See you later, regulator
Republican lawmakers criticized the FTC for not slapping down Take-Two software over the hidden sex scenes in the game Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. The FTC doesn't actually have the authority to do anything, but this has been and apparently will continue to be a hot topic on the Hill.
So what gives? The notorious "hot coffee" mod that unlocked the naughty parts in GTA:San Andreas was anything but easy to install. It took me a couple of hours:) Any kid who can patch a game is learning far more about computers than they're hurt by pixellated simulated sex.
Do we really need to regulate game companies?
I still have trouble believing that nobody wants to regulate data base marketing companies like Choicepoint or Acxiom, who continually bleed hundreds of thousands, even millions of consumer data records all over the Internet, costing God knows how much money and hassle for the victims. But yet, these idiots want to regulate freaking computer games, for God's sake!
I mean, like what parent who had a clue thought that GTA was acceptable for kids WITHOUT the sex mod? We're talking about a game where you make points by carjacking, robbing any and everyone, bitch-slapping hookers and running drugs. But the sex makes it unacceptable? Spare me. Like all forms of censorship, the censors have almost certainly never even seen the game, let alone played it. Dollars to doughnuts they've only seen the sex clip and huffed out of the room.
Priorities, please. We're in a war started because of one of history's biggest lies. Our economy is a mess, partly because of jungle-like, unregulated market sectors ruled by companies like Enron, who whenever they're hungry, just reach out and take a bite of anyone's haunch that happens to be walking by.
Why our legislators spend the duration of one exhaled breath for any reason other than pure politics to talk about this escapes me.
Besides I like the game.
Posted on June 15, 2006
