the flame suit. If you reply with anything I have covered in my post that doesnt include an intelligent counter, then dont be surprised if I do not reply to you, especially WAHH ESRB etc.

simply put. You live in australia(?)

Your version has cut a lot of sexual content. Nuff said. TV/Movies show more then any sex act in a GTA game. Adults (me being 21) don't realise this and blame video games. When in reality SAW (all of them) has more gore/violent content then any GTA game combined.

 

Your kids will hear/say/see/do sh*t when the are older any ways.

[th3phantom]

I can't wrap my head around people thinking SEX is the worst thing in the game. The complaining parents used this method to conceive the damn kids in question. But murdering thousands of people and doing drugs.. nah no mention that.

 

Idiots.

Reread his post. He's not taking issue with the sex, or the violence. It's the close proximity of one to the other and rockstar/esrb's failure to formally notify the public about this.

 

Also, its significant to consider that if someone who is a genuine fan of the series is taking issue with this, how will the general public, in particular those who have tried to bring down GTA before, will react.

[azndvl]

(Let me start off by saying I am 16 at the moment, born dec 1991, and started playing when GTA VC was released)

 

TBH, I do sort of agree with you on some of this. I see your point about how risky it is to keep a child from playing a game filled with sex when the game companies dont release specific information about it. However, this isn't really because they want to avoid bad publicity, at least not with R* from what I see. Basically, R* didnt want to release any specific information at all on the game until very very recently. And even if they had mentioned the specific sex acts, some politicians and journalists may have spun it to make it seem like R* was bragging or promoting it.

 

And to be fair to R*, they didn't try to hide this in purpose. In fact, today gameplay videos (authorized by R*) were released by websites such as IGN and Gametrailers which show these sex acts in a fair amount of detail (especially that one video by GT). Your best bet, for preventing unwanted exposure to sex, would be to wait until AFTER the game is released. Maybe even rent the game to try out and see for yourself, if you truly feel so strongly about this, that is the best way to go about it.

 

Rockstar also isnt required to go into such detail about their games, so they obviously wont. And even Sam Houser has said in a recent interview that they build these games for an audience age 17+. So really, they have no reason to go into such detail. Its the job of the parents to research the game and watch their kids.

 

Also, I consider myself to be fairly mature, as do my parents, which is why I am allowed to play such games. You can really tell if a kid will associate sex with violence or objectivity by just looking at how they behave. If the kid is an immature prick, or even worse, one of those kids that try to be "gangsta," chances are, they shouldnt be allowed to play such games.

 

Oh and sites like this may help:

http://www.whattheyplay.com/features/grand...ts-should-know/

 

 

One last thing, let me just say, that bit about the masturbation and moodyness is pretty hilarious, and even more true lmao.

[Katyclism]

I read it, and what you describe is more a problem with parents than it is with Rockstar, let me explain. Your saying that even though the game is for 18+ and has very clear and concise terms as to why it is that way. Strong Sexual Content means just that, if you (As a responsible parent) say to yourself "Well, that shouldn't be too bad" thats YOUR problem, there is no if or but about it. I'm sorry but I fail to see how Rockstar is to blame for something that it absolutely, in no uncertain terms, tells you exactly whats in the game. Example:

 

Rockstar: "Sir, there is strong sex, violence, blood, and crude humor in this game, It's not for anyone under 18 years old"

You: "Ok, sounds like I should definatly buy it for my kids"

Time passes.

You: "OMFG THIS GAME HAS SEX, VIOLENCE, BLOOD, AND CRUDE HUMOR...HOW COULD YOU ROCKSTAR?!?!"

 

See what I'm getting at?

[QwertyAAA]

didja have to quote the post crimson?

 

Rightaboveposter, true.

[machinecd]

it mainly depends on how old your kid is and his maturity level

[Raynos]

Why should it be up to Rockstar to tell everyone whats in the game? Which movie studio does that?

 

Answer is NONE.

 

Its NOT Rockstars fault that the label doesn't contain "Graphic Sexual Content".

 

Geeze dude, i mean seriously!

 

What can Rockstar do? They CANNOT modify the ESRB Rating. If ESRB chose to put down those rating for the game, its their fault.

 

Also, Parents cant just play the "I didnt know card" When will parents wake up and take responsibility!

 

Lets see.

ESRB Rating says

Intense Violence, Blood,

Strong Language,

Strong Sexual Content,

Partial Nudity,

Use of Drugs and Alcohol

 

Now, I read that and I read your post and im thinking HOLY sh*t, CAN THIS GUY READ?

 

Can parents read? This game is MATURE i.e. 17+

If a parent reads those ratings and YET buys their 14year old kid this game then they have failed.

 

They have surely failed as parents. If you read those ratings and bought this game for your underage kid, then you sir, have failed! You have failed really badly.

 

I would never buy a kid this game. No WAY!.

 

People like yourself give Jack Thompson more fuel. It is not Rockstars fault nor is it their reponsibility.

 

If you got an issue, Talk to the ESRB.

[azndvl]

didja have to quote the post crimson?

 

Rightaboveposter, true.

lmao, seriously. huge block of unneeded text.

[kaotik]

I can't wrap my head around people thinking SEX is the worst thing in the game. The complaining parents used this method to conceive the damn kids in question. But murdering thousands of people and doing drugs.. nah no mention that.

 

Idiots.

Reread his post. He's not taking issue with the sex, or the violence. It's the close proximity of one to the other and rockstar/esrb's failure to formally notify the public about this.

 

Also, its significant to consider that if someone who is a genuine fan of the series is taking issue with this, how will the general public, in particular those who have tried to bring down GTA before, will react.

The only thing that matters remains the same here. According to the developers and the testers at ESRB, the game is not to be played by anyone under 18. It doesn't matter what anyone thinks.

 

If a 12 year old kid got a copy of GTA4 one day, went to school and shot everyone up the next, and left a note describing his purpose for doing this was to please the GTA gods, still, none of it matters. He would have acquired it through negligence that Rockstar could not have helped.

 

The game is for adults only. ONLY. I don't know why this is such an issue for people. You don't give porn, liquor and smokes to kids, you don't give GTA to kids.

 

Adults only, that's it, period.

[Crimson Engage]

I can't wrap my head around people thinking SEX is the worst thing in the game. The complaining parents used this method to conceive the damn kids in question. But murdering thousands of people and doing drugs.. nah no mention that.

 

Idiots.

Reread his post. He's not taking issue with the sex, or the violence. It's the close proximity of one to the other and rockstar/esrb's failure to formally notify the public about this.

 

Also, its significant to consider that if someone who is a genuine fan of the series is taking issue with this, how will the general public, in particular those who have tried to bring down GTA before, will react.

The ESRB and R* have let people know about the content. It's the parents fault for not reading the back of the box. M for MATURE. Meaning if you think your kid is mature, he can play it. I just don't see how hard it is to read the back of the box explaining whe kind of content the game has.