Mothers Put GTA Back on Shelf

Study suggests that people are hearing the Hot Coffee news and they're not liking it.

Recent reports about hidden sexual content in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas have prompted a study by Phoenix Marketing International into whether the news has affected people's buying decisions. The results show that at least some people are finding out things they didn't know and don't like.

More than a third of those surveyed - gamers and non-gamers - said that the attention given Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas over the past two weeks has made them think again before buying games for themselves or others.

Recently a mod named Hot Coffee was released on the Internet that allows gamers to play previously inaccessible parts of the game that focus on sex. Rockstar denied that the content was in the game, putting the blame on the programmers that created the mod, but the recent finding of the same content on the PlayStation 2 version rubbishes that excuse.

A number of politicians in the US, including New York senator Hilary Clinton, have become involved in the story. One anti-game activist, Jack Thompson, has called the games industry to task in what is becoming a media circus.

But gamers don't necessarily think that the fault lies with the Entertainment Software Ratings Board - the industry-led body that rates games in the US. More than three quarters of gaming households said the ESRB was doing a good job and parents should assume more responsibility for what their children are playing.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games