Grand Theft Auto IV controversies
Encyclopedia
Grand Theft Auto IV
(often abbreviated to GTA IV and GTA 4) is a sandbox-style action-adventure
video game developed by Rockstar North
. It is the eleventh title in the Grand Theft Auto series
and the first in its fourth generation. Grand Theft Auto IV was released worldwide (except Japan, which it was released later on 30 October 2008) on 29 April 2008.
Prior to and since its release, the game has been subject to a great deal of controversy
.
, a then Florida
lawyer who had previously campaigned against other Grand Theft Auto games, as well as Rockstar's previously released Bully
, stated he would take various measures to prevent the sale of the game by Rockstar to minors. On 14 March 2007, Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two Interactive, filed a lawsuit against Thompson in Florida in an attempt to pre-emptively block him from trying to declare its games a public nuisance
. It would be a crime to sell games declared to be a public nuisance, effectively banning such games, which they believe would be a violation of First Amendment
rights. Thompson responded by filing a countersuit, accusing Take-Two of violating federal RICO
statutes (the charge was later dropped), committing perjury
, obstruction of justice
, and conspiring
against him with third parties to deprive him of his civil rights.
Both parties reached a settlement on 20 April 2007, and agreed to drop their respective lawsuits. Under the terms of the settlement Thompson is barred from suing to block the sale or distribution of any future games published by Take-Two or any of its subsidiaries. He will be restricted to communicating through Take-Two's attorneys on any future matters. Thompson will still be able to maintain his outspoken stance against the publisher's titles, as well as still being allowed to act as counsel in lawsuits brought against Take-Two by other parties. For their part, Take-Two agreed to drop its contempt of court
lawsuit against Thompson regarding alleged improper conduct during the Bully court hearings in Florida, which, if found to be in contempt, could have resulted in Thompson seeing jail time.
Thompson filed a document with a federal court in Florida on 18 September 2007, that claims that the assassination target of a mission in GTA IV is a lawyer character based upon himself. When the main protagonist enters his office and pulls a gun on him, the lawyer yells "Guns don't kill people! Video games do!" Thompson has threatened that unless the similarities to himself are removed from the game he will "take necessary and proper means to stop release of the game".
On 25 April 2008, it was reported in Metro
that Jack Thompson had written a letter to the mother of Strauss Zelnick, Director of Take-Two Interactive
. In the letter, which strongly criticised the game, Zelnick, and his mother, Thompson called Grand Theft Auto a "murder simulator". He went on to say that "The pornography and violence that your son trafficks in is the kind of stuff that most mothers would be ashamed to see their son putting into the hands of other mothers' children". Thompson then questions Strauss Zelnick's upbringing and says that his mother should be ashamed of herself, and that she "...spared the rod and spoiled the child. That would explain why he has brought you, by the way he presently acts, to shame." He finishes by saying "Happy Mothers' Day, Mrs Zelnick, which this year is May 11, two weeks after your son unleashes porn and violence upon other mothers' boys. I'm sure you're very proud." Neither Take-Two interactive nor Rockstar Games have made any comment regarding the matter. Thompson subsequently claimed he sent the letter to Zelnick's lawyer, not his mother, and that the letter was formulated as a parody intended to induce feelings of "shame" in Zelnick.
, Glenn Beck
, a conservative US
talk-radio host, used GTA IV as an example to make wider claims about the use of violent video games by the US military, repeating claims made by Lt. Col.
Dave Grossman
that the US military uses first person shooting games to de-sensitise soldiers to killing.
In the second segment of the show, Beck spoke to Jack Thompson
and Gavin McKiernan, national grass roots director for the Parents Television Council
. Thompson called the game "a murder simulator" and went on to make unsubstantiated claims about actions that the player could perform in the game.
McKiernan added "This is really an adult product we're talking about" and went on to claim that research
into media violence had shown the potential effect violent media could have on children. He went on to claim that there was a definite difference between violence in movies and violence in video games.
Thompson said the game should be rated Adults Only, saying "the sex in the game was taken out so it could even be sold to adults in Australia
."
Thompson claimed that the ESRB rating for the game was "phoney", to appease large stores that refuse to sell adult rated games.
After the release of the first trailer
for the game, New York City officials were appalled with the choice of their city as the inspiration for the setting of Grand Theft Auto IV, and said that a game like GTA does not represent the city's crime levels accurately. A spokesperson for Mayor Michael Bloomberg
said, "The mayor does not support any video game where you earn points for injuring or killing police officers." Although no points are awarded throughout the game, the player is required to kill or injure police officers on certain occasions to advance in the game's main story. As a response, Jason Della Rocca
, executive director of the International Game Developers Association
, accused New York City officials of double standard
s, for criticising video games but not other forms of entertainment, such as books, films and television shows, which use New York City as the setting.
journalist Jason Hill that the Australian version would be edited.
Grand Theft Auto IV was given an MA15+ rating on 11 December 2007. In a post on his blog, Jason Hill stated that a Rockstar spokesperson confirmed to The Sydney Morning Heralds video game section, Screenplay, that the company had produced a special version of Grand Theft Auto IV to comply with the Australian classification system. The spokesperson would not comment on what has been cut from the game.
Cuts in the Australian PlayStation 3
edition are as follows:
When it came time to release the game in Australia on the PC, however, Rockstar submitted a completely uncut edition to the OFLC to review, which they rated MA15+ without any editing or alterations. An official statement from Rockstar Games confirms this:
"Grand Theft Auto IV PC has been rated MA15+ Strong Violence, Sex Scenes, Coarse Language and Drug References by the Australian Classification Office. The PC game is unedited in any way and identical in content to the international version."
Since 23 March 2010 in Australia
, all the editions of Grand Theft Auto IV have been completely uncut.
(MADD) sharply criticized an in-game option that allows players to drive while intoxicated
and called for a stricter rating on the game that would effectively ban its sale in the United States
. "Drunk driving is not a game and it is not a joke," MADD said. "Drunk driving is a choice, a violent crime, and it is also 100 percent preventable." MADD is asking the Entertainment Software Rating Board
to bump Grand Theft Auto IVs rating up to AO for Adults Only from M for Mature and calling for Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games to consider stopping distribution out of a sense of social responsibility, or out of respect for those who've been hurt or killed by drunk drivers
.
The ESRB describes that the game includes "Use of drugs and Alcohol".
Rockstar issued a statement to the Associated Press, saying "We have a great deal of respect for MADD's mission, but we believe the mature audience for Grand Theft Auto IV is more than sophisticated enough to understand the game's content." When attempting to enter a car while drunk in the game, the main character, Niko Bellic, will remark that he shouldn't drive drunk, and the player is encouraged to call a taxi instead. In addition to being extremely difficult to drive a car while intoxicated, in-game police will pursue the player if they are seen driving while intoxicated.
pulling ads promoting GTA IV from their property, violating a contract for the ads to go until June 2008. A CTA representative said that the ads were removed due to complaints in 2004 surrounding the ad campaign for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Miami-Dade Transit
might also be facing a similar lawsuit due to similar circumstances.
reported the presence of an in-game internet resource called "Little Lacy Surprise Pageant" available on the in-game internet. This is a reference to the fake commercials heard on the fictitious radio stations in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
. The fake site–www.littlelacysurprisepageant.com–displays a message from virtual authorities saying it has been closed down. It warns that anyone caught looking at it will be investigated and features the warning: "We see it all, we know it all," which is similar to the quote "Don't think you can't get caught. You are not anonymous." found at Grokster.com. The player's Wanted level immediately jumps to 5 stars, resulting in both police and FIB (Federal Investigation Bureau) involvement in their arrest.
The domain name address is just one of dozens of fake sites in GTA IV. Typing it into a real internet browser redirects users to the official website for the game.
No missions in the game allow players to act out the role of a paedophile, and neither Rockstar Games nor Take-Two Interactive have issued a statement regarding the inclusion of this content in the title.
. The group mugged a man, knocking his teeth out, attempted to car-jack a woman driving a BMW and smashed a passing van with a bat. According to the Nassau County Police, the teens claimed they were inspired by Niko Bellic perpetrating violent crimes in Grand Theft Auto IV.
reported that an 18 year-old student had been arrested in Bangkok
, Thailand
after he killed the driver of a taxi
while attempting to steal it. Bangkok police captain Veerarit Pipatanasak stated "He wanted to find out if it was as easy in real life to rob a taxi as it was in the game." According to local sources, the student was playing the game in an arcade
and wanted to rob the taxi driver to get money to continue playing the game.
As a result of this incident, the game (along with the whole series) was subsequently banned in Thailand.
Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV is a 2008 open world action video game published by Rockstar Games, and developed by British games developer Rockstar North. It has been released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles, and for the Windows operating system...
(often abbreviated to GTA IV and GTA 4) is a sandbox-style action-adventure
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
video game developed by Rockstar North
Rockstar North
Rockstar North is a British video game developer based in Edinburgh, Scotland, best known for creating the Grand Theft Auto and Lemmings franchises in its earlier guise as DMA....
. It is the eleventh title in the Grand Theft Auto series
Grand Theft Auto (series)
Grand Theft Auto is a multi-award-winning British video game series created in the United Kingdom by Dave Jones, then later by brothers Dan Houser and Sam Houser, and game designer Zachary Clarke. It is primarily developed by Edinburgh based Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games...
and the first in its fourth generation. Grand Theft Auto IV was released worldwide (except Japan, which it was released later on 30 October 2008) on 29 April 2008.
Prior to and since its release, the game has been subject to a great deal of controversy
Video game controversy
Violent video game debates often center on topics such as video game graphic violence, sex and sexism, violent and gory scenes, partial or full nudity, portrayal of criminal behavior, racism, and other provocative and objectionable material. Video games have been studied for links to addiction and...
.
Jack Thompson
In 2007, Jack ThompsonJack Thompson (attorney)
John Bruce "Jack" Thompson is an American activist and disbarred attorney, based in Coral Gables, Florida. Thompson is known for his role as an anti-video-game activist, particularly against violence and sex in video games....
, a then Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
lawyer who had previously campaigned against other Grand Theft Auto games, as well as Rockstar's previously released Bully
Bully (video game)
Bully, also known as Canis Canem Edit for the PAL PlayStation 2 version, is an open world video game released by Rockstar Vancouver for the PlayStation 2 on 17 October 2006 in North America, and 25 October 2006 in the United Kingdom...
, stated he would take various measures to prevent the sale of the game by Rockstar to minors. On 14 March 2007, Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two Interactive, filed a lawsuit against Thompson in Florida in an attempt to pre-emptively block him from trying to declare its games a public nuisance
Public nuisance
In English criminal law, public nuisance is a class of common law offence in which the injury, loss or damage is suffered by the local community as a whole rather than by individual victims.-Discussion:...
. It would be a crime to sell games declared to be a public nuisance, effectively banning such games, which they believe would be a violation of First Amendment
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
rights. Thompson responded by filing a countersuit, accusing Take-Two of violating federal RICO
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly referred to as the RICO Act or simply RICO, is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization...
statutes (the charge was later dropped), committing perjury
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
, obstruction of justice
Obstruction of justice
The crime of obstruction of justice, in United States jurisdictions, refers to the crime of interfering with the work of police, investigators, regulatory agencies, prosecutors, or other officials...
, and conspiring
Conspiracy (civil)
A civil conspiracy or collusion is an agreement between two or more parties to deprive a third party of legal rights or deceive a third party to obtain an illegal objective....
against him with third parties to deprive him of his civil rights.
Both parties reached a settlement on 20 April 2007, and agreed to drop their respective lawsuits. Under the terms of the settlement Thompson is barred from suing to block the sale or distribution of any future games published by Take-Two or any of its subsidiaries. He will be restricted to communicating through Take-Two's attorneys on any future matters. Thompson will still be able to maintain his outspoken stance against the publisher's titles, as well as still being allowed to act as counsel in lawsuits brought against Take-Two by other parties. For their part, Take-Two agreed to drop its contempt of court
Contempt of court
Contempt of court is a court order which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, declares a person or organization to have disobeyed or been disrespectful of the court's authority...
lawsuit against Thompson regarding alleged improper conduct during the Bully court hearings in Florida, which, if found to be in contempt, could have resulted in Thompson seeing jail time.
Thompson filed a document with a federal court in Florida on 18 September 2007, that claims that the assassination target of a mission in GTA IV is a lawyer character based upon himself. When the main protagonist enters his office and pulls a gun on him, the lawyer yells "Guns don't kill people! Video games do!" Thompson has threatened that unless the similarities to himself are removed from the game he will "take necessary and proper means to stop release of the game".
On 25 April 2008, it was reported in Metro
Metro (Associated Metro Limited)
Metro is a free daily newspaper in the United Kingdom published by Associated Newspapers Ltd . It is available from Monday to Friday each week on many public transport services across the United Kingdom.-History:The paper was launched in London in 1999, and can now be found in 14 UK urban centres...
that Jack Thompson had written a letter to the mother of Strauss Zelnick, Director of Take-Two Interactive
Take-Two Interactive
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a major American publisher, developer, and distributor of video games and video game peripherals. Take-Two wholly owns 2K Games and Rockstar Games. The company's headquarters are in New York City, with international headquarters in Windsor, United Kingdom...
. In the letter, which strongly criticised the game, Zelnick, and his mother, Thompson called Grand Theft Auto a "murder simulator". He went on to say that "The pornography and violence that your son trafficks in is the kind of stuff that most mothers would be ashamed to see their son putting into the hands of other mothers' children". Thompson then questions Strauss Zelnick's upbringing and says that his mother should be ashamed of herself, and that she "...spared the rod and spoiled the child. That would explain why he has brought you, by the way he presently acts, to shame." He finishes by saying "Happy Mothers' Day, Mrs Zelnick, which this year is May 11, two weeks after your son unleashes porn and violence upon other mothers' boys. I'm sure you're very proud." Neither Take-Two interactive nor Rockstar Games have made any comment regarding the matter. Thompson subsequently claimed he sent the letter to Zelnick's lawyer, not his mother, and that the letter was formulated as a parody intended to induce feelings of "shame" in Zelnick.
Glenn Beck
On his programGlenn Beck (TV program)
Glenn Beck is a United States cable news show hosted by Glenn Beck that aired weekdays on Fox News Channel. The program, originally on CNN Headline News , premiered on FNC on January 19, 2009 and aired weekdays at 5:00 PM EST...
, Glenn Beck
Glenn Beck
Glenn Edward Lee Beck is an American conservative radio host, vlogger, author, entrepreneur, political commentator and former television host. He hosts the Glenn Beck Program, a nationally syndicated talk-radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks...
, a conservative US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
talk-radio host, used GTA IV as an example to make wider claims about the use of violent video games by the US military, repeating claims made by Lt. Col.
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
Dave Grossman
Dave Grossman (author)
Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman is an author who has specialized in the study of the psychology of killing, which has been termed 'killology'.In February 1998 Grossman retired from the military as Professor of Military Science at Arkansas State University...
that the US military uses first person shooting games to de-sensitise soldiers to killing.
In the second segment of the show, Beck spoke to Jack Thompson
Jack Thompson (attorney)
John Bruce "Jack" Thompson is an American activist and disbarred attorney, based in Coral Gables, Florida. Thompson is known for his role as an anti-video-game activist, particularly against violence and sex in video games....
and Gavin McKiernan, national grass roots director for the Parents Television Council
Parents Television Council
The Parents Television Council is a U.S. based advocacy group founded by conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III in 1995 using the National Legion of Decency as a model...
. Thompson called the game "a murder simulator" and went on to make unsubstantiated claims about actions that the player could perform in the game.
McKiernan added "This is really an adult product we're talking about" and went on to claim that research
Media violence research
Research into the media and violence examines whether links between consuming media violence and subsequent aggressive and violent behavior exists...
into media violence had shown the potential effect violent media could have on children. He went on to claim that there was a definite difference between violence in movies and violence in video games.
Thompson said the game should be rated Adults Only, saying "the sex in the game was taken out so it could even be sold to adults in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
."
Thompson claimed that the ESRB rating for the game was "phoney", to appease large stores that refuse to sell adult rated games.
New York City officials
Trailer (film)
A trailer or preview is an advertisement or a commercial for a feature film that will be exhibited in the future at a cinema. The term "trailer" comes from their having originally been shown at the end of a feature film screening. That practice did not last long, because patrons tended to leave the...
for the game, New York City officials were appalled with the choice of their city as the inspiration for the setting of Grand Theft Auto IV, and said that a game like GTA does not represent the city's crime levels accurately. A spokesperson for Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
said, "The mayor does not support any video game where you earn points for injuring or killing police officers." Although no points are awarded throughout the game, the player is required to kill or injure police officers on certain occasions to advance in the game's main story. As a response, Jason Della Rocca
Jason Della Rocca
Jason Della Rocca is the former executive director of the International Game Developers Association : Della Rocca supervised the daily operations, outreach initiatives, and membership programs of the organization from September 2000 to March 2009...
, executive director of the International Game Developers Association
International Game Developers Association
International Game Developers Association is the professional society for over 10,000 video and computer game developers worldwide.It is incorporated in the United States as a non-profit organization....
, accused New York City officials of double standard
Double standard
A double standard is the unjust application of different sets of principles for similar situations. The concept implies that a single set of principles encompassing all situations is the desirable ideal. The term has been used in print since at least 1895...
s, for criticising video games but not other forms of entertainment, such as books, films and television shows, which use New York City as the setting.
Edited release
While there is no official confirmation as to what was removed in the edited version of the game, blood pooling has been removed.Australia
Despite confirmation in February 2008 that the Australian version of Grand Theft Auto IV would not be edited in any way, Rockstar later told The Sydney Morning HeraldThe Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
journalist Jason Hill that the Australian version would be edited.
Grand Theft Auto IV was given an MA15+ rating on 11 December 2007. In a post on his blog, Jason Hill stated that a Rockstar spokesperson confirmed to The Sydney Morning Heralds video game section, Screenplay, that the company had produced a special version of Grand Theft Auto IV to comply with the Australian classification system. The spokesperson would not comment on what has been cut from the game.
Cuts in the Australian PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
edition are as follows:
- When picking up prostitutes, you are not able to select your 'service'. Like previous Australian Grand Theft Auto releases, all sexual animations have also been removed. The car will simply lock-on to a rear view, and the car will bounce up and down.
- Blood pools do not ooze out of victims bodies. In the uncut version, bloody footprints also appear when walking through blood pools, and the same happens with bloody tire tracks when driving through them. This is not available in the Australian edit.
- When characters are injured in the edited release, the injuries are of a lot less impact, "replacing graphic bullet wounds and blood patches with slight discolouration"
When it came time to release the game in Australia on the PC, however, Rockstar submitted a completely uncut edition to the OFLC to review, which they rated MA15+ without any editing or alterations. An official statement from Rockstar Games confirms this:
"Grand Theft Auto IV PC has been rated MA15+ Strong Violence, Sex Scenes, Coarse Language and Drug References by the Australian Classification Office. The PC game is unedited in any way and identical in content to the international version."
Since 23 March 2010 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, all the editions of Grand Theft Auto IV have been completely uncut.
New Zealand
It was announced on 15 April 2008, and subsequently reported across the Internet, that the New Zealand release would be receiving the edited Australian version with Take-Two Interactive Support Team citing "time scales and logistical reasons" as the reason. Later, on 5 May 2008, it was confirmed the original version of the game had been submitted to the OFLC. On 21 May 2008, the original and uncut game was now officially classified by the New Zealand OFLC thus legal to sell in the country.Mothers Against Drunk Driving
The organisation Mothers Against Drunk DrivingMothers Against Drunk Driving
Mothers Against Drunk Driving is a non-profit organization in the United States that seeks to stop drunk driving, support those affected by drunk driving, prevent underage drinking, and overall push for stricter alcohol policy...
(MADD) sharply criticized an in-game option that allows players to drive while intoxicated
Driving under the influence
Driving under the influence is the act of driving a motor vehicle with blood levels of alcohol in excess of a legal limit...
and called for a stricter rating on the game that would effectively ban its sale in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. "Drunk driving is not a game and it is not a joke," MADD said. "Drunk driving is a choice, a violent crime, and it is also 100 percent preventable." MADD is asking the Entertainment Software Rating Board
Entertainment Software Rating Board
The Entertainment Software Rating Board is a self-regulatory organization that assigns age and content ratings, enforces industry-adopted advertising guidelines, and ensures responsible online privacy principles for computer and video games as well as entertainment software in Canada, Mexico and...
to bump Grand Theft Auto IVs rating up to AO for Adults Only from M for Mature and calling for Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games to consider stopping distribution out of a sense of social responsibility, or out of respect for those who've been hurt or killed by drunk drivers
Drunk drivers
Drivers operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol are commonly referred to as drunk drivers. When charged with this as a crime, it may either be referred to as a DUI or a DWI , where a DUI is generally considered to be a lesser crime. Studies have been performed to identify...
.
The ESRB describes that the game includes "Use of drugs and Alcohol".
Rockstar issued a statement to the Associated Press, saying "We have a great deal of respect for MADD's mission, but we believe the mature audience for Grand Theft Auto IV is more than sophisticated enough to understand the game's content." When attempting to enter a car while drunk in the game, the main character, Niko Bellic, will remark that he shouldn't drive drunk, and the player is encouraged to call a taxi instead. In addition to being extremely difficult to drive a car while intoxicated, in-game police will pursue the player if they are seen driving while intoxicated.
Chicago Transit Authority lawsuit
Take-Two has filed a lawsuit in response to the Chicago Transit AuthorityChicago Transit Authority
Chicago Transit Authority, also known as CTA, is the operator of mass transit within the City of Chicago, Illinois and some of its surrounding suburbs....
pulling ads promoting GTA IV from their property, violating a contract for the ads to go until June 2008. A CTA representative said that the ads were removed due to complaints in 2004 surrounding the ad campaign for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Miami-Dade Transit
Miami-Dade Transit
Miami-Dade Transit is the primary public transit authority of Miami, Florida, United States and the greater Miami-Dade County area. It is the largest transit system in Florida and the 12th-largest transit system in the United States....
might also be facing a similar lawsuit due to similar circumstances.
Little Lacy Surprise Pageant
In the UK on 16 June 2008, The SunThe Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
reported the presence of an in-game internet resource called "Little Lacy Surprise Pageant" available on the in-game internet. This is a reference to the fake commercials heard on the fictitious radio stations in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories is a 2006 sandbox-style action video game developed by Rockstar Leeds in association with Rockstar North. It was published by Rockstar Games for the PlayStation Portable in late 2006 and later for the PlayStation 2 in March 2007. The game is the eighth...
. The fake site–www.littlelacysurprisepageant.com–displays a message from virtual authorities saying it has been closed down. It warns that anyone caught looking at it will be investigated and features the warning: "We see it all, we know it all," which is similar to the quote "Don't think you can't get caught. You are not anonymous." found at Grokster.com. The player's Wanted level immediately jumps to 5 stars, resulting in both police and FIB (Federal Investigation Bureau) involvement in their arrest.
The domain name address is just one of dozens of fake sites in GTA IV. Typing it into a real internet browser redirects users to the official website for the game.
No missions in the game allow players to act out the role of a paedophile, and neither Rockstar Games nor Take-Two Interactive have issued a statement regarding the inclusion of this content in the title.
New Hyde Park crime spree
On 27 June 2008, police arrested six teenagers who went on a crime spree in the town of New Hyde Park, New YorkNew Hyde Park, New York
New Hyde Park is a village in Nassau County, New York, United States, on Long Island.The population of the Village of New Hyde Park was 9,712 at the 2010 census...
. The group mugged a man, knocking his teeth out, attempted to car-jack a woman driving a BMW and smashed a passing van with a bat. According to the Nassau County Police, the teens claimed they were inspired by Niko Bellic perpetrating violent crimes in Grand Theft Auto IV.
Thailand taxi driver murder
On 4 August 2008, BBC NewsbeatNewsbeat
Newsbeat is the flagship news programme on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. Newsbeat is produced by BBC News but differs from the BBC's other news programmes in its remit to provide news tailored for a specifically younger audience....
reported that an 18 year-old student had been arrested in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
after he killed the driver of a taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
while attempting to steal it. Bangkok police captain Veerarit Pipatanasak stated "He wanted to find out if it was as easy in real life to rob a taxi as it was in the game." According to local sources, the student was playing the game in an arcade
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
and wanted to rob the taxi driver to get money to continue playing the game.
As a result of this incident, the game (along with the whole series) was subsequently banned in Thailand.
Male full-frontal nudity
The Lost and Damned expansion pack was condemned by parents group Common Sense Media who issued a public warning against the pack's content due to a full-frontal nudity scene during one of the cut scenes. They claimed the game was "more controversial than its predecessors" because it featured "full frontal male nudity".External links
- www.rockstargames.com/IV, Grand Theft Auto IV Official website
- Controversy on Grand Theft Wiki