Grand Theft Auto changed to an adults only game!

[lord of the mark]

[QUOTE] Originally posted by Carolus Rex
"Who can tell what "the burning records" - overreaction is in our times?"

No we cant tell - who knows, maybe in 2250 they'll think youre point of view was anti-religious stalinism. I have no friggin idea what they'll think in 2250. I have to reason based on what seems reasonable to me NOW.


"I think you have a point here, but my point is still valid. It's not a question of whether a mainstream religious group "oppresses" a non-religious "outcast" group or the other way around... The common denominator is intolerance towards people outside of the "mainstream group" (whatever that is)... In other words, it's equally bad...

I think I can relate to what you say about "hard to live according to traditional values". In Sweden, religion is more or less dead, but (caveats):

i) not everyone would agree; we have our own bible belt

ii) we have a lot of immigrants with strong religious faith and

iii) this isn't to say that people are not searching for spiritual guidance; they are, but it's an individual quest (religious communities are relatively weak, but see i) above)

So, in my experience (which need not be a correct description of swedish society) it's more odd to say you're a christian than saying you're an agnostic.

Hence, it's not an issue if our prime minister believes in a God or not (he does), whereas the US still awaits its first agnostic president... If you're an american and don't claim to be a believer in God, then the highest office in your country is out of reach for you.

I don't think you can understand how utterly strange it feels to listen to Bush speak in biblical terms, or seeing american politicians swearing on the bible... Religion seems to be as strong as ever in the US, but I don't live there so what do I know..."


but we're talking about games, NOT religion. There are plenty of people who are religious in one form or another who dont make a deal about this kind of cultural crap - either they belong to luke warm religions, or they are fundies from cultural backgrounds in the south that are not so sensitive about violence, and only make a big deal about sex - OTOH there are people who arent particularly religious who are fed up with the crap. I know the strength of religion in the US has some of you Euros fascinated/obsessed, but its a mistake to see all US cultural issues through that prism.

This isnt about religious conformity, or crackdowns on dissenting atheists - its about games accused of being filled with violence, and exploitive sexuality.

[Carolus Rex]

Originally posted by lord of the mark

No we cant tell - who knows, maybe in 2250 they'll think youre point of view was anti-religious stalinism.

Good one!

Originally posted by lord of the mark

I know the strength of religion in the US has some of you Euros fascinated/obsessed, but its a mistake to see all US cultural issues through that prism.

Ok.

Originally posted by lord of the mark

This isnt about religious conformity, or crackdowns on dissenting atheists - its about games accused of being filled with violence, and exploitive sexuality.

Fair enough. This thread did stray a little, didn't it?

Carolus

[Carolus Rex]

BBC article about the scandal hitting Australia:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4728261.stm

Carolus

[Carolus Rex]

Maybe someone already covers this in the thread, but how did the Dutch fan know about the scenes (that they actually existed in the game)?

Carolus

[Agathon]

Originally posted by lord of the mark
"The people going after computer games are the same kind that burnt rock and roll records in the late 1950s and early 1960s... I find it hilarious watching the old films (news reels) from inland US towns with the "respectable" inhabitants headed by the priest, the teacher or the doctor (all males, of course) gathering at the city square for a little LP barbeque... "

and why shouldnt they have? Can you deny that rock was part of a cultural change that led to things that were undesirable from their point of view?

Because it's none of their business.

"Judas Priest, a heavy metal band, was taken to court in the 1980s or 1990s, accused of having recorded secret satanic messages on their LPs... Play their records backwards and Satan's voice will be heard... They were acquitted (?) after having played other LPs (with well-known children's lullabys IIRC?) backwards in court, revealing more "satanic" messages... I guess LPs are not supposed to be played backwards... "

But why shouldnt people have the right to question the values expressed in say, heavy metal music? There are always silly people who believe silly things - there were, I suppose people who believed crazy things about the automobile - that doesnt mean it isnt something with safety and pollution consequences, and effects on communities. That people fear the new doesnt automatically mean the new is benign.

They can question the "values" in heavy metal music if they like, but that is a different thing entirely to trying to ban it.

If you don't want your kid listening to Judas Priest, don't let them. But don't try to prevent other people from doing so, or from allowing their kids to listen to it.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Agathon

If you don't want your kid listening to Pat Robertson, don't let them. But don't try to prevent other people from doing so, or from allowing their kids to listen to it.

Good point, Aggie.

[Skanky Burns]

Originally posted by DrSpike
What game were we discussing again?

The Sims, wasn't it?

[Agathon]

Originally posted by lord of the mark

Good point, Aggie.

Then why are you whining about this?

[Adagio]

"San Andreas banned down under"

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/07/29/news_6130025.html

In this case I can see a little bit reason for doing something about it since the game (according to the article) was rated 15+, but banning it seems like a bit too much


[q=Gamespot]And banned it has, forbidding sales of Leisure Suit Larry: Magna *** Laude, BMX XXX, and Manhunt in the past. While a heavily edited version of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was approved by the OFLC in 2002, Grand Theft Auto III was banned in Australia when it was released in 2001.[/q]

Wow, them aussies likes banning games
I never knew they had banned that "many" games...
What was special about their version of Vice City?

[:) Smiley]

Maybe Australia doesn't have much of a domestic games industry, so there's no one to complain?

[Datajack Franit]

As if brain-eating zombies were better

[DrSpike]

Maybe Aussies just dont like games.

[Carolus Rex]

I think ravagon will have a thing or two to say about that...

Adagio,

What was wrong with my link?

Carolus

[Datajack Franit]

Are they killing kangaroos on GTA? That would explain

[Skanky Burns]

Our ratings board like to ban things very much. Sex + violence is enough to get something banned here. To get around that, GTA3 was actually edited so that you could not have sex with prostitutes (and then go on to bash them to get your money back). You can try this if you have the game by setting window's language to English (Australian) if you really like being ignored by prostitutes.

We like killing kangaroos though. They taste delicious.