TechStuffCanada

jargon-free tech news for non-technical people

Hot Coffee burns game makers

July 20, 2005 › Sandy McMurray | comment

ESRB Adults Only rating Take 2 Interactive has announced that the ESRB game rating for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has officially been changed from Mature (M) to Adults Only 18+ (AO).

The rating change is related to the unauthorized "Hot Coffee" software update, which unlocks sexually explicit material in the game.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for PC Here's the background on this story, in case you're just tuning in:
- unauthorized "Hot Coffee" update released for popular computer game
- updated game is revealed to have sexually explicit content
- game makers defend game, blame unauthorized software update
- politicians sense opportunity to defend America's children
- game industry goes into damage control mode
- ratings board for self-regulating game industry investigates

And here's today's update:
- investigation results in new "Adults Only" rating for the game
- game publisher halts production of current version
- publisher promises new Mature version of game
- explicit content also confirmed in PS2 version of the game
(therefore, explicit content was not added by "Hot Coffee" update)

It turns out that the explicit sexual content was there in the game all along, but was not intended for public consumption. Very strange, don't you think?

The publishers have promised to release a new version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas that restores the "Mature" rating. (The revised game will merely include auto theft, beating up hookers and shooting police officers.)

The self-regulating video game ratings system, Rockstar Games, and the Grand Theft Auto game series will likely survive this latest controversy.

Footnote: As of this writing, in spite of all the crowing about how "the system works" and self-regulation is the best way to control the content of games, the ESRB site has not yet updated the rating for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

July 20, 2005 › Sandy McMurray | comment on this item