Angry Parents, Must Be GTA Again

As with the launch of every GTA game since the start of time GTA IV has been receiving all the publicity it needs from those people who want to rid us of its evil.

On Tuesday Rockstar’s latest incarnation of the free-roaming game of all free-roaming games hits shelves in shiny boxes for the XBox 360 and PS3. A few journalists have already had, somewhat brief, hands-on time with the game, but already calls have been made for it to be banned. Tim Winter of the Parents Television Council stated on April 23rd that “This brutally violent video game must be kept out of the hands of children, and we are calling on all major retailers to reconsider any decisions to sell this game.” And I agree on one of those points.

This is a violent game, there is no point anyone saying that it isn’t. I doubt Mr. Winter, or any of the members of the Council have ever played this game, it’s probably questionable as to whether they’ve played any GTA, so quite how he can comment on the exact nature of the violence is a matter on contention. And I also agree that this game should not be sold to young children. The game will carry an 18 rating here in the UK, and to me that says it all.

A game that carries an 18 certificate is for people over 18. It should, therefore not be sold to those under 18. It is a criminal offence to sell a game rated by the BBFC as 18 to an under 18 in the UK. Why do people feel the need to ban a game just because there is the possibility a child may get hold of it?

Why must the experience of a game that has received, almost completely, near-perfect reviews be taken away from all simply because some parents will blindly buy their child a game when it has a large ‘18′ on the front. I have not only had a rant or two about games causing violence before, but I have also mentioned parents buying games they shouldn’t. This argument however never seems to go away.

This is a game made for adults, marketed to adults, and quite clearly should not be given to children to play. That is a point that gamers universally agree on. It should not be assumed that every person in the world who is a gamer wants kids to play these games. We understand, just as well as everyone else that ‘extreme’ violence, prostitutes, large amounts of swearing and general lawlessness is not a subject for a child’s game. Something that parents seem not to understand until they see it on screen.

What some people fail to understand is that those who play games are not all 13/14 year old boys. Yes they are predominantly male, but the average game player is between 29 and 33, the average buyer’s age is 38. So games aimed purely at adults are perfectly reasonable in a world where most gamers will be able to play them.

I will not blindly say that there is no way a child who wants to play GTA will not find a way however they will not be the ones who actually go into the game shop, pick up the box and take it to the counter. However those who do get the game are even less likely to go and kill someone.

Go ahead and keep the game away from children, but don’t keep it away from those who can really enjoy it, and don’t condemn the game until you have played it.

MTFBWY