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Video Game and Sex: GTA in trouble

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Video game sex scandal stirs US standards debate Fri Jul 22, 2005 10:53 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - An unprecedented move by major stores to stop selling the blockbuster video game "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" over a hidden sex scene will cost its maker millions of dollars in lost sales and ignited a political firestorm by U.S. critics who want a government crackdown. But the young industry, already rivaling Hollywood box office in sales, is certain it can and should police itself. The industry's ratings group slapped an "Adult Only" rating on the game on Wednesday, effectively banning its sale in most mainstream stores, after finding the game's publisher had hidden a "mini-game," unlocked by downloadable software, which allowed players to have virtual sex. The game had already been a lightning rod for controversy, since it rewards players for committing crimes and what critics see as acts of gratuitous violence. Retailers immediately pulled the game from shelves across the United States. The game's maker, Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. unit Rockstar Games, said the ratings change would cost it about $45 million in lost revenues for three months ending July 31 and plunge it into a deeper-than-expected quarterly loss.

posted by Gary Feng @ 9:37 AM