http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/07/13/news_6129021.html

"A statement distributed by [Hilary Clinton's] office this afternoon sets the scene, stating that 'following recent reports revealing that the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas has graphic pornographic content which may be unlocked by following instructions on the Internet, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton will hold a press conference to discuss legislative solutions to keep inappropriate video game content out of the hands of young people.' "

Um, it's rated M. What's the problem here? Unless she's talking about someone potentially putting M rated material into a game that isn't rated M, this is just stupid. The media is a sesspool, so tune out and don't buy what you don't like, but this talk of "legislative solutions" sounds pretty frickin' elistist and scary.

Ah, my ignorance of the MSRB rating has shown. Apparently it should be an "adult only game" rather than 17+ M-rated. Are we all insane here in this country? You can shoot innocent people in a graphic depiction of violence and get an M rating, but some T&A gets an "Adult Only" rating along with legistlative inquiries and investigations?

Thanks for the update, Brad. I agree with Erin that this is not too far off from the GoW sex mini-games, but due to the visual depiction of the up-down-up-down-a-b-a-b orgasm combo power up in GTA here, this has potential to blow up to the proportions of Janet Jackson's nipple.

The good news is that issues of obscenity are still down in the law books as being ones that are determined "by the community." So make sure your voice is heard.

You can contact Senator Clinton via http://clinton.senate.gov/contact/webform.cfm

You can contact your state Senators at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Rockstar has claimed that they didn't actually put the sex games into GTA:SA and the Hot Coffee mod actually adds that content rather than merely unlocking it like the mod author claims.

However, today someone is claiming to have discovered a code to unlock it on the PS2 version with the AR Max device. More on that here: http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/top/hot-coffee-on-ps2-112800.php

So much for Rockstar feigning complete innocence.

July 20, 2005

Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Announces Conclusion of ESRB Investigation

ESRB assigns "Adults Only 18+" (AO) rating for current version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas due to unauthorized third party "Hot Coffee" modification

Rockstar Games to cease manufacture of current version of title and offer a downloadable patch to prevent modification of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for PC

Company lowers third quarter and fiscal year guidance to reflect the expected negative impact on the title's retail performance

New York, NY – July 20, 2005 –Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO) announced today that the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has changed the rating of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on all platforms from "Mature 17+" (M) to "Adults Only 18+" (AO) because of the so-called "hot coffee mod," an unauthorized third party modification that alters the retail version of the game. Take-Two cooperated fully with the ESRB's investigation.

Rockstar Games has ceased manufacturing of the current version of the title and will begin working on a version of the game with enhanced security to prevent the "hot coffee" modifications. This version will retain the original ESRB M-rating and is expected to be available during the Company's fourth fiscal quarter. Rockstar Games will be providing AO labels for retailers who wish to continue to sell the current version of the title.

As a result of the re-rating of the game, Take-Two is lowering guidance for the third fiscal quarter ending July 31, 2005 to $160 to $170 million in net sales and a net loss per share of $(0.40) to $(0.45) to provide reserves for the value of the title's current North American retail inventory. Accordingly, guidance for the fiscal year ending October 31, 2005 is also being lowered to $1.26 to $1.31 billion in net sales and $1.05 to $1.12 in diluted earnings per share.

"Take-Two and Rockstar Games have always worked to keep mature-themed video game content out of the hands of children and we will continue to work closely with the ESRB and community leaders to improve and better promote a reliable rating system to help consumers make informed choices about which video games are appropriate for each individual," said Paul Eibeler, Take-Two's President and Chief Executive Officer. "The ESRB's decision to re-rate a game based on an unauthorized third party modification presents a new challenge for parents, the interactive entertainment industry and anyone who distributes or consumes digital content. Rockstar Games is pleased that the investigation is now settled and they look forward to returning their focus to making innovative and groundbreaking video games for a mature audience."

The scenes depicted in the "hot coffee" modification are not playable in the retail version of the game unless the user downloads and/or installs unauthorized software that alters the content of the original retail version of the title, representing a violation of Take-Two and Rockstar's end user license agreement (EULA) and intellectual property rights. "We are deeply concerned that the publicity surrounding these unauthorized modifications has caused the game to be misrepresented to the public and has detracted from the creative merits of this award winning product," said Mr. Eibeler. Take-Two is exploring its legal options as it relates to companies that profited from creating and distributing tools for altering the content of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Rockstar Games will be making available shortly a downloadable software patch to render Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for PC impervious to the "hot coffee" modification. Rockstar encourages parent groups and political leaders to assist with distribution of the patch to prevent the content of the modification from spreading further.

http://ir.take2games.com/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=169278

Yea... Kotaku has a lot of coverage on this today: http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/hot-coffee/index.php

Can we start referring to this whole debacle as Hot Coffeegate? Or maybe just Coffeegate.

I'm pretty into Coffeegate, myself. Or maybe GTAte...

Even though I am all for free speech, common sense and no parental guidance stickers and ratings, I would feel a little less disgusted to be a human being if this game didn't exist. I am not saying that it gives 'young people ideas on how to act' (because the people who do these stuff are thugs and they would do it anyway) but I just don't like celebrating a game like this...The game isn't exactly a counter-cultural art piece so even when my friend's ten year old likes to play it (and he even found the naked code in the Sims - oh my call child services) he doesn't take it seriously. Which I guess is my point.

The world would be a better place without yet-even-more-forced-parental-guidance-ratings-pretending- to-be-in-place-for-real-parental-guidance, but it would be even better without another useless man-killing, thug-swinging, car-crashing (and apparently ho-#@$@%&') game like this one.

I suppose I am actually embarrassed rather than offended. Is that terribly wrong? Can we get real rating stickers instead, e.g. 'unoriginal', or even 'bites the big one'? All the hoopla for this piece of crap?

Hillary jumpin' on this one to make up for Bill's lack of ethics is cheap.

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