A woman upset that she bought the video game "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" for her 14-year-old grandson without knowing it contained hidden, sexually explicit scenes sued the manufacturer Wednesday on behalf of consumers nationwide.
Cohen said in the suit that she bought the game in late 2004 for her grandson when it was rated "M" for mature, for players 17 and older. According to the suit, she directed that it be taken away from her grandson, which was done.
The game was released in October with an "M" rating. After a storm of negative publicity about the hidden scenes, the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, an industry group responsible for rating games, changed the rating to "AO" for adults only.
Laurence D. Paskowitz, the lawyer who filed the lawsuit on behalf of Cohen, said no parent would knowingly buy an adult-only video game for their children.
Good lord. So you'll buy a game for your 14 year old that has tons of violence, cursing, and sexual innuendo and is rated "M" for those older than 17, but an "AO" rating (due to hidden features that most be modded to obtain) is too much. Sounds like a great parent.
That is idiotic. The whole claim is that she didn't know it wasn't appropriate for a 14-year-old when she bought it, because it was only rated for 17+.
Hell it looks like Im going to have to go out and buy this game so I can sue someone. I need money. They should'nt force this game on me like they have. They owe me money.
It will be interesting to see what comes of the lawsuit. My younger brother is 18 and he was amused to see as he put it "very responsible-looking and respectable-appearing" adults/parents buying this game for their 14- and 15-year-old children when he was browsing at the local EB and Gamestop.
It might have been amusing to see their faces when some video gangster greets CJ with some HBO-style repartee or has a difference of opinion on CJ's wardrobe choices.
As for the opinion that Rockstar is "getting what it deserves"; it's too early to tell if this will significantly negatively impact them; their sales have already been enormous. The additional publicity may generate new sales in our weird "up is down" world. Let's see how it plays out.
The opinions expressed by JonathanStrange are solely those of JonathanStrange and do not reflect the opinions of OctopusOverlords.com, the forum members of OctopusOverlords, the elusive Mr. Norrell, or JonathanStrange.
Will the lawsuit bring out the fact that many of the parents just grab a game and give it to their kids without seeming to be aware of what they are handing them?
Any conscious person should know the game is not for kids. Just look at the pictures. If you can read how can the title not cause a second glance that its not for kids? I bet the back of the box explains what its about. While not all you can do is there you know its about gangster type life..guns, violence, cars, etc.
Its not liked it was wrapped in fuzzy bunny pictures with a game description of petting and hopping around in glee.
I know many adults dont have time to learn about every single game especially if they are not gamers, but they can at least look at the pictures, read what its about and check what the ratings state on the box (While a nude scene was snuck in the violence, language and drugs, etc. would have gone by the ESRB).
Man, kids have it so easy these days. Lazy little shits.
Back in my day I had to PROVE my entertainment didn't have adult content. One time I wasn't allowed to buy a UB40 album because one of the songs on it was "The Devil's Dinner". I tried to get another UB40 album but that got veto'ed because there was a picture of a topless lady on it (it was one of those "made out of multicolored construction paper" dealies). Do you know how hard it was to get Eternal Champions? Hella hard that's what!! Oh and god forbid there's fighting in NHL 96. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a daily struggle because of the uses of such slang as "man" and "dude". The "killing robots is not the same as killing humans" theory could only work for so long. MC Hammer was banned because he looked so mean and bare-chested, and his album title Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em" clearly indicated a predisposition for violence. That's right, MC Hammer was banned from my house.
I have the original PS2 version of the game. Discovering that it had hidden sex scenes caused much emotional suffering and mental anguish, impeding my ability to function normally in society. I may require special therapy to recover. Clearly I'm entitled to compensation!
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.
- George Orwell
This just in: some grandparent dame sues intraweb because it contains porn! 'Next up,' she says, 'is Mother Nature. That oxygen in the atmosphere kills us, so I want money!'
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