Should GRAND THEFT AUTO: SAN ANDREAS be given an AO (Adults Only) rating?

[derby378]

The ESRB initially gave it an M (Mature) rating, but as of 7/20, it has been changed to AO because of the Hot Coffee mod in the PC version. So whaddaya think?

[tjdee]

1. Should have been AO to start with--but what's Mature?

Seems to me most DUers are adults, wouldn't hurt them none to have the rating changed.

But I don't know what the difference is between M and AO.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

2. Mature - 17 and up.

Adults Only - 18 and up.

What the hell is the point? We're just saying "17-year-olds shouldn't play this."

Maybe if parents didn't use the computer to babysit their kids, we wouldn't have to deal with this crap.

[CanuckAmok]

3. Paging Mr. Maddox... Mr. Maddox to the white courtesy phone...

http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=ticket_to_hell

[Reverend_Smitty]

10. lol...that was great

[Reverend_Smitty]

5. I don't see the difference in a year

I don't particularly remember having a big difference in maturity between 17 and 18. I agree it's a game that shouldn't be played by children but really what the hell is this rating change really going to solve?

[jobycom]

8. The wording is stiffer, too

AO says the game should only be played by adults. M says the game may be suitable for ages 17 and up, and may contain graphic sex, violence, etc.

It's a stricter warning to parents. I'd consider buying an M for a teenager, but not an AO.

Although some stores won't carry AO, so there is a financial issue.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

15. Any parent who would buy a game...

called "Grand Theft Auto," then act surprised to see what it contains is REALLY out of it.

[jobycom]

4. You left off the correct choice

They should either change the rating to AO to warn parents what's in the game, or they should take out the code that the mod unlooks to keep the game M.

What people keep ignoring here is that the mod only unlocks something the gamemaker put in the game, so it is their fault that the issue has arisen. GTA tried to cheat, they got caught. Yeah, maybe they did it on accident, in which case, they were careless and got burned.

Either way, I'm against corporations breaking the law to scam more money at the expense of kids. Either fix the game to make it M, or change the rating to AO.

And let's face it, GTA has only been helped by this scandal.

[CanuckAmok]

7. well, yes and no.

The difference between the "M" and the "AO" label is ultimately only a year (17 vs. 18), but like the parental advisory "Tipper Sticker" on music CDs a few years ago, that can mean the differece between being offerd for sale, or not.

If you're in Butthump, Nebraska and the only source you have for game purchases is the local Sam's Club, they don't carry "stickered" music, s you're out of luck. Most of the big retailers will probably have policies prohibiting their stores from carrying "AO" games, or "Tipper" CDs.

[jobycom]

9. You can't buy an AO game online?

[CanuckAmok]

11. Not everybody can.

I'm just saying a sticker can hurt a distributor economically.

[jobycom]

14. That's a fair point

But it doesn't change the fact that Rockstar was at fault for either cheating or being careless. They can keep the M rating by just removing the porno code. IIRC, that's what they've opted to do.

In other words, they were forced to follow the law, no laws were changed or harshened, and the game on the shelf should be the same after it is re-released as it was before, with the exception that the mod won't be able to unlock the secret code. I really don't see the problem some people have over this.

This is mild compared to the reaction to Janet's breast or Bono's expletive. I wonder what would have happened if one of the James Dobson crowd had raised this issue, instead of Hillary. We might be fighting a ban on the game, a fine against every store that sold a copy of GTA, an attempt to amend the Constitution to prevent violent or pornographic video games... Who knows?

[ChoralScholar]

16. I agree, but

It won't hurt future sales of this particular game, I don't think. The word is already out. But future games with an AO rating will probably not be as hot of an item because your run-of-the-mill game player won't be able to pick it up at Wal-Mart.

However, I think this series has run its course. This is the third game running on the same game engine. It's Just GTA3 and GTA:VC with a new map. I predict that San Andreas is probably the last GTA we'll see.

I actually enjoy playing GTA:Vice City. It's a nice distraction. I have to watch it if I play too much, I begin to get an impulse to run my car up on anything that remotely looks like a ramp.

[Spider Jerusalem]

6. Since it's not any worse than an R-rated film, I'd say "no".

I tend to be of the opinion that it's up to parents to monitor what their children are doing in cases like this, anyway. And Hillary's little tempest in a teapot seems to be advocating abdication of parental responsibility, and saying to parents "we don't trust you to make appropriate decisions for your children about this". Which is not a good thing, to my mind.

[Maddy McCall]

12. Who gives a fuck? Really. Who gives a fuck?

If you have the game, play it. No one's taking your right to play the game away.

Let's cede on abortion, but GODDAM them if they up the rating on a stupid VIDEO GAME.

:eyes:

[derby378]

13. The difference between M and AO

M-rated games include Halo and Doom. Recommended for 17 and up, but anyone can buy them.

Custer's Revenge, if it were released today, would earn an instant AO rating. Most stores won't even consider stocking AO games on the shelves no matter how much money they make. And if a high school student tries to buy an AO game, he better have an ID handy.

[NMMNG]

17. Stupid question alert

I've never played any of these games before. My experience stops at things like "Super Mario Brothers" and the like. I've heard of Grand Theft Auto and similar games but never played. Therefore I have no idea what the "Hot Coffe mod" means. Some help please?