CAOS Weekly Philosophy:How about some sexy HOT COFFEE!!

[Brad Nunnally]

I am sure that everyone is aware and knows the details about this summer’s big scandal dealing with Grand Theft Auto: San Adreas. Although the response to this subject is worth plenty of debate on its own. I want to ask a different question, one that I don't remember seeing being asked from anyone during the whole thing.

It is a fact that the code for the "sex game" was put into the source code of the game. Hence forth is just guess work though. My guess is they originally planned to put this thing in the original format of the game. At some point in development though they decided not to include it in the final product. We can only guess to way they left the code there. Here are a few of the top reasons I can think of. Some important aspect of the game was tied into that code and it would have taken too much time and money to redo it all. Or the deadline was approaching and some of the small stuff just got commented out so they could finish the main part of the game. They left it hidden hoping that someone would hack it and show it off giving them more press then they could ever hope for.

So here is the professionally ethical question, are any of these good reason for the leak? Is time and money a good enough reason to allow something this controversial to make it out the public? Should Rock Star games postponed the games release to go back and remove it if they weren't going to put in the final product? And as a side question, how many other games out there do you thing have some other "hidden" mini-games in them that are either finished or semi-finished?

"Informed decision-making comes from a long tradition of guessing and then blaming others for inadequate results."
Scott Adams

[Tyler]

I say it doesn't matter much anyway for two reasons

1)  I would be more concerned in the game with the shooting of cops and female prostitute brutality.

2)  If memory serves me, it already has the mature game rating meaning it will have adult themes in there so the bases are already covered.

[Bryan]

To me it just doesn't make sense that they would put the code in there in the first place.  It seems that in every company there are those at the top that are paid to worry about image.  Now you may say 'but it's GTA for god sakes!"  That doesnt' mean that it's free reign to have porn in a video game.  This is America and, until I'm made king of it :-P, the right wing christian movement has a WHOLE LOT of power.

As for Tyler's second comment MA is not the highest rating.   The highest rating by the ESRB is "A: Adults only 18+"  the game was originally rated "MA: Mature Audiences 17+"

 

[Tyler]

I guess my memory did not serve me.
 

[bill corcoran]

is it OK that they left that in?  yeah.  for whatever reason, pick one.  because they DIDN'T really leave it in.  you have to "break in" to it.

additionally, i'm going to have to agree with tyler here.  i can't believe the amount of attention this hidden animated sex feature has gotten.  yeah, it's rated MA: 17+, so what.  "Team America" was rated R, which is 17+, and it had loads more animated sex than GTA.

frankly, i find the illustrated consentual sex less offensive than the prostitution so cleverly hidden beneath the roof of a swaying car.  you know, the prostitute that you beat to death for her cash right after she gets out of the car?

sometimes we have a pretty fucked up idea of what is an acceptable form of "entertainment" (especially people who buy this for their kids).

i wonder if it would have gotten so much attention if they intentionally left it as a normal, playable part of the game right out of the box.  would people have just said, "oh, well, that's GTA for you"?

[Bryan]

True words Bill, true words.

[Tyler]

This breaks into a broader topic that pisses me off even more.

Nipplegate.

All these people got their panties in a bunch because we saw half of a breast at the halftime of a super bowl.  This causes a huge stir when CSI and shows like it show murders and rapes in every episode.  It makes you wonder what we are teaching our kids, when "natural" things such as the human body are more offensive than cold blooded murders and forced sexual relations.

God bless America.

[Bryan]

That's a can of worms I'm not sure we should open..especially in my presence..it's like mentioning the word "tenure" it's like throwing blood and chum to the sharks.  Personally I think you are absolutely right, it's a matter of teaching kids the truth and sheltering them from the things they should be sheltered from.

[WrexSoul]

I believe I read/heard somewhere that the official stance Rockstar took with the Hot Coffee mod was that, like you said, it would've taken too much time and money to take out the code and go through the entire testing process a second time.  I'm not entirely sure I believe that, but I do believe that's their story.

Also, the ESRB just flat out caved into pressure from the media to change the game's rating to AO, which by no means should they have.  People who praised the decision neglect to mention exactly what the difference between an M rated game and an AO rated game is.  This is straight from the ESRB's website.

MATURE
Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content, and/or strong language.

ADULTS ONLY
Titles rated AO (Adults Only) have content that should only be played by persons 18 years and older. Titles in this category may include prolonged scenes of intense violence and/or graphic sexual content and nudity.

That's right, a whole year.

The only difference between the two is the degree of the child unfriendly parts within the game.  The game wasn't designed for kids in the first place, so all this controversy is just a handful of Democrats (yes, liberals) trying to set themselves up with a better moral stance for the next elections.  And that's a little hard for me to point out since I lean left.

[Bryan]

Are you saying that liberals are to blame for the ruckis over the game ratings? I think it's more the right wing christian groups and uptight pricks on capital hill that are bitching about it more.  I'm about as bleeding heart liberal as you care to get and I think this whole "scandal" just makes our country look even worse.

[WrexSoul]

To blame?  In a way, they got all this started.  Don't forget that the ESRB was created because of the pressure applied to the game industry by Joe Lieberman and Herb Kohl, Democratic Senators from Connecticut and Wisconsin respectively.

And the two biggest political names in the Hot Coffee debate seem to be Dr. Leland Yee, a Democratic California State Assemblyman, and Hillary Clinton, a Democratic Senator from New York.  

[Matthew Thomas]

WrexSoul wrote:

MATURE
Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content, and/or strong language.

ADULTS ONLY
Titles rated AO (Adults Only) have content that should only be played by persons 18 years and older. Titles in this category may include prolonged scenes of intense violence and/or graphic sexual content and nudity.

That's right, a whole year.

bill wrote:

additionally, i'm going to have to agree with tyler here. i can't believe the amount of attention this hidden animated sex feature has gotten. yeah, it's rated MA: 17+, so what. "Team America" was rated R, which is 17+, and it had loads more animated sex than GTA.

Here's your problem. The general attitude in this country is that video games are for kids, movies are for adults. It doesn't matter how complicated, violent, graphic, etc. the subject is; games = kids, movies = adults. It may have been that way when 8-bit nintendo was out, but the times have changed. Until we get this through the thick-headed ignorance of the general public, you will always hear:

WE HAVE TO PROTECT THE CHILDREN PEOPLE!!!! PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!! FOR ONLY PENNIES A DAY, YOU CAN SAVE ONE!!!! WON'T SOMEONE PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!!

[WrexSoul]

Sad, but true.  We geeks tend to get the shaft in that regard.  Comics?  They're for kids.  Games?  Kids too.  Cartoons (more specifically anime)?  Of course they're for kids. >_>  We get no respect.