Mediasnoops will be watching the fallout worldwide from the self
appointed moral guardians over the release of the latest instalment
of the controversial Grand Theft Auto video game series.
Here the American Parents Television Council mobalise their
supporters to harrass video game retailers not to stock the game.
We don’t understand why the PTC are getting involved in this anyway
because this is not an issue to do with content on TV but about
video games.
Oh we do actually, it’s to force their views down the throats of
every citizen of the so called “land of the free”.
From the Parents Television Council via original story from the
Melon Farmers:
PTC Puts Grand Theft Auto IV Retailers on Notice
Retailers Must Keep Adult-Themed Video Game Away from Children
LOS ANGELES (April 23, 2008) – With the next installment of the
violently graphic Grand Theft Auto video game set to be released
next week, the Parents Television Council™ called for retailers to
keep the game away from children.
Grand Theft Auto IV: Liberty City, rated `M’ (Mature), is set for
release April 29. The Grand Theft Auto games include constant
graphic violence and sexual situations. In past versions, players
could re-enact having sex with a prostitute, beating her bloody,
taking her money and running her over with a car; shooting at police
officers; and, by using a code easily accessible on many internet
sites, having a realistic sexual encounter on screen — complete
with audio commentary. This modification in the 2005 game was not
disclosed to the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) when
they classified the game M, which carried a suggested age of 17 and
up for purchase.
“This brutally violent video game must be kept out of the hands of
children, and we are calling on all major retailers to reconsider
any decisions to sell this game. Since the first version was
released in 1997, the Grand Theft Auto series has lowered the bar
for graphic and grotesque video game content,” said PTC President
Tim Winter.
“Despite this game’s current `M’ rating, we are adamant that the
game’s publisher, Take-Two Interactive, and the Entertainment
Software Rating Board (ESRB) actually review all playable content
before issuing a rating for the game. Given Take-Two Interactive’s
reckless or intentional misleading of the ESRB, and ESRB’s failure
to respond quickly in the aftermath of the `hot coffee’ mod fiasco
stemming from the previous edition of Grand Theft Auto, retailers
must be reassured, in writing, that the rating given the game is
accurate and that there is no hidden or modifiable content in the
game.
“If retailers go against parents’ wishes and sell the game, they
should not market the game to children in any way, nor should they
display the game where minors can see it. In addition, retailers
must enforce checking ID before selling the game to anyone.
Legally, stores cannot sell children pornographic magazines or
handguns – but they can legally sell video games to children that
contain pornographic content or that teach children how to kill.
This is wrong, and retailers should ensure that unaccompanied minors
are prevented from purchasing Grand Theft Auto IV: Liberty City,”
Winter said.
Mediasnoops agress that this game should not be sold to children.
But the PTC is calling for stores not to sell this game to anyone
including adults. So they don’t want anyone to be able to play it.
“If retailers go against parents’ wishes and sell the game, they
should not market the game to children in any way, nor should they
display the game where minors can see it.”
The PTC think they speek for all parents in America. How do they
know that parents don’t wish for this game to be sold at all?
Parents probably don’t want the game sold to their children but it’s
very doubtful they want retailers to ban the game from sale
completly so that nobody can buy and play it.
The issue here is selling the game to children and video game
retailers in the USA and other countries have regulations and rules
that prevent them selling games with unsuitable content to persons
under a certain age group.
But they do not have rules and regulations that say they will deny
adult consumers freedom of choice because a bunch of self appointed
moral guardians like the Parents Television Council don’t want a
certain video game to be sold.
Here’s a link to a “warning” to the PTC’s sponsors about GTA IV and
it contains pre drafted letter for circulation to video game stores
urging them in the “strongest possible terms” not to stock the game.
Once again they talk about protecting children from the game but in
reality they don’t want anybody child or adult to play it.
https://www.parentstv.org/ptc/action/gta/main.asp
Mediasnoops hopes that retailers in the USA, here in the UK and
around the world will stick to guidelines and not sell GTA IV to
persons under the age rating.
Doing so would not only be wrong but also give more ammo to self
appointed moral guardians like the Parents Television Council to
whip up uproar about the game and put more pressure on retailers to
not sell the game and deny freedom of choice to adult video game
consumers.
Mediasnoops hopes that video game stores do not sell the game to
children but equally hopes that they do not cave in under pressure
from groups like the PTC by not selling the game at all and deny
adults’ consumer choicies.
