Kotaku
Mothers Against Drunk Drivers released a statement today saying that they demand the Entertainment Software Ratings Board reclassify Grand Theft Auto IV as an Adults Only game because it includes a mission in which "players have to drive drunk."
Each year nearly 13,500 people die in drunk driving crashes and another half a million are injured in alcohol-related traffic crashes. This is why MADD is extremely disappointed by the decision of the manufacturers of the game Grand Theft Auto IV to include a game module where players have to drive drunk. Drunk driving is not a game and it is not a joke. Drunk driving is a choice, a violent crime and it is also 100 percent preventable. MADD is calling on the Entertainment Software Ratings Board to reclassify Grand Theft Auto IV as an Adults Only game, a step up from the current rating of Mature and for the manufacturer to consider a stop in distribution – if not out of responsibility to society then out of respect for the millions of victims/survivors of drunk driving.
While there is a mission that involves going out drinking and ends with a player intoxicated, it doesn't require the player to drive and in fact on at least one play through suggests that the player isn't in any condition to drive drunk and should take one of the readily available Taxis instead. If a player decides to drive anyway they learn how hard and dangerous it is to drive while intoxicated.
I've contacted the organization to point this out to them and seek a comment, but have not heard back. I'll make sure to update this post if and when we do.
Comments
I tried drunk driving in GTA4 and the cops caught me :(
.....its a video game.....
Soooo, drunk driving in movies = NC-17?
I thought the whole point of GTA was to do things you can't do in real life <.<
We should definitely condemn a game that make absolutely impossible to drive in a straight line after having a few drinks.
I mean that just isn't realistic. I can see MADD's point, they want you to think you can get away with it, but you can't.
Wait, I've confused myself.
You know, when I hopped in the car drunk, I was thinking to myself, this is really hard, I probably should have taken a cab.
But what stands out most to me about this is the fact they want it made AO because you drive drunk, not because you FUCKING MURDER PEOPLE WITH WEAPONS.
These broads need to loosen up and have a few drinks.
The double standard is ridiculous.
This is a game. It shouldn't be treated like real life, and it definitely shouldn't be treated differently than tv shows or movies.
Good thing NO tv shows, movies or books have drunk drivers.
I've never driven drunk, but I do remember one time when I'd taken this really strong acid.
I do not recommend that.
News just in: MADD wants every game rated over 15 banned, because they contain illegal acts.
You know what kills more people than drunk driving each year? Murder. At least go after the obvious module, MADD.
WOULD SOMBODY PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDRENS!!!!!!!! D:
Oh, for Christ sake.
Easy targets are easy...
@Zamzoph:
You got something against us aspiring immigrants?
In all seriousness, me and my coworkers here just had a laugh at this. Then again, none of us mind being 20+ years old.
Driving drunk in this game is not a fun experience and not something I would want to do again in the game.
Shouldn't they go after the producers of Alcohol first? I mean GTA is just a game it can't do anything on its own GTA isn't making people drive drunk.
I guess its another case of these groups being to much of a wuss to go after the larger corporations.
Niko can call a cab so whats the big deal? LOL
@HfAsianInvasion: exactly.
looks like the mothers haven't done their research properly either, as it is not MANDATORY to drive drunk -- like they said, it's a choice.
fuck MADD.
The double standard in media is unreal now-a-days. Movie violence is awesome, gaming violence is deplorable. TV swearing is cool, swearing in a game is evil.
Good luck getting a response from them - that would make this a non-issue and subsequently gut any power the item might have for their lobbyists. MADD is a miserable, corrupt organization.
Are they mad?!
MADD must have been quite drunk when they made this statement.
How did MADD even find out about this? Did some kid get to the mission and report it? Is the chairman of MADD a huge GTA fan, got here, and went into a state of shock? Was this released by the ESRB? Did Rockstar release this info out for the sake of publicity?
I just don't find out how all these people, who quite obviously don't play games, know about stuff like this and the "sex" scene in Mass Effect
Free publicity for GTA IV! I bet Rock Star just eats this shit up.
Crecente, thank you for pointing that out to them. I am getting sick and tired of all these people spouting "facts" about GTA IV when they clearly have not played it for themselves.
So basically they only want adults enjoying the drink driving? It does actually offer you a moral choice and even advises you to take a cab.
Its just this is a game where you can make your own choices, if a police officer sees me tipsy and going into my own car then he will try and arrest me. Its smart. Kids won't think lets drink drive because its in GTA thats as stupid as saying GTA makes kids suddenly think "If I kill people I will only get 1 star wanted level" People arn't that stupid. I hope.
"Drunk driving is not a game..."
Neither is setting pedestrians ablaze with flamethrowers and then strolling over to their flaming corpse to pick up their money which just mystically separated from their body and somehow didn't catch on fire, but you don't see people who manufacture flamethrowers complaining.
@Mit: Exactly what I was going to post - are they petitioning every movie that has a scene driving drunk to be NC-17? I don't think so. Mostly they want attention for MADD - its not for kids already with an M rating.
And the game does exactly what MADD does - encourages you to take a cab -
Just thought of something. They want to make this an AO game and make sure that ONLY those who can legally buy alcohol play it. So those who can't drink shouldn't play the game but those who can should....
@RichMeisterMan:
Yup!
Oh dear God... I've got a filter on Jack Thompson's name, and I still have to deal with this crap.
MADD Demands AO Rating for real life..
Because, you know, you can just as easily make the choice to drive drunk in real life. And you don't have to buy a $3-600 video game system and $60 game to do it in...
Not to mention that if you attempt to drive drunk in GTAIV the cops are on you immediately and it aint easy to get away when you can't see straight. Yeah, thats a terrible message "drunk driving gets you busted or killed." MADD indeed.
@flukielukie:
I ended up just hailing a cab myself. Drunk driving was just too hard... lol
Really? The drunk driving?
lol. If someone talks back to Niko in the game I feel the need to kill everyone within the area with my shotgun. Watching the windshield explode and crack covered in blood....
it makes you remember that people are violent. im not proud that brutal death excites me, but its the truth lol.
Of course, the organization means well. But the purpose should be to discourage the act of drunk driving, which is done by the adults that make up the A in AO, as well. With their logic, they themselves would be saying that drunk driving is OK, as long as you're an adult. Which is counterproductive.
Their plan would merely add up to a personal attack on the makers of the game, through the means of cutting their chance for profit. Which is neither an appropriate action to take, nor an effective use of their true message.
I love how these groups use controversial games to promote their own aims-evokes images of those weird fish that attach themselves to whales and sharks, or those birds that live on rhinos.
this is........... maddness?
Jack Thompson isn't a mother.
What is this tomfoolery?
SHENANIGANS I SAY!
Im glad you contacted them about it. The taxi suggestion was the first thing that popped in my head. Drunk driving is extremely hard in the game. it not like some mini game of drunk driving..
So, up until this point, MADD's been okay with me running down innocents with my SUV in the GTA series because, up until this point, my character was doing it while sober? Stupidity makes me sad. I mean, SADD.
Did you know that MADD and their lobbyists were instrumental in passing the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, which is why the national drinking age is 21? That's pretty far out.
Who didn't see this coming? But this is stupid, driving drunk gets an AO but running around killing people for no reason is M? They have got to see the irony in this.
There's no way you're getting a rational response from MADD.
I want to see how they respond.
They need to stop targeting GTA.
I have to say, i personally thought that saying Video Games had a dangerous effect on people was a load of rubbish, just politicians trying to make names for themselves.
After playing GTA yesterday though, and then driving a few hours after switching it off, i kind of agree with statements like this. You do tend to lose yourself, even if its for a few seconds where you still think your in the game.
MADD has come a long way from their original intent of preventing drunk driving through education and advocacy. They have morphed into neo-prohibitionists. Candy Lightner, the founder, has long since distanced herself from MADD and considers them more anit-alcohol than anti-drunkdriving. These modern day Carrie Nations make me sick.
/end rant
I can see how this would be upsetting if you know someone who died in a car crash or something because of a drunk driver. I can also see how this game would be upsetting if someone you know died of a gunshot wound. I don't know where the line should be drawn...should we not include anything in games that could hurt someone's feelings? I think we need to be sensitive. I haven't gotten to this mission yet, but if it doesn't glorify drunk driving, make you drive drunk, or reward you for drunk driving, it doesn't seem that offensive to me.
Its a freakin video game. There is this little tool that would help solve this, oh yeah...its called "Parenting". Some of them should try it. If you actually monitor what your children are doing, then we wouldn't have all these 10-year olds screaming obscenities into the mic and teenagers thinking its cool to run over their friends with the family station wagon.
it involves looking things over before handing them to your children. Parents want to blame the industry or whomever they can squeeze money out of because they don't mind parking their children in front of the tube as a make-shift babysitter for hours on end while they live their lives, and then complain when they pick up on a habit or try to emulate something they saw.
If you've ever played a game where you have to drive "drunk", you'd realize its not much fun and difficult to control. Why would I purposely try to re-create that.
I mean, in the game, I can already run over people and kill cops and blow up cars and such, but because of 1 drunk driving mission that it needs to be locked up and treated as contraband? wow...
Indeed, I think MADD needs to sit down and play the game. In fact the game just about ENCOURAGES you to hail a cab when drunk. The first time I made the attempt I thought I was doing pretty good but the cops kept one-starring me the second I got close. Then I noticed I wasn't as sober as I thought and was having a hard time controlling the car.
OH WAIT! That's a life lesson there, no matter how sober you "Think" you are maybe you should play it safe and call a cab. Needless to say the second I shook the cops I parked the car and hailed a taxi.
I really don't see where MADD has a case. The game isn't glorifying drunk driving nor are they making it out to be easy. In fact they're actively encouraging the player not to DUI.
Mothers against this, mothers against that... Why isn't there a Fathers Against Stupid Organisations? That'd be a change.
I didn't want to chance it... I took a cab and got lucky as well!
This is why I wanted my copy right away. I knew some group or another would inevitably try to get it banned, re-rated, or any other number of things.
Didn't expect MADD, though. Did not see that coming...
@HfAsianInvasion: yeah its hilarious
but yeah i found it SOO hard to drive while drunk and it actually made me alittle sick to my stomach. I thought i was developing Vertigo.
Sooo according to MADD you can murder all you want in a video game, but you shouldn't be able to drink and drive? Riiight.
such hate for people trying to do something right.
Drunk Driving is serious, my grandmother was killed by a drunk driver.
so do you blame em for trying to make stricter rules to get this out of the hands of childeren.
most of the people that bought this can buy an AO rating anyway, so whats the big deal on your part?
Hey MADD, why stop here? I think dropping toddler-sized banana peels and launching heat-seeking koopa shells are WAY more irresponsible. I mean, those things are specifically meant to cause damage out there on the scary, open road.
I'm calling out the ESRB right now for not giving Mario Kart an AO rating!
Please, think of the children!
Of course, when I played drunk driving in GTA, I said: Hey look, this is so fun! The cops are after me and Niko is about to die LMAO. I did however not say after: This is so cool I'm going to do this in real life and kill myself!.
Honestly, the only reason MADD gives a shit is because of the alcohol. We can shoot guns and do drive bys. Why can't people complain about that? You have to complain about the less lethal drunk driving? Whatever, hopefully, the ESRB doesn't do shit. I got my copy, I'm playing this game to the fullest.
The letter I sent to MADD:
"I find it interesting that you are filing a complaint again Grand Theft Auto for it's driving drunk mini game. Should we also attack games with characters smoking? How about World War 2 games where you play as the Nazis?
Should books joking about drunk drving be rated adults only?
I'm sure you're getting a lot of angry e-mails about this, but I want you to think about what you're doing. How many rated R movies have drunk driving?
M for mature means 18 and over. Are you saying 18 year olds can't think for themselves? I think what you're doing is disrespectful, and against the 1st admendment."
@RFX:
Wikipedia, probably. Another reason why they're completely misinformed, they read the first couple words of the sentence, freak out and run off to type up a press release for their self-important goody-two-shoes retarded organization.
They want attention, and the only way they get it is by surfing the Internet all day waiting for someone or something to point and squeal at until they get the attention they want so desperately.
The first time I got drunk in the game I laughed my ass off that was until I started to drive.... I hit a car and a Car Chase started.... Let's just say that it ended in a spray of bullets.