What's the difference? It's an M-rated game shows crack-whore, prostitutes, lots of gore and violence. You can't learn anything from it.

cowpop

@Sensai-N: No, you just THINK you beat the odds. You're actually laying on a side walk and are too coked up to move. How are you posting.

e-friend

@deathbunny: All the druggies I've ever known were into drugs simply because they had sucky lives and needed some form of escape. I can't imagine any of them saying: "Ooh! look! THATS what these drugs will do to me?? Let's get some!" I'm not talking about pot smokers. They're just losers that think it's cool.

Zenrick2.0

@fnool: Amen. This BS discussion should end here.

Đipic

Uhh did anyone see the article on the website, it had a picture of GTA 3 and the main guy running inside a house with the caption, "Outrage ... gun in game".

WTF?! This isn't GTA 3 and I thought guns in games existed way before GTA came flaunting its sandbox everywhere? God damn it, I hate you The Sun. >_<

Katajero

I totally agree! >_> honestly, if you have a problem with the game, don't buy it for your retarded kid.

Supa_S

So, are they injecting Dope Wars as a minigame into the DS installment of GTA? I haven't played that game in forever. We used to have contests in college between myself and the teaching assistants I worked with where we would compete to see who would get the highest score.

Contrary to the Experts, we all turned out to be responsible human beings. I guess we just beat the odds. :)

Sensai-N

Man, "controversy" and a Nintendo platform in the same sentence. It all seems so... odd.

TomSkylark

@Albi4ever: Another post here mentioned a laundry list of drugs that are sold and abused just as illegally as heroin.

ekkobi

"Glamorisation doesn't help our work trying to educate kids of the dangers of substance misuse."

Well, given that this isn't a game kids should be playing, there's no problem here

fnool

I'm picking this up. :D

Cheater87

now parents are gonna blame drugs on gta!

as if gta created drugs....people pshhh....2012 cant come any sooner! we need population control and stupidity control....anarchy!

jackd4y

@Poo_and_Weeeee:

If the Sun told me the sky was blue, I'd go outside and check. Mainly because I live in Scotland, but that's beside the point.

phicaluk

"Glamorisation doesn't help our work trying to educate kids of the dangers of substance misuse."

wait.... "substance misuse"!? You mean there's a way to properly use heroin? Please, do tell!

Once again, this falls under the "Parents should parent their children so get out of my face special interest groups and/or Governemntal douches" section of our cultural table of contents.

Albi4ever

Ahh, "Experts". Is there anything they don't know?

phicaluk

@AngryEddy:

Depends. Is "Jack Thompson" a known alias of Rupert Murdoch?

phicaluk

@Shiryu: Unless we trip and fall, creating people that kill for videogame systems. Oh wait, that's already happening.

Americo

What do these parents expect? The game's called Grand Theft Auto for ****'s sake. That's like asking the makers of Texas Chainsaw Massacre to tune down the violence because of the kids who might be watching.

MasterNinja

It's anti-drug programs that get kids into drugs in the first place. It's like the South Park episode with the antismoking people 'hey, kids, if you don't smoke, you can grow up to be cool--JUST LIKE US' *cut to kids desperately smoking*.

and, in any case, if kids are going to get the wrong idea about drugs, they'll get it from rappers going multi-platinum who got their start and seed money selling drugs. And then write about it. And don't get charged with anything.

Remember kids; statute of limitations + different standards for minors = start young, and retire at 30!

deathbunny

@AngryEddy: Definitely not.

Poo_and_Weeeee

Never trust The Sun, full stop.

Poo_and_Weeeee

Amazingly, that story was written by Jonathan Weinberg, who's The Sun's games correspondent and is currently nominated for a Games Media Award.

I'd have expected that as a so-called gamer he'd have known better than to write sensationalist rubbish like that.

KingHippo

@blizzardjesus: Ooohh you BARELY beat me to this post. But I suppose I should expect no less from a blizzard that is also Jesus. Well done!

I was going to say, My TI-85 was chock full of heroine and whatnot...AND SO AM I! Except not really. That game was quite a lot of fun for how simple it was, and I immediately thought of it after seeing the post on Kotaku about the drug content. If only I still had my trust TI-85... or whatever those kids are playing today. *goes back to shouting at people on his lawn*

DefenderShip

You don't take a 12 year old boy to see Hostel or Reservoir Dogs. The same goes for games. The problem is the miss conception that every game, regardless of its content, is aimed at children.

TM-Oliveira

@blizzardjesus: ...yet.

elementary

I thought this game had a M rating.. and shouldn't be played by kids.. so what's the problem?

And I'm sure that the guys from the Sun played the game and aren't saying that it glamorizes drug dealing without any base :P

CockroachMan

Who remembers or has played Drug Wars on a TI calculator. It hasn't turned me into a dealing criminal.

blizzardjesus

Yeah, say no to drugs! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go take some advil, tylenol, robotussin, xanex, oxycodone, lorazapam, wellbutrin, valium, ritalin, have a drink of scotch, top it off with some good old-fashioned cigarettes and think about my wonderfully drug-free lifestyle.

stupid_mcgee

Well it had to be either The Sun or The Daily Mail jumping on this.

IanC

I wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Gold's assertation that, "Glamorisation [of drug dealing] doesn't help...educate kids of the dangers of substance misuse."

It's a good thing that this time it's only in a video game marketed to adults and this glorification didn't make its way into a D.A.R.E. lesson plan. Close call.

elementary

Didn't I hear that Jack Thompson holds controlling interest in The Sun? I think that's true. I'm sure of it.

AngryEddy

Which I would agree with him if they were pushing and making this game for kids. Since they aren't, they need to STFU.

y2julio

@Ravel: reputable was put in quote marks ;)

IanC

Well, if one game of GTA turns junior into a horrible drug user odds are you were pretty shitty parents in the first place. I'm sure you knew that though since you already got your kids a game rated 18+

InfernoT

oh, I forgot, ->NEVER<- trust anyone who writes "Experts" on any written part in The Sun.

Shiryu

@iliekpie: GTA on the GBA...

DonWii

Someone who works for a drug education program is upset that there is something in the world that glamorizes drugs?

No way.

@Ryumeka: Bingo.

adocious

The Sun is hardly a reputable newspaper, it's a lads magazine dressed up as a newspaper and thrives on sensationalist and controversial media.

Don't worry if anything GTA's getting more publicity.

Ravel

whaaaaaaa whaaaaaaa

dear parents, instead of being your childrens best friend why don't you, oh I don't know, be a parent?

tralfaz23

Hey, took them almost 24 hours! Theyre getting slower, one day, we will outrun them so far, they just can't catch up! EVER!

Shiryu

This game is for 18+ ages.
18+ ages either sell/use drugs, or have sense to know not to touch the stuff.
Rockstar aren't marketing it towards kids.
Once again, this game is for 18+ ages.

Ryumeka

lmao putting a GTA on a nintendo system is askin for trouble

iliekpie

Savor it...

Moonshadow101

What if you simply replaced the word Cocaine with Pokémon Stickers (or Guns, if you must) or LSD with Hockey Stickers (or Stolen Goods, if you must).

The whole dealing thing still seems like a simple rock-paper-scissors mini-game with six varieties and if that is a shock (you journalists) or relevant to realism (you gamers), color me damned...

$5 for Rockstar just playing the good old "any publicity is good publicity" card :)

EldonTLH

@vincevl: they're the wonder drugs that work wonders!

Need coffee....

CaptaiNeNN

Sending out the wrong message? It's not Rockstars job to send out the right message, or any message. It's their job to make profit by making the games people want. This guy needs to get the message about how capitalism works.

Lixie

They just jumped on this BECAUSE it's a GTA game. It's silly to get started on the game already. And gee there's already drug use in prior games in the series. Why wasn't it such a big deal then?

And you know what, I know it's been said, but why the hell do you buy your kids this game? Seriously! I've seen people online who were 12 and headshotting everyone. Like "oh yeah, that parent is doing a GREAT job."

poisonedsodapop

@Swift_: no, you don't! You hope this is successful and shows Nintendo that there's money to be made in giving a home to passably difficult 'bona fide' video games again (I'm not going to use the word 'hardcore' because that h/c debate is stupid and, anyway, hardcore conjures up images of crap like Halo in my mind). If the slightest flirtation with a bona fide game gets Nintendo bit in the a**, they will retreat into their shell and it will be wii jogging and housework party 3 from here on out.

CaptaiNeNN

But drugs are great!

vincevl

I'll be outraged if it's not as good as Dope Wars. It's meant to be a Dope Wars clone, right?

keyrat

This is quite silly, if people are being educated about how drugs are bad and the effect they have, how is playing a fictional video game were a fictional character sells drugs to video games characters going to ruin that?

Its a mature game and the age group buying the game should have had some form of education or just general knowlege that drugs are bad and can ruin peoples lives, not to mention selling it is illegal.

Honestly, this says more about the state of the education system if they are honestly worried GTA is going to promote drug use.

Walker

It's funny how all these anti-everything groups wait until there's something other than the rampant violence to rally against. First it's the sex, now the drugs. But all the while, they never seem to care about the rampant violence. You know what's worse than drugs? Rampant violence! You know what's worse than sex? Well, actually, most things are worse than sex! Including rampant violence!!1

dowingba

You know? They're right. Drug dealing as entertainment doesn't stop people using drugs. But then neither does the "war" on drugs or drugs ed in school. The day the west ends its hypocritical stance on drugs ("these really dangerous ones are fine but if you so much as have these rather mild ones on you YOU'RE GOING TO BECOME A CRIMINAL MUAHAHAHA!!!") will be a good day for society in general.

Mancomb Seepgood

This can only help our youth understand the basic economics of supply and demand.

GTA is great educational tool!

exkon

@ekkobi:

Also, heroin is used as a painkiller especially for terminally ill people, although it's normally known as diamorphine for this purpose.

phicaluk

I hope the fallout from this is enormous, destroys Nintendo's success, and forces Nintento make passably difficult hardcore games again with all of their sweet leftover money.

Swift_

@EldonTLH: Hm, Sarah Palin, LSD Mom...that has a nice ring to it.

gaijira

This is only an issue because it's on the DS, which is generally considered "kiddie land" by the media at large.

If this had been in GTAIV, it would've just been wrapped up in the generic "OMG new GTA!" outrage.

TRT-X

I understand the need for freedom of expression, but recently it seems like Rockstar is merely attempting to just push the envelope as far as it can go. While I applaud them for their efforts, it is truly a step in the wrong direction when the gaming industry is under so much scrutiny on so many fronts.

Razgriz1

@Mancomb Seepgood: Wait, who's condoning the use of hard drugs while saying the mild ones (I'm assuming you mean Marijuana) is a criminal offense?

Đipic

Now, as an elementary school teacher, I have alot of issues on both sides of these debates. Children shouldn't be wrongly exposed to mature material, they need to be taught about drugs, sex, and the like in a very careful and close to home way. That being said, that responsibility falls on both the shoulders of parents and society. A parent can spend all their time trying to "protect" their children from mature material, and I can support that. However, no matter how hard they try, children are still exposed to it through media, whether it be movies, TV, or games. This is where society needs to step in. I am fully in support of stores not selling mature games to children under a certain age (however i think 18 is a bit extreme, once a kid is about 15 or 16, they already know all about drugs and sex so, what ever), I also think people should be careful about how they act and what they say in public (although every one does have the right to say what they want). People who say violent and criminal depictions need to be removed from games and the media are stupid... just stupid. Its MAKE BELIEVE. The most important thing parents need to do is educate there kids on both the differences of reality and make believe, and they need to educate and introduce there children to this material, educate them about it at a young age so it doesn't frighten or confuse them when they are older.

Whew, now my rant is over.

Okoro

i don't see why the parents are complaining about this game. The rating on it is for 18 and up. If they don't monitor what their kids are playing, or if they aren't educated enough about the ratings system that's their own fault.

Sure it has drugs in the game, but it is aimed towards those who are 18 and up. Not 17 and below.

"Glamorisation doesn't help our work trying to educate kids of the dangers of substance misuse."

This right there should not have been said at all. The game isn't supposed to do what parents are supposed to be teaching their children. It's the parents that need to educate their children on substance abuse. There was nothing that was said in contracts or in a written agreement that says GTA Chinatown wars is supposed to do parenting for you.

So really, Parents you need to get up off your lazy butts and start teaching yourselves and your kids instead of relying on other sources of media or other outlets to do it for you.

18=Adults

What's being mentioned is KIDS kids are 17 and below since the legal age of being considered an adult is 18.

Also the game employees need to do their part and enforce the ID check when people are buying games like this. I hate seeing good things die because people aren't educated enough and sell things like this to minors, or parents who don't know anything at all shoot their mouths out without researching more into the facts.

RanChan03

Reason being why they slap "18" stickers on these games, because they're for a mature audience

Strife56

@iliekpie: They have underaged touching on the ds why not a game aimed at adults?

lilaliendog

I've played the minigame years and years ago... Drug Wars it was called if I remember correctly... neat little text adventure.

Never got me into dealing drugs though but these people will always get their panties in a bunch over anything.

strix

wait until Jack Thompson gets on this....oh wait

ClutchWarrior

@gaijira: Hailing from Northern Europe, couldn't really care less about how the upcoming US elections end (OK, maybe a little but that's aside the point).

As a gamer, I think a piss poor "drug dealing" mini-game merely serves for a bit more publicity. Heck, Miami Vice: The Game on PSP did the same a few years ago and it was both unexciting (gamers) and ignored (media). Go figure...

EldonTLH

@blizzardjesus: I remember that, we used to play Drug Wars to pass time during Physics class in HS.

Everyone was all impressed the day someone started playing it on a Palm Pilot with COLOR!

Zegridathes

Are they idiots? The DS is not a kids only console... they're insulting the DS by that statement.

i_speel_good

@Zegridathes: ahh good memories. drug wars, super mario, tetris, pacman, lotus turbo challenge and king of fighters inhabited my ti 83 plus for years. damn, did anyone ever use their ti's for actual work?

bigman88zz

Oh boy...

and there is the problem with making mature games for a console whos target audience is children.

Altima NEO

@e-friend: I walk into the Starbucks I'm laying in an alley near, vomit on the indie pop dude near the door so I get him away from his laptop, and manage to, somehow, conjure up enough clarity to post between hallucinations. Once I'm done scaring the straights I go back to my alley and work on my next bender. Or deal another batch. Because, you know, I got my streetwise drug economics from the Dope Wars simulator. A playa's gotta play, ya dig?

For my next trick, once I come out of my haze, is to work on my serious street crime abilities by first running through that test course murder simulator you call Grand Theft Auto.

Sensai-N

@deathbunny: 'Butt Out', season seven. Good call.

dae_giovanni

@i_speel_good:
They're basically labeling us all as morons by the statement...

Strife56

@Altima NEO: The DS target audience is everyone, or have you not been paying attention for the last 5 years?

Revenge_of_Nekojin

this is anti-GTA has got me wondering. If all games are set in a virtual non-existant world, why do the anti-gamers make it sound as if its happening just down the block. Who can't tell the difference between real and non-existant???

fokin_pikey

stupid news thingy

Sintonado

Also, Yes I realize they aren't exactly sitting there telling you how to deal and all the tricks of the trade, but they are making it look easy. And if you think that some kids aren't stupid enough to try something like this then you need to look around a school. there could be 1,000 kids that are plenty smart and wouldn't try it, but one of them would. Sadly he would also say it was because of GTA.

sbrumm1983

I don't mind a lot of things in video games. Heck I even play the GTA games. There is something about actually dealing drugs that I really dislike ever being in video games. I certainly think that kids are smart enough not to run around shooting people or setting cars on fire and what not. I just think that the idea of pretty much showing them how to deal drugs is pretty ridiculous. It is easy to see what the immediate effects of shooting someone in the face is, but there is no real ill-effects to selling drugs that would be visible to the kids other than possibly being arrested for it. There is no visual or auditory clues that describe the risk/reward of drug dealing or drug using. This, to me, may be the one thing that could really cause a whole lot of issues. Maybe I could be considered lame for it, but this is pretty much the first thing that I never want to see in a video game.

sbrumm1983

@KingHippo:
He probably did do that and then was told by the sun that responsible journalism is not what they are about.

Sensationalism sells.

Dragonis

I happen to find dealing drugs very entertaining

/jk

DiGiC

Awesome that the world is falling apart right now but the only thing these dopes can work themselves up over is a damn videogame.

TSlade

The DS might not be a kids-only console, but you can not deny the fact that it is perceived as one. There are very few, if any, M games, even T games on the DS (I cannot think of one M game off the top of my head).

I am all for games being able to have whatever they want in them, and that it should be the parents responsibility to monitor the games their children play, but I also think Rockstar made a poor decision this time. If they wanted their next GTA to be portable, why not release it on the PSP? They have had experience with the PSP before, and the PSP is seen as the more "mature" handheld.

Pyro Jack Frost

She's my mother... *slap* She's my sister... *slap* She's my mother AND my sister... *slap slap*

The Great Aussie Evil

Im really tired of these uneducated people. If they actually understood and took the time to play these games or even watch the game be played (for more than 10 min) they would see how wrong most of what they say is. They just hear what others say and call them "experts" and then make their own assumptions about something they know nothing about. That than trails down to other ppl who don't think for themselves and start to think that way. Mature is mature.. there is a rating system for a reason.. but it appears that all the trouble that was spent to make this system is pointless if no one will recognize it. Its not a kid game... if kids play it than blame the parents not the game! The game developers didn't go and buy it for them or sit on the side while the kid plays it. So to all those "journalists" out there.. LEARN TO DO YOUR JOB! Its called research... figured they would have taught you that in college at least. Ok.. I'm done ranting.

dgchatterbox

My parents have found a good way to stop me from doing things they don't want me to do. Basically, they don't feed me if I piss them off. I called their bluff on it once and had to have pizza pops for dinner that night instead of spaghetti.

This is why I don't do drugs.

Dragonis

@sbrumm1983: ... And the judge would say "I don't think so, Tim," a couple of experts would agree with the judge and the dumb kid would get vanned. Just like the dozens who try the "GTA made me do it" exit with anything they do now.

You're not lame. You just have an opinion, and you're expressing it. Rockstar probably had their own reasons to put it in the game (which by the way is targeted at anything but the "little kids" you are referring to) and they are free to do it too. The problem here is that if something controversial is depicted in a videogame, it has to be evil, especially if you have a minimum of control over it. Rockstar has shown again and again that this assumption is false, and just because you can perform a crime in a game does not mean it's "glamorized" (notice it's a term that anti-GTA people use a lot, when they have no clue). Take the drunk-driving in GTA4. It's the most unrealistic thing in the game. Why? Because it's so hard. If you've never driven drunk before you might think about it after playing this game. The cops somehow smell the alcohol from afar and it's impossible to even walk properly. An icon keeps on nagging you, advising you a cab. How is that "glamorizing" it? Same with the shooting, the car-stealing and everything (except maybe the hookers). I can pretty much assure you that the drug dealing will not be as fun as it looks unless you want to raise the stars, something even a stupid kid will probably not want to do in real life... And if you do have to do it because of a mission, it will be like your standard action movie.

You're wrong for buying into that censorship/anti-GTA crap and as someone who claims to have played GTA before you should know better. The question is not whether they should "encourage" kids to do it, because they don't. And the games aren't tutorials either, because they make the illegal acts even more dangerous/risky than in real life. It's whether or not mature/sensitive concept should be kept out of our games because of the hypothetical parent-less 13-year old who should not be playing the game in the first place. Some movies make the villain look badass while glamorizing stuff far, far worse than drugs, yet we hear nothing, despite the fact that it's 20x easier for anyone of any age to be exposed to these than a DS videogame... You should look out for Saw V this year. And maybe catch the Dark Knight when you have time.

FP_slomo788

There are people out there who feel like realistic games somehow confuse people with the real world.

I fail to see how movies are any different. I watched Scarface and didn't want to become a coke lord. I played Scarface: The World is Yours and STILL didn't want to become a coke lord.

Cmon, no one is going to go sell drugs because they played GTA, or any other game, unless they have serious other problems in their life that makes them feel like a video game is a good thing to make life decisions based on.

Dantarion

They're right, patronization works much better.

jimmyNewtron

@EldonTLH: Uh well it was just a joke, based on Sarah Palin's pride in being a 'hockey mom', so what I did was I just...ah forget it...

gaijira

another rant that i have about this, If you look at the video game related accidents, that involve games such as gta. Look at the ages of those involved. they are either 17 and under. Rarely do you see anything in the news about a video game related incident that involved someone who was either 18 or up. Ok so maybe if you do, the majority involve those kids that are 17 and under. They blame games such as gta where in reality the blame should've been placed on the parents and the gamestop employees or similar thereof.

The parents because they weren't educated enough about the game, and didn't take the time out to learn the content or the game ratings. I saw a parent with a 12 year old buying them GTA 4 for their kid. Where clearly the game is rated 18 and up.

The employees who just sold the game to the minor without checking ID.

And you so called experts why not STFU! and learn more about the game rather than playing 3 mins of it and assuming after those 3 mins you know everything there is to know about it.

Why not look at the age range the game is aimed towards. When it says 18 and up, it's aimed towards those 18 and up. Don't say that the game is aimed towards little kids where in reality it isn't. Until you learn more about it, don't spout out saying that you are an expert. It further discredits your reputation by talking about stuff you have little to knowledge about.

Also something else i need to get off my chest. Those parents that are making themselves cry out about stuff like this. In my honest opinion, they are doing it to make themselves look good, when they know themselves they know they did wrong but are covering up by talking loudly, so to speak, about this subject matter.

Closing this rant up
To all parents LEARN ABOUT THE GAMES RATING SYSTEM and LEARN ABOUT WHAT YOUR KIDS ARE PLAYING!! Don't throw responsibility to the television or leave it to a game. The reason they are getting access to this stuff is because A. You are giving them money to buy the material and really don't care. B. You are completely uneducated about the content. C you aren't taking an active role in your kids's lives. D. YOU ARE LAZY AS HELL

To all
Game retail employees You guys are also partly to blame. I have only seen one instance where a gamestop employee checked ID on a Mature rated game, and refused to sell it to the minor. 98% of the time you guys never check ID on stuff like this and sell it to them. Hell I was at a gamestop and i saw the clerk ring up Grand Theft Auto to a 15 yr old without checking ID.

And to all those retarded kids taking examples from games like this. IT'S ONLY A FREAKING GAME. There are consequences in life, and if you imitate what you learn in GTA you deserver to be in jail for a long time, then sent to a mental institution.

That's my rant for now.

RanChan03

@Revenge_of_Nekojin: Nope

Altima NEO

I love the caption for the picture on their article front page.
"Outrage ... gun in game"
Outrage indeed, good sirs.

Kayonesoft

I'm just happy to finally have a more kid friendly way to teach my children how to traffic drugs and kill hookers.

silentbobfan

@FP_slomo788: I think you misunderstand my point. I don't buy into the Anti-GTA censorship. I believe in free speech for games and I realize that the game is rated M for Mature. Believe me when I say I am far to educated to fall into any of the traditional traps that others may fall into. I don't believe in banning it and I don't believe they should even take it out of the game if thats what they want to be in there. I have a Bachelors in Film so I understand films and I am finishing my Bachelors in History so I understand propaganda extremely well.

If you believe that they don't market to kids just as much as adults you are digging your head in the sand. Who should censor this stuff? Parents. Are they the only ones responsible? Absolutely not. I've worked at Gamestop for years as well. Trust me when I say the parents of some 6 and 7 year olds don't care what their kids play no matter what you tell them. Those kids are the ones who do start to turn the fantasy into reality because there is no one in their life who tells them otherwise.

I don't have a problem with the other things in the game because they just rarely would ever happen in real life. Why do kids not act out what happened in Dark Night (since you chose to assume I don't watch Batman for some reason)? Because there is no demented, scarred clown running around killing his henchmen, cops, and anyone nearby for giggles. There is no multi-millionaires running around in a bat costume fighting said clown. This is a real life, everyday situation that a lot of kids see for themselves.

What I was really getting to in my previous comment was that it sounds like you aren't seeing the effects of selling or doing drugs. Even with unlimited lives your character still dies. I wouldn't have a real problem with it if your character could really go through the problems of a meth head or coke addict. You want to put drugs in games then show the consequences. All they are getting is "Sell drugs, earn money", and that's the problem. And having that one character who they say "does a lot of drugs just look how messed up he is" doesn't count. If it isn't the main character going through the problems then the lesson isn't there.

In conclusion, if you want a game based around realism then don't half ass it. If you are going to show the drug life then show all of it.

sbrumm1983

@Altima NEO:

Clearly you are proud to have your ignorance of your statement pointed out to you. I hope you are happy with your pride, and your ignorance.

StormTec

For the billionth time, GTA is NOT a kids game...so you shouldnt have to worry about ppl sending wrong messages out to kids if youre a good parent and keep your kid away from stuff like that in the first place. Most parents suck at caring for children nowadays.

Sure i could care less about GTA, but i hate when people act like they cant keep kids away from it, like its inevitible or something...just slap their hand away from the game in the gamestores and say "NO GODAMMIT!" lol

DarthMetalHope

The game has the words "THEFT" and "WAR" in its title. If a parent is stupid enough to let little kids play this game, they will auto-qualify for a Darwin award anyway.

lumpi

I think it's pathetic that parents let their kids play titles with an adult age rating or without knowing what their kids are actually playing. Violent video games are not for kids and the games are not the issue, the parents are. I was sitting behind a mother and two kids in a doctors waiting room and the boy, who was about 6 or 7 was playing GTA on a PSP right in front of her and she either didn't care what he was playing or know what it was about. I don't think kids should play games like GTA, in fact I find it disgusting, but it's the parents allowing it that disgusts me, not the games. The parents are even breaking the law in the UK by buying these games for the kids and don't or care about that either. How about these tabloids and do-gooders get up in arms about kids getting these games and target the parents and leave the developers alone? I mean, who here hasn't come against a little kid in GOW or COD on LIVE and wondered how they got this game and why the parents don't care they're playing a game sold for adults? We're getting to the point where stores are going to have a restricted adults only game section and I think that's one thing that's needed.

shufflemoomin

@RanChan03: That depends on the employee I always check and usually enjoy turning away minors. I even go to great lengths to convince parents not to buy the game for their kids. Doesn't usually work with the parents though.

sbrumm1983

Wait... We don't want to lie to kids either though. Dealing drugs, if nothing else, is fun.

BigDerf

@Zenrick2.0: yeah, the reality check is that people take drugs because life sucks, and you can't stop the sucking no matter how much you demonize the drug.

I'm just taking the stance that, for the sake of argument, if people take up drugs because it's portrayed as 'cool' or shows up in entertainment, then it's because you can legitimately get rich, because illegal ventures are usually good money. If the 'war' was brought to a close, and drug addicts were treated like regulated substance users, instead of banned substance users, there'd be substantially less money in it, and less of a draw for people trying to romanticize it. In the same way that it's hard to romanticize drinking, and despite the approval of society at nearly every level, there are still those who manage to not drink.

*sigh* poor Gary Busey. He's the real showcase of how religion can ruin your life.

deathbunny

They were pretty much asking for it. Still hilarious though. and awesome.

Placentasaurus

@sbrumm1983: they think they know everything there is to know, but the truth is that they don't and that's bad parenting to introduce their kids to that material. I should re edit my statement a good Majority of Parents and game retail employees. Not all

RanChan03

And cue the free publicity for Rockstar and its games.

Strangelove

Someone call the WHAAAAAMBULANCE. Im sick and tired of idiots in the news and media getting all so uptight about every single little detail in games that are marketed to adults (i.e 18+).

They blame game companies for wanting to corrupt thier children, that moral values are going down, and that somehow once this game comes out everything will go to hell. No.
NO.

Video games are an outlet. A way for a person to experience something they can not or will not do. For example, hijack a car, crash it into a wall, and NOT be injured from it. Im sorry, if you think that is a good idea in real life, you deserve it.

And another thing, parents. Educate yourselves. I know of no parent that has ever said that learning stops once you are 18. Why is it so hard for you to understand the ESRB guidelines? Or even pick up the game that your kid wants to get and read the back of the game. Hell, even looking at the cover should give you a clue. "Hmm, Grand Theft Auto... Must be about math and stuff. Here you go, Timmy."

No.
Is it that hard to put your foot down and tell your kids that until they are 18 and have moved out of your house, that they will not be getting M-rated games from you?

I know you want to be their best friends but do not forget that you are also their parent. The person that is supposed to guide them and help them become a good person.

Mercsenary

Never mind the fact that a drug dealing game has existed in calculators -- yes, high school students' graphic calculators! -- that simulated drug dealing, for over ten years now.

No, now that Rockstar Games is doing it, we have to do something!

What I love about reactionists is the fact that they're always at least ten years late in reacting to whatever it is that makes them so reactionist.

BtownDesignGuy

@RanChan03: Makes sense to me my friend. I figured, but I wanted to be sure.

sbrumm1983

@BtownDesignGuy: OMG i still have that game on my ti 83. I will never delete it for as long as i still own it.

RanChan03

In the U.S it's for 17+ ages. So please, they may not be marketing it towards kids under 13 but you know they fully anticipate and want 13, maybe 16 year olds to have the game. There's a lot of money there. If this game was truly meant for adults, Rockstar would grow a pair and make the game Adult Only ,and if Nintendo and retailers still wanted to keep their antiquated policies then they'll just have to lose out on a few million dollars in profit. If game companies would stop doing this MA 17 dance gaming could truly evolve and be less politicized.

CraigJapants

@Shiryu:
Never trust anyone who doesn't specify their experts period.

nickymouse

@sbrumm1983: I have a pretty similar opinion to what you were saying. Random coincidence: I have a BS in both film and history. Anyways.

I did find this news a bit disappointing. I was a big fan of the 3 major GTA games that came out on the ps2. As a fan of this series, I took pride in the fact that media reports were usually wrong when detailing what they deemed the most morally displeasing aspects of the series (not that reporting lies did much for my views of humanity or journalistic credibility). I took solace in the fact that these games did not require you to have sex with or kill prostitutes, nor did they glamorize drug dealing or require you to engage in it. I appreciated the fact that the missions in GTAIII and San Andreas dealing with "Spank" or other drugs involved inhibiting their distribution, sale, or production (Vice City was far more morally ambiguous).

I guess I'm not sure I can put my finger on exactly why this bothers me so much, but it probably has something to do with humanity's inherent moral compass. I feel like the vast majority of human beings know that taking something from someone without payment is wrong. They also know that murdering a human being is wrong. However, I think there is a much more gray area concerning substances that people make a conscious decision to ingest. I think it may be difficult for some people to consider the negative effects of drugs on families, income, and health. The effects of theft and murder are obvious to the average person, but the use and sale of illegal narcotics may be less so.

It's just disconcerting that a videogame would encourage me to sell drugs. I would feel the same way about a game that made me kill innocent people. It just doesn't sit right with me, regardless of the game's direct effect on anyone's life. I assume that there will be some sort of negative consequences involved with selling drugs in this game and I do not wish it to be banned or censored, but I am still disappointed that Rockstar crossed this line.

justlikejames

Seriously, they have their opinions about anything with gta in front of it already formed: it's a violence-promoting game aimed at kids and intended to corrupt the youth. Of course the fact that in most countries all GTA games are only available and targeted to to older gamers means nothing.

yanksfan1143

......

playstation3

It's called Grand Theft Auto. GRRARGH stupid people in the media...

GlItCh017

Guys; it's the Sun. If you were British you'd know all they do is spread fear and bullshit. Ignore them.

LeJimmeh

Well, experts haven't checked their teen TI-82 (or whatever model they use these days) either. I was playing this drug dealer game back in high school, it's nothing new! (except it's now about to get commercialized?)

ElianaLadybug

I seriously have to ask if the media will ever get through there thick skulls this game is 18+, it certainly isnt being advertised as a family friendly game.

Will_Lucky