freespeech

deathtastic

I'm not gonna get into an argument over human psychology but I'm pretty sure someone 16 or up can handle pretty brutal violence, or explicit sexuality. and some one 14-15 could handle most anything in video games that are made today the worst i've seen as fair as violence goes is GoW, and Most of the games that have alot of sexuality in them don't cast women as purely for sexual purposes.

deathtastic

jerrt

EnigmaNemesis

GuardianEarth

Jacktherip

I do agree that parents need to wake up and realize that video games aren't just for kids anymore. The media needs to stop that stereotype.

NegativeGhostrider

And that is literally ALL one needs to say. No more, no less. Hell, this is what we've been saying for years. If thats all Mr. Yee had to say, he wouldn't be attracting the ire of the internet.

"Unfortunately, the makers of Grand Theft Auto have a history of deceiving the ratings board and the public on the true content of their games. Parents beware: this game undoubtedly glorifies violence, is extremely realistic and designed for adults only."

Allow me to review the history of the GTA ratings…

GTA - M
GTA London - M
GTA 2 - M
GTA 3 - M
GTA VC - M
GTA SA - M (Rerated, AO, rerated M)
GTA (Gameboy Advance) - M
GTA Liberty City Stories - M
GTA Vice City Stories - M
GTAIV - M

I miss anything?

What do all these games have in common? M. What does M denote oh wise ESA?

"Contains content that is considered unsuitable for children under the age of 17. Titles in this category may contain intense violence such as blood and gore, sexual references and/or strong language. Many retailers (such as Target and Wal-Mart in the United States, Future Shop in Canada, and Best Buy in both countries) have a policy of not selling games with this rating to people under the age of 17 without parental presence and approval"

I dare say enough has been said… Although, I still say more goes down in Junior High and High School than GTAIV can even begin to fathom

Papa Midnight

McDonalds!

thisisasignin

Parents these days. If they aren't 'angels' like they want their kids, their kids will not be angels, either. Stupid tards.

KK

well then that's the damn retailer's fault and THEY are the ones who should be punished for it. It is against the law to sell M-rated games to minors just like how a minor can't get into an R-rated movie. People think the rating system is flawed but it's the people who make it flawed just by ignoring it. Maybe if you start enforcing it then it shouldn't be a problem. Instead the games and their makers get the flak because people are lazy and need some one else to blame.

tripur

Its a game for people over 18 and rated as such - parents shouldn't be getting this for their kids. That's not banning the game that doing your job as a parent

Limafoxtrot

Sailorcancer

NimbusTLD

Angryrider

Mara

A responsible parent wouldn't let their child watch Godfather part II ahead of part I, afterall?

yashin19

gravytoast

I'm done.

gravytoast

Pinhead

American senator says: "graphic scenes of oral sex, nudity, and simulated intercourse"

BBFC says: "un-detailed portrayal of masturbation, fellatio and intercourse."

Ladies and gentlemen. Place your bets.

X201

Aiwokote

@JustThisGuy: And ew, I had to google The Houston 500. Why would you even know what that is?

cheeses

Priceless.

TK423

who cares

clevetheripper

Drake Lake: Phase Lunaire

kylo4

Johnny_Clueless

maraxusofk

PARENTS: DO NOT BUY THIS GAME FOR YOUR CHILDREN. IT IS RATED M FOR MATURE. INTENDED FOR ADULTS 18 AND OLDER.

god damn how hard is it to understand. its like letting your five year old watch scarface.

anyway i can't wait until monday.

FlapDangerous

@Heywoodjabloume: My senators can tell me whatever they want. I (and you) can choose to listen to them or ignore them. It's not an issue until they start trying to pass laws to control my moral decisions. And, while Lee is certainly... hyperbolic (to put it kindly), he is--at the moment--legislatively harmless. Even his worst legislative offense is relatively minor; he wasn't trying to censor content, but levy fines for the sale of mature games to minors. He's certainly no [name of infamous Florida lawyer whose name escapes me at the moment and I can't be arsed to google it]. And I honestly doubt that this pet issue of his takes even a fraction of his day at work.

I just don't think either Lee or this so-called issue is worthy of any real vitriol, and it's just not worth the energy expended on hatred.

JustThisGuy

gunbu

who cares

[kotaku.com]
[kotaku.com]
[kotaku.com]

It's not the ideas, it's just the way he goes about it, stomping around, making a shitstorm.

and a side note, look at how kotaku has grown!

[kotaku.com]

Drake Lake: Phase Lunaire

I seem to recall a lot of serial killers being molested by their mothers as children. In contrast, I've been playing violent games for years and I turned out A-OK. All my mom did to me was lie a lot and punch me...

Pezdispenser

the big problem is that many parents do allow their child to play Grand theft auto games. That book, "Grand Theft Childhood" found that a significant proportion of children in their sample(who ranged in age from 12-14) had played grand theft auto and listed it as one of their favorite games

graddy

Would you expose a child to material that either treated women in a misogynistic fashion or objectified them as being good for nothing more than sexual gratification? Really, there's a world of difference between a movie like, say, Y tu Mama Tambien and The Houston 500.

JustThisGuy

It seems that all he's done is forced retailers to put up signs explaining the retail system (a good thing) and is trying to prohibit the sale of games to minors (a questionable topic that I happen to agree with). A "mature" minor would still be able to purchase the game in the presence of an adult. It's not like he's trying to ban content, folks. Not a big deal.

JustThisGuy

Kylara

SpartanQ77

JokesJokes

So around a year ago I was doing some research (looking to see if any Wiis were on store shelves yet) when I noticed a woman with her two young toddler aged kids. One of the kids immediately picked up a copy of GTA Vice City and started begging his mom for it. That was bad. His mom then said (to my delight, then to my horror) "No, we're not getting that, you already have that one". That was even worse. The little kid then started having a temper tantrum and said "But I want it for myself, I don't want to share with him!" while pointing at his younger still in diapers brother. I don't know why, but the selfishness was what upset me the most.

Pezdispenser

Yee's cheap shots at Rockstar and GTA are unfortunate because they take away from the greater message. Still, we can't afford to lose sight of this message in order to slag Yee and his press release. Gamers need to present a united front that advocates responsible gaming and parenting. We can't afford to shoot this down point-blank just because the details are objectionable. I'm not saying we should get behind this statement or Yee himself, that's not necessarily reasonable, but we shouldn't dismiss it altogether.

Agies

The only way that GTA4 can be considered "for kids" is if you're so far behind the times that you think all video games are for kids. And if you happen to be that far behind the times, perhaps you should read the box or talk to someone in the store before plunking down 50 dollars on entertainment for your child.

Yee should be commended for his efforts to educate parents that games are not just for kids. Unfortunately, he comes off as a no-nothing who also believes that games are just for kids, and that this whole "50% of games are purchased for use by people over the age of 21" thing is just hooey.

seishino

Lancehead

Will this BS every end.

It's the same fricken story every time a new gta game comes out. Why the hell don't the senators go after the religious games that tell you to kill all the infidels cause they're not the same religion as the portagonist....

VixDiesel

I was always pretty sensible and logical for my age though. Still, different people with different experiences and different mindsets react to different stimulus in different ways. If I ever have kids one day, you'd be sure I wouldn't be buying the same types of games I played when I was young for them. Besides, there are plenty of great E rated games out there. Maybe I'm being a bit hypocritical, but they can wait until they're 18.

Oh, and leave my parents out of this. They're really nice people, but they're completely ignorant about games like most folks in their generation. Besides, video games didn't get as much press back then as they do now, either.

Lancehead

proust

gamecrazychris

DarkTetsuya

DeeBG

I know kids are gonna skip school just to get it. Hopefully, one of two things will happen:

Teachers will catch wind of what's happening and threaten failing grades to those who skip class to go get it or they actually stay up all night to get the game only to be refused sales due to age.

That's probably all I can think of. You can't erase the stupidity of people and there's no way to fix it.

"You can't fix stupid."

Sigma-D

MUDDUM

CyberSkull

Well at least this guy is getting the point across to stupid people... even though he is wrong.

MetaKz

M4A1 SD

dnzperson

I wouldn't call it hypocritical. How we digest media depends more upon our maturity and not so much our age. However, there are limits to that statement (no 12 year old is even mature enough to play Grand Theft Auto and understand it clearly). At 16 I was playing the oft criticized Counter-Strike. 6 years later and I'm crime-free.

Spaceboy

Now I don't agree with everything he says but still parents need to take responsibility. I mean come on people this is not rocket science! a game where you kill cops prostitutes random people on the street is not a game intended for kids!

God it seems like parenting has become some kind of lost art or something. Oh my kid went crazy and killed a bunch of people. Its not my fault its these violent video games! No its your fault for being a sucky parent and not having a clue what your kids are doing.

It seems like we need some kind of test to make sure these people aren't having kids.

Triple07

mixmastermind

LOL i almost insulted you over the internet, until i readed the second part xDDDDDD
master wn!

Tehkirby

I've been killed by a sarcasm bomb.

:-(

Spaceboy

I have nothing against people warning parents about keeping this out of the hands of their kids. I mean it's already come out that theirs like an anal rape scene.

Why do people glamorously jump to the defense of rockstar and try to deny the content of these games. They have the right to exist but it's not a lie that they aren't for kids.

Daizaru1

Take2/Rockstar have not deceived the ESRB...it got exactly the rating it was supposed to get. The content is frankly mild compared to some games which get the same rating. If he wants it to get an AO rating....well screw him...that is essentially a blacklisted game. The damn rating shouldn't even exist if the game companies, stores, and console makers aren't going to support it. What good is making an AO game if you can't sell it to anyone? I'd love to see a no-nonsense uncensored GTA...but until proper adult titles are allowed to be published and sold by the PC and console establishments...I'll settle for what I can get. (for the record, age: 28)

I will give the Senator this much....at least he's urging parents to do proper parenting and supervise what their kids play. That's better than most anti-GTA people who simply blame the game for all the ills of the world when it's supposed to be played by only adults or near adults.

thor79

If kids get their hands on it, it's because the parents are too stupid to realize what the ratings mean!!!

Enigma_20XX

No sir! I disagree! I has never aware of my child picking up hookers or killing people! It was not my fault my child didn't tell me what the game was before I bought it! I thought it was a math learning game to help make my child smart! Not make him a hoodlum! I'm completely offended sir! How dare you blame parents who don't know these things! Its not our faults!

lol typical response ^^

XxBunnyBoyxX

Señor Vorpal Kickass'o

That said, he does have a point. Lil' Jimmy and his buddies in the 5th grade probably shouldn't be picking up hookers and robbing banks. They get plenty of that from Hollywood as it is.

ubiquitous

heromoua

That, or vice versa.

But seriously, parents need to step up and take responsibility for their children. If the kids manage to get it some other way (like they do with alcohol and cigarettes) make sure you know what the heck they're up to (and NEVER use the friends/parents of friends excuse, TOTAL FAIL). Blaming media is getting pretty old, too.

Spaceboy

Either way Rockstar hurt my child and I believe they owe me compensation for his well being.

And if you believed any of that you're absolutely stupid...and if you're one of those types who I just described....go shoot yourself now and make everyone in this world happy

XxBunnyBoyxX

frostcircus

I strongly believe they should enforce video game sales like cigarettes. Where even if the parents is trying to buy it for the kid standing next to them they can't. That will take a lot of pressure off stores.

Also, with the lollipop licking girl on the cover of the SE I'd like to see parents justifying it for their 10 year olds then.

kylo4

GameCasa

Grimmjow Jeagerjaques

DarkDragon9906

Not to mention the text "GRAND THEFT AUTO" dead center in 20 pt text.

@Cchrist: My store doesn't let kids by M-rated games without someone over 18 there with 'em. We recently had a kid who wanted GTA:VC, had the money, and bought his mom in.

She shot him down, and he comes back twenty minutes after they leave saying that she changed her mind and said he could get it. My boss tells him to bring his mom in, and the kid never comes back.

The sad part is, when I say you need a grown-up to buy GTA, most kids say they played it already.

Jonn

Your google-fu is weak.
[dist08.casen.govoffice.com]

SirDanF

DotDotDot

YES PLEASE PARENTS DON'T BUY GTA IV FOR YOUR KIDS

fuzzycuffs

The craziest thing that happened to me was during the launch of GTA:SA. I was one of the morons that did not preorder a copy so I was S.O.L. I searched everywhere and discovered that a nearby BEST BUY just received a shipment and was just about to cart them out. I got to the store and waited, when the cart was being rolled out I approached it and honest to God kids swarmed the cart. I mean it had to be at least twenty of them, from ages eight to thirteen. Fortunately I had the height and weight advantage. After grabbing my copy I looked back and saw their parents in the distance; literally tapping their feet and looking impatient. It was really strange. I'd love to see a commercial that should millions of kids leaving school, performing stunts out of GTA while running to their local store to pick up GTA4 (just like that eerie Mario commercial with the Japanese kids that ended with them wearing costume Mario heads)

CoinSlot

Maybe he should issue remarks like this for every R-rated movie that comes out every week.

Just another Sen. trying to get his name out there by riding the coattails of pop culture.

Would asking him to use his publicly funded time to focus on the war or economy too much to ask?

flamincheney

Blake Ruff

KM91

Seiously it's cruel but it really gives a good feeling when you tell a parent what exactly their kid is trying to make them buy/rent for them.

I actully made a 12 year old tough kid cry once. I LOVED it. >:D

Also the parents reactions are hilarious. They useually ask me just to be sure so after i tell them they get this really smug look on their face. Almost asif they're going to hout ACCESS DENIED! at their kid.

Actually happend once. True story. Made the kid cry but i already said that.

Cchrist

You know, perhaps he might just be on to something. Hrm...It's the only logical conclusion Captain.

ManjiKengo reads DuneTiger reads Kotaku, seems pleased.

DO THEY WANT ME TO DO NOTHING?

kjcwashere

yashichi8bit

T6Spades

MechaTek

Porn movies exist, and most of the kids aren't allowed by their parents to look at these. GTA is the same, it's an adult game. Parents need to be aware that videogames aren't only that good old Mario. BTW they should know that porn games were made on the Atari 2600 so this isn't a new trend.

slimky

1: The Hot Coffee bullshit was hardly graphic. Unless he means it in the sense that it was sex between some graphics in a game. Everything back then was still kinda pointy... nowhere near the realistic graphics some new releases have lately.

2: Deceiving the ratings board and public about the content? IT'S CALLED GRAND THEFT AUTO! It's not Barney's Day At The Zoo. It's named after a fucking crime! There are guns on the front and back covers! IT'S CALLED GRAND THEFT AUTO!!! What do you expect from a game called that, honestly? Good, clean, wholesome family fun? If so, your children should be taken away in the first place because you're a complete idiot.

NinjaMarion

Children find ways no matter what, to get what they want, we were all there before when we were kids.. (unless you were a jock or goodie goodie)! When I was in high school some idiots whould buy us cigarettes for free and leave them on the corner curb, or a 40oz and say it's on them. Some wouldn't because they had warrants ha. Seriously though, that stuff is bad but how is it any worse than a game or a movie or history class when you first watch the "Holocaust." They will eventually obtain the information and goods they desire, just facts of the wants and needs of human beings.

A kid can go into any blockbuster and rent any game no matter what the rating, what's to stop them? The staff doesn't know about ALL the games... thats why renters got an "F".

And so what about hentai? I think every mom and pop store rents them out, kids can get them anytime no? They need better guidelines is my point.

MechaTek

jaiitup

I absolutely agree it is the responsibility of parents, but sadly, I think there are STILL alot of parents out there that just assume video games are for kids so they just "must" be kid friendly. Hopefully the bad publicity will at least educate these parents that there are alot of adult games made for adult gamers.

It's not even the games that bother me, because I think well adjusted children understand that it's a game. What really bothers me is all of the parents that let their kids use voice chat. IMO, it's no different from buying their child a ticket to see the most foul comedian you can think of, and dropping them off at the door. Then maybe, just for giggles, dropping them off at a self help meeting for pedophiles to make new friends. IMO, it's never responsible parenting to let you children talk to adult strangers over the internet.

robinandtami

VitFer2007

why am I even trying to explain this, metaly skewed people like jack Thompson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hillary Clinton, and other senators and politions I assume are getting paid big bucks to bad mouth video games and ban them...

you know something ban violent video games with all their guns, violence, and rape... but lets not ban movies with the same fucking content!

segamanxero

Ulquiorra Schiffer

VitFer2007

Playstation

Blake Ruff

DanteODiabo

Sorry folks, I just had that - "Stupid crybaby bastard all on the floor brawling for a chocolate bar while the parent does nothing" episode.

goldwings

Erwin

Mustakrakish

Blake Ruff

Maldron

We want parents to be responsible for what their children have access to, but we don't want them receiving help in knowing what to avoid? How ridiculously self-defeating is that?

I apologize if I interrupted the 'dumb politician iz out of touch!' fun.

Bishmon

LittleBigPlaneteer

TheExiledLeader

Thank goodness.

Evil Tortie's Mom

MechaTek

Why is it that people keep looking beyond the facts? Do they even KNOW the facts?

All these people listen to is hear-say. This prat probably never even looked at a screenshot and he's saying the ESRB is wrong for looking at a compilation video of a 40+ hour game?

I'm not a big fan of the rating systems worldwide. And i believe they should actually PLAY the games. But their ratings aren't very far off.

I have the same problems with movie ratings though. There's a bunch of people that get a list of all the fucks and all the sex and they base a rating on that. So what happens next is that i'm explaining to a Mother that Michael Clayton is too complicated for her 8 year old even though the rating is 6+. In other words they guy in the shop has to tell his customers that the ratings on the products he is selling are false. Now what kind of message does that give off?

All in all. If you're in politics and you don't know anything about something, don't give people your opinion of it.

Cchrist

Dear Senator,

We are aware it is an election year and probably a very important year for you. I'm touched by your desire to shelter those who shloud be sheltered from the evils that are brought on by pure stupidity. Unforntuanetly, the retard parents who do by the game for their children (1) Probably don't vote. (2) Don't know who the hell you are. (3) Won't ever hear about your 'warning' (4) Don't give a rat's ass what you say.

Your concern is noted, our publicity and propaganda teams will assissit you in making your concern seem valid and not politically motivated.

Senator, now that this issue has been dealt with. Please find a way to strenghten the U.S. dollar, lower gas prices, make college more affordable, find a GOOD solution for getting out of Iraq in a decent time, and find a cure for cancer.

Thank You,

Probably most kotaku.com readers

DanteODiabo

I guess it's comforting to know that by then, I'll be told by politicians exactly how to raise my children?

Inform the parents about what is in games. Never tell me how to raise my future children douche bags. Your hypocritical profession will never be my guideline for moral advice.

egyptomix

GT5 is realistic and I would have a problem with children playing it.

dnzperson

HawaiianActor

devilhunterx

-WPack911

WPack911

Nexus6

As much as we may hate to see the negative publicity, if it will make some of these parents aware of the filth and even possible danger they are exposing their kids to; ultimately it's a good thing.

robinandtami

P.S. Did anyone notice that he listed all of these websites to learn more about Grand Theft Auto IV, but never listed the actual Grand Theft Auto website?

enigma89

No Shit Sherlock!!

Jac21

Grey Gecko

As for having "a history of deceiving the ratings board and the public on the true content of their games" - well that's just mean!

dnzperson

Wikipedia:

"Although the "Hot Coffee" minigame was completely disabled and its existence was only highlighted after the mod's release for the PC version in June 9, 2005,[1] the assets for the minigame were also discovered in both the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of the game, and people found ways to enable the minigame via console video game hacking tools."

jonathan.

Maaxxx

No, Senator Yee is a hack. =P

DigitalHero

Janos2615

FP_slomo788

mind in rewind

scotty

poser85

FP_slomo788

Onegai

A HACK!

Why can't people understand.

And please. Video gaming =/= for kids. It's for everyone, so when an M game is out, let's stop acting like it's a ploy to get kids into violence.

It's just a fun escape for, you know, adults.

jonathan.

ghnvt

My tank was a quarter full and it still took me 42 dollars to fill it up today.

ViperTooth