Posted: Friday, July 22, 2005 12:00 am
There has been justifiable public furor this week over a child/s game that government officials say goes way over the line of decency.
The makers of the computer game "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" admitted this week that its programmers buried some explicit sex scenes in the game/s software, and by using downloads readily available on the Internet, a player of just about any age could "unlock" the scenes and view them.
The admission came after two weeks of denials by the management of Take-Two Interactive Software. They were so busy accusing hackers of inserting the sexually explicit material that they didn/t have time to disclose that it was their own programmers behind the dirty work.
And dirty work it is. Until the hidden scenes were revealed, "Grand Theft" carried a "mature" rating, an indication of violence but not heavy sexual content. The industry/s ratings board revised the rating to "adults only" status this week, which means many of the nation/s top retailers won/t carry the product. Wal-Mart and Best Buy already have removed the game from their shelves.
But the idea that a major manufacturer of children/s computer games would pull one over on the ratings board is worrisome for parents who are already concerned about the violence in such games. Adding explicit sex to the mix opens a new door for children to enter an adult/s world 7 a place most parents would prefer their youngsters not go.
Lawmakers are calling for a full investigation of the computer game industry, and possibly fines for companies that pull a "Grand Theft" type stunt. In the meantime, we can only offer the oldest advice in the world for parenting 7 know what your children are reading, watching and doing. If you don/t want violence and sex in your child/s bedroom, don/t bring the product home.
July 22, 2005