With the Grand Theft Auto IV launch less than a week away, the expected wave of anti-GTA publicity continues with an alert issued by watchdog group the Parents Television Council.
According to PTC president Tim Winter:
Since the first version was released in 1997, the Grand Theft Auto series has lowered the bar for appalling video game content…
In past versions, players could re-enact having sex with a prostitute, beating her bloody, taking her money and running her over with a car; shooting at police officers; and, by using a code easily accessible on many internet sites, having a realistic sexual encounter on screen — complete with audio commentary.
In the alert, PTC urges its members to pressure retailers not to carry GTA IV. Or, if retailers do choose to stock the game, PTC suggest that it be displayed where minors will not see it. Apparently concerned about another Hot Coffee situation, the PTC has also called upon retailers to:
…insist that Take Two… and the [ESRB] actually review all playable content before issuing a rating for the game. Given Take-Two Interactive’s reckless or intentional misleading of the ESRB and ESRB’s failure to respond quickly in the aftermath of the “hot coffee” mod fiasco… retailers must be reassured, in writing, that the rating given the game is accurate and that there is no hidden or modifiable content in the game.
GP: While it is inevitable that GTA IV will be scrutinized carefully for any Hot Coffee redux, PTC oversteps by suggesting that content not be modifiable. There is an active GTA mod community just waiting to tinker with GTA IV. In fact, it was the mod community which revealed (but did not create) Hot Coffee in the first place.
The PTC alert also references the uproven theories of serial video game critic Dave Grossman.
