After hearing about Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas having its ESRB rating changed to "Adults Only" because of the now-infamous "Hot Coffee" mod, a few thoughts struck me as I mulled it over.
First, I'll admit that it may have been less than completely responsible for Rockstar to have left the "content" in the game. That said, it's still not wholly their fault. Games are always full of half-finished content. If you've ever heard of debug codes, developer levels, stage selects, or the secret worlds of the original Metroid for the NES, then you know what this half-finished content is. Programmers are human, after all, and can miss these things as easily as any other. Furthermore, time constraints may force them to simply cover up evidence that any extra content existed. They do so, only for some enterprising soul to come along, poke around, and eventually find the secret to unlocking what should have stayed hidden. That's pretty much what happened here. Or, as the old programmer's saying goes, "Under budget, on time, bug free; now pick two."
Second, there is a very good reason, though moot in this case, why Rockstar wouldn't want to go for the "AO" rating right away. Since many large stores refuse to stock AO-rated games, it can be a death sentence for a game in the same way that the MPAA's "NC-17" rating can kill a movie. Granted, it wouldn't have hurt GTA:SA's sales very much, considering that it is part of what might be the most famous game series of recent years.
In all truth, I would almost think that the content was left in solely for the purpose of stirring up controversy. Rockstar Games is certainly made up of fairly shrewd individuals, and they know that whenever they whip up controversy, they sell more games. They did it with GTA3, they did it with GTA: Vice City, they did it with Manhunt, and they're doing it with this. As long as this receives coverage, it's money in Rockstar's bank.
And then there are those who wish to see the game itself censored or banned, such as longtime censorship advocate Sen. Joe Lieberman and bandwagon-jumper Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. These are, perhaps unfortunately for my viewpoint, often Democrats who are trying to latch onto so-called "family values" issues to try and regain this overhashed, mindless idea that is often invoked by Republican politicians and many of our worst enemies.
The "family values" argument for regulating video games is itself pointless, as it stems from a misconception that video games are solely the domain of children. Recent years should show otherwise, especially since the majority of game players are now over the age of 18. However, the popular perception is still that most players ar3e children, and thus should be "protected". It was this thinking that caused the formation of the ESRB, and yet it doesn't seem to be enough.
Ultimately, this is not going to result in much more than another minor dust-up. Nothing will change.
