What about the gay sex scene on Mario Galaxy!?

CockroachMan

@Kokatu: Haha, thats how I feel about the guy getting squashed! And yeah, I've never been disturbed by a games content the way these people make it sound. If anything I'd have to give props to the people who made condemned because I cant play that game for more than 20 minutes without a looming feeling of horrible thoughts of things that can possibly happen to me in this world... urgh.

Desmondia

So where would the problem be is there was a rape scene in a video game? It's not like game or any fictional characters have rights and should be protected. There are rape scenes in books, comics, movies and theater. How come video games aren't allowed to address a this sort of thing is beyond me. This reminds me of people who are fighting against "child pornography manga", when their libraries are filled with Marquee De Sade and such. Why should we allow some forms of entertainment/art depict difficult matters and deny it from others?
(Sorry about bad English.)

Yukito

@Krondonian: SEE? Totally.

Now I don't have the evidence to support my claims, but I am totally going to the FEDERAL LEVEL tomorrow and I will propose a complete and total ban on the Bible. DRASTIC ACTION MUST BE TAKEN because I got the idea in my head from the internet that the Bible has rape in it and that Jesus was the rapist.

IT'S INDECENT FOR THIS MATERIAL TO BE EXPOSED TO CHILDREN! FAR BE IT FROM ME TO TAKE THE BOOK AWAY FROM THE LITTLE SHITS AND PUT UP ON A SHELF WHERE THEY CAN'T GET AT IT, YOU KNOW?

Atheist Jew

She's pretty hot. I'm sad to see she's just as stupid as every other politician.

Sollus

good luck proving a negative. let me know how it goes please.

kortcomponent

the only hint of it is if you keep the hooker in the car but your just looping the paid service over and over again.

dadeisvenm

Down with the tyrrany! Tho seriously, get her out of office, i dont care what her past achievements were, shes obviously not very good with handling progression into the digital age.

Pbombas

I wish someone had warned me that Gayle Slossberg is prone to public nudity and giving drugs to children. I feel she should have to go door to door, warning everyone in her neighborhood unless she can prove she doesn't have a predilection for such acts.

psymunn

I guess she's going for the "Absence of proof is not proof of absence" approach?

The Grey Ghost

So is she the new Jack Thomson then? Maybe she'll get an indictment or something.

Emperor_Guam

.....there are no words

EmeraldDragon

@Wolfrider31: The way I see it, Rockstar is laughing all the way to the bank. Claiming GTA IV has a "rape scene" in it isn't going to prevent anyone from buying the game who was planning to beforehand (except, loluninformedparents, who let's face it, aren't going to stop a half-intelligent kid from playing the game anyway). It's called Grand Theft Auto, and it has a reputation for killing hookers and cops. People who claim the moral high ground aren't exactly their target audience.

Controversy breeds interest. The worst thing that could happen to them is if everyone just forgot about their game and let it fade into the background. Hell, I'm surprised publishers aren't paying marketing firms to come up with this.

HfAsianInvasion

I guess she needed some publicity.

HoxtonHero

@TOWER_JUNKIE: If you've ever worked a clerk sort of job, just think about those really annoying fucking idiot customers that seemed to drop down from another planet.

I used to work at gas stations for a significant while. Most people will come in, get gas, pay and leave. Some people will actually take time to talk to you and be really nice people. Every once and awhile, you get some asshole who'll drive on the lot, and start yelling at you, YOU the clerk, for making gasoline so fucking expensive.

Those same jerks then go to work and waste time in parliament (or congress or what have you...) pissing all over companies and making them jump through hoops to prove they aren't selling cocaine to kindergarteners. It's a mad, mad, mad, mad world....

PlayerX

@Owen Good: Someone should send her this one instead. She'd probably try to use it to support her case.

[achievements.schrankmonster.de]

Americo

@Desmondia:
I think it's because movies aren't interactive. But whenever I see Hostel or another Eli Rothy flick, I always think "Have these anti game people seen what goes on in these movies?" In any case, I've never been disturbed by a game's content, except for the original Prince of Persia when you get cut in half by those blades. That scared the shit out of me when I was little.

Kokatu

I love stuff like this, watching politicians making dumb asses of themselves. Its crazy what people will do for attention these days, they'll probably attack Mario for turtle abuse next.

Gillian Seed

@Pbombas: They're all a load of hyporisists, liberal or conservative.
What a hyporisist is, nobody knows. But we all know they are.
And everybody knows a few individuals are completely representative of all political groups.
For example, I once met a catholic that was pro-choice. Now, despite the obvious fact that it's simply not true, I believe Catholics are all pro-choice.

Arsenicberyllium

@Mike918: No, because you'll have to prove to her that her dignity doesn't exist. She'd like to find it on her own, but she lacks the skills to make it far enough to see where it is.

wild homes has particularly attractive fries today

@Nobuyuki: I got point AND an extra life.

PlayerX

The only rape here is the media raping the reputation of video games. :(

MetaKz

She should better look for her dignity.

Mike918

@Altima NEO:
Yeah there are. It's just that nobody knows about them. I'm not even being sarcastic. I can point to them in San Andreas, but I don't know about GTAIV

Kokatu

@drunkentyger: I think that the ! sound should be integrated more into real life. It's why it is my text message noise.

This kind of logical fallacy just shows a general lack of understanding and a lack of wanting to understand the industry and how the mechanics of individual games work. And there's nothing wrong with that, except that she's making these assertions, then pulling back on the Negative Proof fallacy in order to shield herself from that fact.

There's always going to be this disconnect between popular media and politics, because it's easy to attack. We just need to have the right people out there to respond, like the ESA does, to make sure it doesn't ever become a national policy.

nick.soapdish

@Atheist Jew: Funny fact: Google 'Jesus Rape' and you get 5 300 000 hits. They can't ALL be wrong!

Krondonian

@kylenalepa: I agree. It is funny, but it's definitely something we all read about way too often. There is a ridiculous amount of films that have tons of graphic sex (brown bunny has a fucking full blow job) and intense and graphic violence, like the guy getting flattened in Roger Rabbit! (I don't know about you guys but that always left me a bit squirmy afterwards even though it wasn't so bad) Seriously though, we do need to put an end to this, I know tons and tons of kids under the age of 18 who sneak into movies all the time that are definitely not for them, but everyone seems to think the problem doesnt lie there, but instead in the sale of mature games to younger kids. And to be honest, having worked at a gamestop, we all were pretty on the ball with not selling those games to children without parents being there and saying it was alright, and even then we often warned them beforehand. It's hypocracy at its best.

Desmondia

or that Jesus rapes Judas. DAMN IT.

Atheist Jew

Someone should inform her of the rape simulator in this game.

Americo

Yeah...how is it this people are allowed to make public statements about things they've never encountered before, and that they're still taken seriously?

I've got a good one. I've never read the Bible, and I never intend to, but you know that guy, Jesus? I'm pretty sure at some point he rapes Judas. THINK ABOUT IT! It's the Bible, right? I mean, Judas betrayed Jesus for SOMETHING, yes?

Jesus raped Judas, Judas "betrayed" Jesus, Jesus gets crucified by the local Romans, who weren't too big on rape at the time (or maybe they were). So, I demand someone prove to me that somewhere in the Bible it does not show that Judas rapes Jesus. And you have to prove it to me in a way which absolves me from all responsibility of actually reading the Bible myself, because I'm a busy man and don't have the time for kid stuff.

Atheist Jew

Let's just pray that she never gets her hands on The Witcher... although I must profess that I wouldn't mind collecting a card for tapping her. ;)

Pezdispenser

It's really sad that people will believe this shit immediately and have a knee-jerk reaction instead of, you know, researching it? They wouldn't leap into some crusade without even a little research if it were anything else besides video games.

MPSai

Seriously?

Seriously?

...

Seriously??

For one thing, GTA doesnt even have a "points" system. What is this, the 80's?

Second, where does she get such a crazy idea? Its like shes just whoring for attention at this po...

ooooohh...

Altima NEO

Kind of off topic, but whats the difference between a Senator and a Congressman?

drunkentyger

Sentors these days think they have more power than they actually do, and thats saying a lot in the face of the Bush administration, which honestly, i think is lately has been a lot less "over-stepping" than the Senate, especially New York congressmen wtf is with them and video game censorship!?! Has this Senator in question forgotten the very basis of "making-claims" that the U.S. court system is even based on? Accusers always have to provide the evidence! She makes a claim that there is a rape scene, and then tells others to confirm for her that there is not? Thats seriously ridiculous! She gets the evidence or drops her bullshit claims! Down with the tyrrany! (damn i wish some1 would raid all these anti-violent videogame/anti-progression in enternatiment congressmen like it was 1776.
1 last note, surprisingly, most congressmen who want censorship in games dont even come from areas in the deep south which are notorious for being conservative, but rather the supposed liberal northeast! O the hyporisy!

Pbombas

On a serious note, at what point did the burden of proof become the responsibility of those defending themselves against these sorts of outrageous claims? I know it's "in" to complain about the rape in GTA4, the explicit lesbian sex in Mass Effect, the rampant homosexuality in Bully, the bold-faced racism in Resident Evil 5, the graphic sex in GTA: San Andreas, and so forth, but as a community, we need to step up and make it clear that this sort of massive incompetence on the part of reporters, politicians, and activists will no longer be allowed.

Too bad the ESA seems to be too spineless to do anything worthwhile about it, although the number of companies jumping ship from the organization seems to indicate that they're barely able to keep themselves together, much less take a proactive approach to one of the biggest problems facing the industry today.

kylenalepa

@wild homes has particularly attractive fries today: That's awesome! *looks CliffyB's way*

Americo

@Owen Good: Shucks, cheers.

I was going for the witty take on her obviously flawed logic, but it seems many beat me to the punch.

I love these threads for the gratuitous sarcasm and mockery of such ill-conceived actions by people who really should know better.

@Nobuyuki, Philudo, wild homes has particularly attractive fries today, Trym, Desmondia, Arsenicberyllium, aphex242, itscomplicated: I laughed hard at all of your comments, in particular.

Krondonian

Wouldn't it make sense to confirm there is a rape scene in the game?

twesterms 2nd

Great, this woman will never be able to show her sideboobs or release a book on Amazon.

PsycheE

I wonder if she saw that kidnap mission. I suppose it COULD be seen as a bit extreme. Perhaps she thought it's implied that Niko and Patrick rape her.

ExistentialEgg

@Gitaroo_Dude: Sure, if that's the way you want to look at what I said. Here, ill add something to that: "or house-husbands"

Desmondia

@NeVeRMoRe666:

-Go to Roman, date him and take him home.

Oh I forgot to add, don't forget to sue Rockstar...

NeVeRMoRe666

Watch next you'll see PETA trying to get some facts that animal abuse is in Zelda games.

Seeing how you just hurt chickens and such.

MellowJade

@Arsenicberyllium:
Oh, yeah I forgot. Silly me.

But anyway, this woman seem to be playing the "you can't prove a universal negative" card. Problem is, in this case, you can. I wonder if she realizes it.

Kokatu

@wild homes has particularly attractive fries today: Here, even. My English is not strong.

wild homes has particularly attractive fries today

It's on the third level, you know the one with the tightened graphics.

Also, man oh man foxy lawyer.

hermes520

@el.sand.bag: Hey. We still need to treat people with respect. Or else you'll be out of her but quick.

wild homes has particularly attractive fries today

I think we are all missing the most important issue at hand here...

Does she like flowers or chocolates for a first date?

Bowlynee41x

The burden of proof has always been, and should always be, on the accuser, not the accused. Fucking dumb bitch. Who voted for this whore?

el.sand.bag

There is a rape scene. All you need is a moded system to play the tainted disk on, download a hack off of a hidden torrent website, install it into your system, enter the neccessary codes to make it work, and viola!

Install:

- Backup your data/script/main.scm and data/script/script.img files
- Replace the original main.scm and script.img files with the versions in the archive
- Start a new game (old savefile will no longer work)
- Go to one of your girlfriends, date her and take her home

Anyone can become a rapist. It's that easy. And the achievement points you get for it phew!

NeVeRMoRe666

@Desmondia:

Jesus, was it necessary to bring sexism into the discussion too?

*sigh*

Gamers these days...

Gitaroo_Dude

@LedRush: It's the confusion caused by the Religious Right Republicans being so vocal that people start to think republican == fundamentalist religious person

RE: Senator Sloshedberg (ha! see what i did there!?)

I think she's confusing the night she and her lover participated in rape-fantasy orgies with the night she watched him play GTAIV for 6 hours straight. What is that you say Slothburg, you don't participate in rape-fantasy sex? PROVE IT!

kidko

That was how I got my initials on the high score list.

kidnicky

@dalejrfanfreak: @LedRush: I appreciate both of your enthusiasms, but its about equal when it comes to any of this kind of stuff. I think it's basically when you got a woman in power or a man who has no control over the woman in his life they tend to try and control the one thing that they feel is the cause of all their troubles: Video games. I mean is it just me or does it seriously seem sometimes like the majority (all) of these politicians against these games just have nothing better to do or want to get some notoriety among the stay-at-home moms that pull the same kind of shit in their PTA meetings?

Desmondia

i would also like "confirmation" that there are no unicorns in the game.

the_answer

@Kokatu: Why, no. Of course not. Because obviously none of us are trying to decompile the source code in order to get illegal PC copies of the game.
Because that, along with bit torrents, are illegal!
[www-personal.arts.usyd.edu.au]

Arsenicberyllium

Alright guys, heres what actually happened:

Connecticut senator heard from her kids playing the game via online mode:

"Oh man! I just raped the sh*t out of that guy!" and "I can't believe it! He's raping everyone!"

*INSERT METAL GEAR SOLID "!" SOUND*

And so begins our story...

drunkentyger

@Wolfrider31: Last I checked. I've been wondering this for a while now about R* since people so frequently say shit like this about GTA. Maybe they know this sort of rhetoric in the end nets them more sales so there's no reason to go after it?

Cloral

I hear she eats babies, and will continue to believe that fact until I am provided evidence that, in fact, she has never eaten a baby.

Yay for dimwit logic!

aphex242

Can somebody just send her the source code?

Kokatu

Vote for Ron Paul so you can have your games encrusted in 24 karat gold.

Gitaroo_Dude

@wild homes has particularly attractive fries today:

Pure Win

bkchurch

@itscomplicated: +1 for that one too.

Owen Good

How exactly do you prove that a 100 + hour game does not contain a certain type of content?

You would have to play the entire game. There is no *not rape scene* that can be shown to show it doesn't contain the content. I am more appalled at this ladies attempt at logic than I am he actions.

LORDofDANCE

@Krondonian: +1 with a bullet

Owen Good

She's not a real senator, she's a state senator. Nothing to see here, move along.

MeanMF

@slomo788: Classy.

futurebiblehero

Someone take a screenshot of this and email it to her:

[achievements.schrankmonster.de]

Wait, on second thought, don't.

Owen Good

I'm surprised she doesn't have a problem with the euthanasia room in NintenDogs.

itscomplicated

@LedRush: Please don't start this political bullshit. I'm aware that this is a politically based thread and argument, but we're focusing on the merits behind the game and her arguments, not the merits of Republicans VS Democrats.

Arsenicberyllium

Gotta love Democrats and their irrational hate for games, they are actually worse than the Republicans in this matter

z0phi3l

The rape scene is on level 12.

To access it you need to have at least three lives left.

But it's worth it, just to get those bonus points that Slossberg mentions (and a place on the high-score chart).

Marlor

Maybe it's just me, but I can never get more than 500 points in GTA IV before I lose all of my lives and have to restart the game.

Man, they should figure out a way to "save" your progress, eliminate the lives system, and make it so there are no points to earn, just a story and game to play.

Arsenicberyllium

@Stratovarius:

/agree

EnigmaNemesis

@dalejrfanfreak:

That's because, despite the propoganda, it's usually democrats who want to curb individual freedoms, not republicans.

LedRush

I would like confirmation that there is no genocide in Super Mario Party 8.

If Nintendo doesn't inform me of what content isn't in their games, how am I supposed to know what's not in it?

I think a better labeling system is in order.

Krondonian

She wants people to prove a negative?
Way to fail science.

Sheogorath

@Kokatu: Yeah we'll have a cs tournament with her.

Bendable101

No, guys, its right after the scene where you gut a baby.

Desmondia

I just love these stories for their playful takes on the title of the game. Grand Theft Morals this time. Catchy.

kosikutioner

How does one prove that something doesn't exist?

romBox

I love the logic is asking people to 'prove' a negative.

I'd like her to prove definitively she is not a serial child murderer.

Trym

How about this, ma'am, if there was in fact a rape scene in Grand Theft Auto IV, or any video game (but especially that one) - A) we would have heard about it by now and B) it would be the subject of efforts by people a hell of a lot more influential than a state senator.

So if that doesn't trip your bullshit radar that this is a load of crap, lady ... This isn't Watergate. There isn't some major scandal that's going to be uncovered by a politician in the double A leagues.

Owen Good

The makers of some game-- Saint's Row 2, maybe-- ought to make an achievement and call it Unlock the Hidden Rape Simulator-- which of course DOESN'T REALLY EXIST-- and have the achievement trigger whenever you save for the first time, or something. So the media would pick up on it, and someone would see that like, fucking everybody on LIVE have it, and Fox News and all of Congress would explode in a ball of censor-sweat.

That would be good.

wild homes has particularly attractive fries today

@darkchord: Is there a single mission in GTA4 where you get points?

I think the Senator mistook a virtual world for her fantasy world.

slomo788

It's funny how a lot of people hate Republicans but it's almost always a Democrat going after video games.

dalejrfanfreak

@Nobuyuki:
Dude, that gets a nomination. I laughed so hard.

Anyway, she's basically just proving that not only is she dumb, but that she also sucks at games.

Kokatu

@Nobuyuki: Wait isn't that the one where you get like 1000 Gamerpoints? That achievement was pimp.

Thassodar

At least the paper got it right!

LedRush

How is she related to Sheila Broflovski?

slomo788

Why are politicians so clueless when it comes to video games?

TOWER_JUNKIE

If anyone here knows the law, isn't there someway Rockstar can take legal action against her? Libelous and demonstrably untrue claims that may lead to a damaged business and lost profits must be illegal, no?

Wolfrider31

LOL...slossberg

Bendable101

Wait... she wants proof that doesn't exist?

I hate people.

Stratovarius

She's purdy...

Blind_Evil

Slossberg likes to play GTA wile doing drugs.

I have no idea if this is true, but if she isn't going to fact check, then neither am I.

nayh nayh nayh naaayyh naayhhnnn

darkchord

@Nobuyuki: Isn't that the mission right before you disguise yourself as a high school student, and shoot up all your classmates, and hold the principal hostage?

mackincheese

lol...gayle

Bendable101

she was convinced she'd find it... face say hello to palm.

is there a new rule to speak without knowing what the hell you're talking about? did i miss a meeting?

pasquinelli

everytime you thrust you gain 1000 points, i swear!

pandafresh

That's an interpretation of burden of proof.

frostcircus

You have to enter in the super secret mode from the pause screen. Up, down, down, kneejerk + A.

Philudo

Now I have to pick up GTA4 when I go for that refurbished 60GB and MGS4 (to compensate for the lack of Bundles now-a-days).

AntiZERØ

Oh man, you guys totally missed the rape scene. You get like a million points for it too.

Nobuyuki

Come on lady! it's not Mass Effect.. JEEZE!!!

SAGA

wow, this is the smartest woman EVER! she has figured out how to get taxpayers to pay her to play GTA4!

perfectoon_0901

Hmm, I think I'll have to defend her a bit on this here.

Firstly, there's a big problem with Kotaku's reporting here. For example, we have 'confirmation' in quotes here, but in fact, in the link to article, there is absolutely no quoting from her at all. So nowhere in this do we have her own words to refer to, only what others have paraphrased her as saying. In the linked to article, there's some obvious exaggeration of her words taking place.

Secondly, she isn't calling for a ban, but for clearer labelling. So, guys, scale down the tyranny comparisons here, until we actually have specifics regarding her proposals on this. There is some room for reasonable improvements in videogame content labelling. The linked article is very misleading when it characterises her as 'pushing for restrictions on the federal level'.

Thirdly, there's a difference between asking for proof, and asking for confirmation, in that proof suggests a strong skepticism, and confirmation suggests an attitude of confusion, with the hope for information from a more reliable source. (than, say, random commenters on a gaming blog) A word from the games developer would likely satisfy 'confirmation'.

FhnuZoag

that's ridiculous from a legal standpoint, the burden of proof rests squarely on the accuser not the other way around, if she can't prove anything occurred than there is no basis for her law which Rockstar would contest and hopefully get overturned...

El_Cody

@kidko: I couldn't agree more.

LedRush

@The Grey Ghost:

What?

DarkTetsuya

Still doesn't beat the rape scenes in Mass Effect.

Majpain007

@Arsenicberyllium: If you think that an attack on our personal freedoms and the constitution is bullshit...ok. I was merely responding to a valid observation from another poster. Both parties have serious deficiencies and candidates should be judged individually. However, more often than not, one specific group is demonized while the evils of the other are ignored. If we, as gamers, want to be taken seriously and protect ourselves, we better become more politically savy than we are.

LedRush

How in God's name do you prove that rape ISN'T in GTAIV. You could send her an unedited video of a full playthrough of the story and she'd argue it was some mode you never did.

What a blathering idiot.

TRT-X

Speaking as a concerned northerly neighbour, um, aren't you Americans just slightly alarmed that even your senior legislators don't understand due process?

If it doesn't, please let me know now so I can pre-order the extra-tall fencing and barbed wire.

-- Steve

Anton P. Nym

Dear Senator Slossberg,

I think your severe case of Rectal-Cranial Introversion Syndrome is causing you to misunderstand how arguments work. See, if you have an argument you must provide the foundation to it yourself. The ones who are on defense may provide a counterpoint, but it is not their prerogative to validate your argument or provide a foundation to it. Therefore, I humbly request that you either A) put up or B) shut up.

Best Wishes,
[天]

天雷

IF gta4 had a rape scene i might like it more

Gypse-scum

LOL just show an image of screen from the game.. That's the scene where the rape didnt happen.

stargateheaven

i'm from CT and i love the state, but this is just absolutely embarrassing.

FlapDangerous

Im pretty sure she does coke and seduces 10 year old children. I want her to prove that she doesn't before i dismiss these allegations.

deathtastic

Her home phone # is on her website oh snap

Sentouki

I think there was a story mission related to rape in the game that got cut.

I'm guessing it was something to do with Dwayne getting raped in prison, which would explain his depression.

The mission was Niko getting revenge on the rapist on behalf of Dwayne.

I'm sure there was a previous story here about the ESRB and rape involving GTA4 a few months back.

Grave of the Fireflies

@FhnuZoag: I think some comments are over the top, but what she was saying was ludicrous enough to warrant this, in my opinion.

While Rockstar informing her of the absence of any form of Rape scene in the game would be nice, it should have been she who did her research beforehand; before making such comments. It is not as if such information is difficult to obtain with such a big title as GTA IV.

@Yukito: With the exception of one letter ('is' should have been 'if') your English was flawless. You make a very good point, that I've often wondered myself.

It's the instant reaction to groan and sigh when people make ridiculous, incorrect assumptions about game content to just point of out they're wrong.

In America, the certification of games isn't legally binding, more a guide. I for one see this as a bad thing, which prevents games getting similar content to films without uproar.

If Mass Effect contained Virtual Orgasmic Rape, yet was rated 18...why should there be an uproar? If GTA contained a scene of rape...why should that be so bad?

Unless the developers handle it in a glorifying, or positive manner (which they wouldn't be stupid enough to) such topics should be allowed in games without retribution.

Krondonian

I hear you get points for taking candy from babies too.

GyrFal

WHy am I consistently embrassed by and of my government. They missed something in my civic/history lessons in high school for sure. :(

Foxfingers

@dadeisvenm: what?

On a lighter note, Senator looks like a hottie.

b0ogie

Is there any chance Slossberg was dreaming and in reality that never happened. I guess not seeing as the high and mighty Slossberg just spoke and we don't want to get her angry. Seeing as she might just think up a way to help get Duke Nukem Forever out next too.

BlackIceJoe

Oh yeah, and what the hell is the bottom of that article about anyway?

Kokatu

The only thing this is raping is my sense of patience.

KM91

What about the rape scene in Survivor (the TV show)? I saw 20 seconds of it while flipping channels and there has to be a rape scene on it, I just couldn't stomach it long enough to find it.

Someone needs to pass legislation to get these crappy reality shows off the air, it is making my child think that washed-up slutty actresses and heiresses stumbling their way through life retarded and drunk is "reality". And there isn't even any warning labels!

saigumi

@FhnuZoag:
I think they were quoting the article, which was not quoting her. Still, that's some iffy reporting. Technically, Kotaku didn't say ban, and commenters just said it themselves. But good catch.

Kokatu

@Yukito:
It's because video games are still considered to be a children's toy by politicians and other people who are very far removed from the culture. Also, it's not just video games they have a problem with. The same people who bash games would just as soon go after movies and books if not for the fact that the majority of people on earth would call them paranoid idiots. The problem is, video games are still not a main stream phenomenon. And even if they are, it hasn't become apparent to most people in the media and in politics yet(which I find ironic because these people should be paying very close attention to what the general public is doing, considering they inform/govern the general public).
But the reason so many people get pissed about "explicit" content in video games is because they are worried about the children(at least this is what they say in order to unjustifiably persecute something that they don't understand). But if you ask me, a little virtual orgasmic rape might be good for the kids. Look some of the proponents for anti video game/pornography/gay rights related crusades. One was involved in a high profile prostitution ring, another solicited congressional pages over the internet, another adopted a "wide stance" in a public bathroom(then tried to get out of it using racist remarks), and another went on a tirade against homosexuality while fucking a male prostitute. I think if these guys were exposed to a little virtual orgasmic rape when they were kids, they might have got it all out of their systems.

Kokatu

@frostcircus: I'd say more accurately that she's shifting the burden of proof. Don't ask for gamers to prove that it's not in the game, you need to prove that it is... which it's not.

tehflyingwombat

We haven't really acquitted ourselves very well, here. Most people have been pretty reasonable, or have done well to take the whole thing lightly-- to simply laugh it off, because it absolutely IS ridiculous. Nothing will come of it, except possibly for a little coverage on Fake News or the Glenn Beck hour or whatever. So it's because of just that-- the absolutely PREPOSTEROUS nature of the story-- that the more disgusting comments in this thread are all the more abhorrent. Do any of you (and mind, this doesn't apply to most of us, just to the idiots) really think it's OK to call this woman a whore? A bitch? I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest this woman might be older than a lot of you-- did your parents raise you to think it was OK to talk shit about your elders, even when they're wrong, possibly even clueless? The neat thing about what this woman does for a living is that she has to follow rules. She can't just go and outlaw whatever she wants, or create new holidays for random crap-- there are procedures for doing things. I just wish there were procedures around here to stop some of you from being douchebags whenever gaming comes under fire-- even if the fire is coming from a completely confused congresswoman with an idea powerful as a Nerf gun.

wild homes has particularly attractive fries today

Slossberg, David & Gayle
14 Honeysuckle Ln
Milford, CT 06461-1671
(203) 878-6412

CultofMac

Hey all:
Send a letter of polite chastisement to this woman. Mail it to:

Slossberg, David & Gayle
14 Honeysuckle Ln
Milford, CT 06461-1671
(203) 878-6412

Or just give 'em a ring and tell her she's a tool. But be nice.

CultofMac

POLITICALLY:

There are things...things that are so preposterous, they fail mentioning.

This should be one of those things. I don't see the point of reporting a poor CT senator's abhorrent stupidity when we could be focusing on much cooler things, like JT's continuing downward spiral or upcoming games.

But no, we have to wade through drivel like this. Short paraphrases from a woman who has obviously never touched a video game in her life. "Slossberg hints she'll nonetheless introduce legislation next session calling for clearer labeling of depraved video games like Grand Theft Auto...Slossberg's a bit unsure of how the warning labels might read: "I mean what would it say? 'This game will make you a sociopath'?""

The only direct quote from her in the article shows us her stance. She is ignorant of video games and has only listened to her fellow "lawmakers" when considering the topic of video games. She apparently hasn't even seen a real game box before since they have quite explicit game descriptors on the back and a big fat obviously important rating in bold on the front. Since when did the MPAA get in trouble for putting the rating and descriptors of a movie at the bottom of the back of a DVD jewel case in hard to read fonts and colors? I don't see senators clamoring over the lack of descriptors for unrated movies either.

Here's the ultimate truth on this bull:

Until there are politicians born during or after the first/second video game booms in office, video games will not get a fair consideration in national politics. They just won't. So that means we have at least another decade or two before we see competent video game players in office.

For now, we'll just have to enjoy the inane ranting of people without clues.

tlozwarlock

All you women and your oh-my-gosh-a-grand-theft-auto-game-must-be-banned syndrome is pissing me off. If you don't like the game don't buy it. Stay in your own affairs and let the people who want to play it play it. Rockstar won't stop so get used to it. The produce a game, have a rating slapped on and it sells. If you don't like what may or may not be in the game then don't play it. Jeez lady get a life.

n1n3CAL

@天雷: YES. Well said!

PlayerX

Yeah... no. It doesn't work like that. That's so backasswards.

Mister Adequate

The only rape in GTA4 is that of the rating system with all those reviewers giving that borefest perfect scores!

Thank you! I'll be here all week!

AlKusanagi

that senator must be sniffing the same glue as with Jack Thompson..

I want some of that glue please.

Tychonius

Is it a virtual interplanetary orgasmic rape scene?

DugDawg

@Pete193: Then you're not innocent. Is she wrong? Absolutely. Does she deserve to have her argument torn to pieces? Until it's tattered and broken. Does she, as a person, deserve to be lambasted? No. Does she deserve to suffer? Dear god no. And anyone who thinks she does, well, we have a word for people who think that such things warrant suffering; fascists.

Horrifying insensitive people aside, I just e-mailed her with this;

Senator Slossberg,

I recently learned of your concern over the videogame for the PlayStation 3 and XBox 360, Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA IV), by way of the website Kotaku ([kotaku.com]) and felt it incumbent upon me to contact you over the matter.

GTA IV is, without question, a violent, coarse videogame explicitly intended for adults. There is an entirely legitimate debate to be had about it, and its place in society, relationship to children, and so forth. This is doubly true due to the fact that GTA IV is a videogame, gaming being a massive, but very young and immature mode of artistic expression. However, this debate must be held based on the facts and realities of the games, not on speculation and rumor.

Having played GTA IV through to completition, I can assure you that no rape scene exists in the game, either explicitly or implied. At no point does the player assume the role of rapist, nor do they act as voyeur to a rape. Indeed, only two games ever released in America have contained rape, the universally panned Custer's Revenge (1982), widely regarded as one of the most tasteless and atrocious games ever made, and Phantasmagoria (1995), which was a horror game featuring a non-interactive scene generally considered to constitute rape, although some interpret the scene in a different manner. It was not a graphic scene. At any rate, compare the number of videogames containing rape scenes with books and movies containing rape. Videogame ratings are actually better enforced than movie or music ratings are. Indeed, an employee of retail stores such as GameStop faces firing if they sell a game to someone under the recommended age.

Finally it is entirely contrary to logic to ask for the nonexistence of something to be proven; this is akin to demanding that a defendant in a criminal case prove their innocence, rather than the accuser prove their guilt. Clearly this is unreasonable, and I do not believe it a sensible or fair basis for investigating any matter.

As I noted earlier, it is important and legitimate to debate videogames, how they are treated, their relationship to vulnerable members of society, and so forth. This is a debate necessary not only for society, but for the medium itself, which must understand itself better if it is to continue to grow as an artistic medium as well as a commercial industry. However, this debate must be grounded in facts, not conjecture, misinformation, or political objectives.

Thank you for your time,
Huxley Hobbes

Mister Adequate

@wild homes has particularly attractive fries today:

you are lame. get off your high horse loser.

and yes she is a bitch. if she was a guy we'd call him a dick, like JT.

she stirs shit up about things she knows nothing about, just to get attention and get reelected, hounding innocent gamers. i hope bad things happen to her.

Pete193

Luckily, most media is still oblivious to Illusionsoft games. which DOES contain rape and stalking.

pnoy.otaku

Uh oh, she going to hear from the internetz about that statement. It sure to make her Inbox eS-plode

yashichi8bit

Shes kinda hot.

Kenny

Oh I love the rape points in GTAIV but it's so hard to spot them /sarcasm

Garo

i miss the days when adults were worried about rap and dungeons and dragons and left my fucking video games alone.

kitenai

The only raping that went on with this game was that I paid $60 for it.

goodridd

New achievement for the next game: Consensual Coffee

D00mM4r1n3

And here we go another round of "I have no idea what im talking about because im an idiot". there should be a law passed showing that people should provide hard prove if they are gonna point there finger and make false accusations towards games. I suggest an idiot rating... Like this senator for example, i Rate her R for Retarded.

Nate00

Remember you voted these people into office America.

GreyFoxV1

Man, I'd fill her out like a petition to stop all the silly unconstitutional attempts at anti-gaming legislation.

Do ya s'pose she could disprove taking it in the butt on a regular basis? I mean just look at her. You can just tell she does, so it must be true, right? mmm-hmm.

Vipre77

Its weird, because there...aren't points. This is like when someone tries to prove something, or asks "Why?" the other people simply ask "Why not?". It just doesn't add up. Instead of her proving that something does exist, we all need to prove that it doesn't exist.

Talleh

@Mister Adequate: you just doomed Kotaku.

Run for your lives Kotaku! Men in black suits will be knocking on your door shortly.

drunkentyger

@kitenai: Here here! I second that. Except I play (or used to, at least) D&D, too... Leave my games alone, period!

God, I hate politicians.

"I drink. And I drive. I'm the only one who gets out of my car alive! Ted Kennedy!" --Denis Leary

Vipre77

@GreyFoxV1: The problem is all politicians have the same mentality. None of the candidates are ever "good" choices. Every election, we are left with trying to choose between the lesser of two (or more) evils. Our bi-partisan government leads members of the opposing parties by the nose. If they don't preach the ideals of the party, they lose favor with the herd and with it, campaign financing. The candidates that have the most money to get their face in front of the public have the best odds of winning elections. It's really that simple and that's why Independents and members of smaller parties such as the Libertarians have almost no shot at winning. With less money to go campaigning, the people know nothing about the candidate's beliefs and so they feel voting for someone they know nothing about is a "wasted" vote. Instead, they cast their votes for someone else with whom they maybe don't agree on everything simply because they're more familiar with the candidate.

The people that would generally make "good" politicians are those that lean somewhere in the middle-ground of the extreme ideals of the two parties. These people sometimes run as Independents or as members of smaller parties such as the Libertarians. These candidates generally aren't successful because it's much more difficult to raise money to promote awareness of their views. They often don't get invited to debates with other candidates. They just don't get the exposure the public needs to make an informed decision. Beyond that, many people that would be a "good" candidate have no personal interest in becoming politicians because it would mean giving up their current careers or putting them indefinitely on hold.

I mean, how many engineers or doctors do you know that would give up their jobs to run for public office? If they got the job, great, but what happens if the office has limits on how long they can serve or if they get voted out a few years down the road? It's very hard to go back to doing your old job if you've been away from it for a few years. It could mean the end of your career.

I didn't waste those years in engineering school to change gears by becoming a politician and then not be able to get back into engineering 10 years down the road when I'm no longer in office and now I've forgotten everything I learned in school. Or technology has surpassed my knowledge level because I haven't been keeping up to speed. It's career suicide. Once you go down the politician career path, you're basically stuck there.

Vipre77

Great, just what we need: Another fanatic politician putting videogames on a witch hunt because school attendance and test scores are down in her state.

Hey lady, get a clue. Better yet, get some skillz to play GTA IV and find your alleged rape scene before you make a fool of yourself.

banana_ridah

Ok,
First of all I've actually slogged my way through most of these comments.
You know what pisses me off the most?
It's not the people who antagonize and call names.

It's the people on here who are telling me that I need to respect this idiot. Someone actually said we need to respect her because she is a person. WTF?!

So all people are deserving of respect? You sound like the brainwashed morons who believe all cultures are equal.

What happened? Did Kotaku start recruiting commenters from some fucking new age/multicultural/we are the world cult?

Heywoodjabloume

Looks like someone is trying to make a name for herself! I really wish these "Senators" would spend their time on more important matters like education, health care, crime, you know, the important stuff.

KagaSakai

I think the fact that she thought you get "points" at all gave away that she didn't know shit about GTA.

SuperStingray

A gamer senator looking for an excuse to sit around and play Grand Theft Auto IV.

I like this woman.

TempestOblivion

Oh god, I just noticed her HOME PHONE is listed on there. Anonymous should call her and threaten to blow up a stadium or something.

Rob Phelps

That 'hot' image of her linked? Yeah, it's like 10 years old, watch her video on her website.

[senatedems.ct.gov]

Rob Phelps

@Atheist Jew:

regarding the bible, it has a scene in it where a man gives shelter to some travelling strangers.

a mob shows up wanting to gain carnal knowledge of the strangers.

the man then proceeds to offer his underage daughters as a substitute because homosexuality is wrong.

this is portrayed in a positive light (not kidding). a vile vile scene. or how about god "testing" a dude by telling him to kill his own son? VILE

how often do you hear someone wanting to ban the bible?

Pete193

OMG she better not have fun with the game in the end! Cunt.

Rammy

@Mister Adequate:

does she deserve to be lambasted? YES FOR SURE. just like JT deserves to be lambasted.

if i said something sufficiently stupid i deserve to be lambasted.

and i hope (in vain) she never gets elected to anything ever again.

its thanks to emos like you politicians are taking away every freedom we have.

@Heywoodjabloume:

emos with "mature arguments" and PC mindsets are taking over this site...

Pete193

Sounds like an excuse for her just to play the game.

I bet she goes to all the dodgy bars in her 'search' for the naughty scene.

CaptCHAOS

Wait, wait, wait... she wants proof that it ISN'T in the game? Well first give me proof that it is. Then I'll be happy to provide you with the proof that it ISN'T. Thankfully, you'll have done all the leg work for me and I can take all the credit.

2NinjasTapedTogether

You know it's entirely possible she's fishing for comments so she can prove that there's no rape scene and whatnot.

...yeah, I know it's a long stretch >_<

Shadowmist

While she's asking for information, why doesn't she ask whether "Linda Linda" is in the North American version of Elite Beat Agents? I just saw the movie and I don't want to try beating the game unless it has this song.

Knukleur

Someone should remind politicians that the gamers of today are voters, the majority are over 18 and registered to vote, those who aren't will one day be old enough to vote and if you push them they will push back. So sure if you want to guarantee you lose millions of votes you go ahead and annoy the people who bought and loved GTA, if you dont you better start kissing our asses and hoping we don't hold a grudge.

senote

Huh maybe she went online happened to read some internet blogger saying something like "I utterly pwned them in multiplayer totally raped them".

Bet thats what Jack Thompson does as well, theres rape in Counter Strike gamers talk about raping each other all the time! so there must be rape in Counter Strike!

charsuipau

Everyone overlooks the rape scene because they think it occurs during one of the "dates". It actually occurs if you get arrested 50 times. It's a scene where one of the guys in jail realizes you've been in his cell so many times you're now, technically speaking, his "property". He rapes you, then announces he'll be selling you for cigarettes every time you show up back in jail.

Most people miss this scene because most players avoid jail at all costs, choosing the hospital route instead.

Islandkiwi

@Krondonian:
Well, I'd think the commenters suggesting that people badger her home address/phone number are certainly crossing some moral line here.

FhnuZoag

Looks like I need to get a job for the government where I play through every game ever made.

Ptolemy

She's just looking for excuses to get more GTAIV time. We understand, lady... we like GTA as well. Keep up the hard work?

Eclectified

I always thought it was "Innocent until proven guilty." Apparently it easier for Senators (and terrorist hunters) to just assume guilt and demand proof of innocence.

snefsky

@Sollus: Yeah.. she is pretty hot...I'll give her a rape scene.. JK JK LOLOLOL ¬_¬

JustOneFix

@wild homes has particularly attractive fries today: THAN, even. Dang!

wild homes has particularly attractive fries today

@Heywoodjabloume, Pete193: I don't know if you two just identify more closely with the Internet's shield of anonymity that others do or what, but here's a good rule for both of you-- treat people, even those you've never met personally, with the same respect online that you'd offer to them in the real world. And somehow, I doubt both you clods would actually treat a woman in the real world-- no matter what her unfounded opinions about your hobby happened to be-- in the kinds of disrespectful ways you're defending here. To put it in another perspective-- if your mother thought GTA was harmful, and had never played it, and spoke publicly about how it harmed children, would she be wrong? Probably, yes. But would that make it acceptable for people to walk around saying your mother is a bitch, she's a whore, she needs to die or have other bad things happen to her, let's prank her house, let's threaten her, she sucks dicks, blah blah blah? Somehow I doubt you'd be as cool with it.

And if you're fine with it just because she's a stranger you'll never actually meet? Then you're pathetic. All people deserve the same modicums of kindness.

wild homes has particularly attractive fries today

the original gta had "carnal knowledge" listed in the content warning. i wondered why they didn't keep it across the series.

jerrt

These things get more and more ridiculous every time.

Placentasaurus

@wild homes has particularly attractive fries today:

a) you are an assclown.

b) i treat women with the same respect i treat men, if they deserve it, in the same way. you are sexist.

c) i didn't say any of the things you are accusing me of. straw man defense ftw, loser.

d) now stfu

Pete193

I am not sure where people get off accusing games of having content that does not exist, without confirming it.

Apparently it's "guilty until proven innocent" when it comes to GTA IV.

SubKamran

Connecticut exists only to connect New York and Massachusetts. Hence the name. I demand proof that she didn't give me a lap dance last night at my local club.

gencid

@Pete193: LOL, I was gonna answer that post of his with a long rant, but you did it pretty well, thanks.

@wild homes is weathering cephalopod trouble!: And just so you know, all I said was that it bothered me MUCH more to have someone telling me I need
to respect someone just because they are a person!
NO!!...like Pete193 said "if they deserve it" Do you get that?
Anyone who would take the position that this politician has without any rationale does not deserve my respect, she is deserved of my outrage.

Heywoodjabloume

Democrats like this make me feel bad that in the fall I'll be running as a Democrat in my local city. Maybe one day I can move on up to house or senate, because as a law maker when a wild claim like this is made it should be researched. So one can make their own opinion

cippycup

Horse teeth! Wonder how much of her dental bill is picked up by her constituents!
(I know you were thinking the exact same thing. just takes a ____ like me to type it!)

SigmundTheSeaMonster

I bet she just needed an excuse to play GTA IV

J.Bourne