San Andreas on p2p nets
p2pnet.net News:- Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, due to go on sale next month, is on the p2p networks.
But it’s not the first.
“Even last week copies of Halo 2 on the Xbox where leaked, in August Doom 3 was leaked and late last year Half-Life 2 suffered the safe fate,” says PC & Console Games, quoting Rockstar as sayiing, “The proper authorities are investigating the theft and are continuing to investigate all possible leads to ensure there is no further dissemination of our creative content,” said the company.
“We take the theft of our intellectual property very seriously and we are and will continue to diligently and aggressively pursue this matter.”
The release of the game will go ahead as planned, adds the story.
Yesterday, p2pnet editor Jon Newton’s TechNewsWorld column featured Rockstar and its games.
Read on >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Take-Two Interactive Software, owner of the “Manhunt” video game that was banned in New Zealand and which sparked the adoption of new video/CD purchase and rental rules in Canada, recently announced a partnership with one of the members of the record label cartel that’s currently suing p2p users around the world.
Take-Two’s publisher Rockstar Games and Interscope Records, owned by France’s Universal Music Group, have formed a joint venture to release the soundtrack to “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.” Its release is scheduled for October 25.
PlayStation2 is owned by another member of the “sue ‘em all” cartel, Sony. The other cartel members are BMG (Sony-BMG in Japan, Germany), Warner Music (USA) and EMI (UK).
Pushing Aggression
Recently a caption under a “Manhunt” graphic on CNET Networks’ GameSpot said, “You get to meet — and brutally kill — some very interesting people.” That caption has since been removed. But still there is a “Manhunt” description, prefaced by the statement that Rockstar’s “Grand Theft Auto III” and “Grand Theft Auto III: Vice City,” have done “pretty well for the company.”
The description says, “Manhunt … serves up a disturbing blend of third-person stealth action that’s equal parts ‘Splinter Cell,’ ‘Tenchu,’ and, because Rockstar loves its disturbing influences, snuff film.”
“Snuff” film? This refers to a type of grotesque “reality” movie taken to its ultimate extreme. The victim — usually a woman — is video-taped while she’s being mutilated and/or murdered. The “snuffy” is then sold to some very sick people.
But, “Rockstar loves its … snuff film.”
Real-Life Murder
“Grand Theft Auto III” was blamed for inspiring two brutal murders in California, and a Haitian civil rights groups filed a lawsuit against “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” because it instructed players to “kill the Haitians,” awarding points for each kill.
File-sharing sites already have “San Andreas” listed for download, says SPOnG. One version — weighing in at a whopping, not to mention credible, 3.95 GB — is currently seeing a lot of activity. “If this proves to be the game, it marks a worrying turn of events for Rockstar and the industry in general,” says SPOnG.
That’s not all Take-Two/Rockstar needs to worry about.
Take-Two calls its Rockstar Games “a leading publisher of interactive entertainment geared towards mature audiences,” that “markets its games responsibly, targeting advertising and marketing only to adult consumers ages 18 and older.”
But “Manhunt” and other Take-Two games are being played enthusiastically by people under the age of 18, or whatever the “adult” age happens to be in any given country.
Earlier this year, a 17-year-old British youth admitted murdering a 14-year-old whose parents claimed the older boy was obsessed by “Manhunt.”
In response to a p2pnet.net story on the murder, a reader wrote, “I am a frequent user of Rockstar’s ‘Manhunt.’ I enjoy playing the game with its intense scenario and its ferocious fights. I am a big fan of Rockstar’s ‘Grand Theft Auto’ series also, which has similar game play compared to ‘Manhunt.’ By the way, just because I like these games doesn’t mean that I am a violent person.
“Five news sites were running a poll. It was to do with ‘violent’ games being banned…. Why should these games be banned? Think of the other teenagers like me, who are not influenced by these games, who play the games to enjoy it, not to imitate what characters do in the game. If violent games were to be banned then the enjoyment of gaming will disintegrate.
“I am shocked at this incident, but it can’t lead to ‘banning’ these types of games. Even if they were banned it would influence people to download warez copies of these games, which is not good at all.”
The poster was 15.
Lack of Action
Meanwhile, UK electronics retailer Dixons was among the major companies which subsequently yanked “Manhunt.”
But the game — and many others like it — are still easily accessed. In the new San Andreas, “players build a crime empire by robbing banks, stealing cars, running drugs and killing the competition,” as a New York Post story put it.
ELSPA (the Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association) is the UK’s computer and video games industry trade group — something akin to the music industry’s RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), with all that implies.
“There should be a cautious attitude targeting non-adults with adult content,” ELSPA director general Roger Bennett told English gaming mag MCV, according to SPOnG. “It is up to the publishers what they do, but we would hope they would be careful and target the right audience. We don’t want to shoot ourselves in the foot again. What we don’t want is a situation where the indefensible becomes indefensible. We don’t want an Achilles’ heel like this given recent events.”
Clearly, Take-Two hopes the linkage with Big Music will inspire even more people to buy its murder-ware. And the labels? No problem. Business is business.
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See:-
p2p networks – Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, PC & Console Games, October 21, 2004
column – Gaming Industry Peddles Murder-Ware to Teens, TechNewsWorld, October 20, 2004
October 21st, 2004 at 3:11 pm
Pretty soon your going to start losing readers if you keep attacking GTA like this.
YOu have been warnbed.
October 21st, 2004 at 3:45 pm
not
October 21st, 2004 at 3:54 pm
I LOVE video games. One of the reasons I don’t play them is because if I did, I’d never get any work done. And I don’t have a problem with a certain amount of violence. It’s all around us anyway.
But this kind of crap is way out of bounds.
End of story.
October 21st, 2004 at 5:29 pm
Waiting for PC version
PS2 sucks (lolol)
also, frontpage says Rockstar video pirated, shouldn’t taht be videogame?
October 21st, 2004 at 11:32 pm
Some people also blame Marilyn Manson for all the ills of the world. Others blame violent movies or video games. Normal people will not become psycho’s or criminals after playing GTA 3 or listening to Marilyn Manson. Banning violent video games does not address the root of the problem. Some people are just naturally demented and some of these people play GTA 3 or listen to Marilyn Manson.
When these people commit a crime the media tries to find out what made them do it and the easiest explanation they can come up with is that a violent video game, or lyrics in Manson’s songs pushed them over the edge.
I say that if you can’t see the humour of running over a group of Hare Krishna who are walking around chanting on the street, then you need to lighten up.
October 21st, 2004 at 11:32 pm
I posted the above. When will you get me my password, jon!
Drake
October 22nd, 2004 at 1:36 am
“Yesterday, p2pnet editor Jon Newton’s TechNewsWorld column featured Rockstar and its games.”
Are you quoting yourself in this story or am I missing something?
Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it just seems odd.
Or is this story from someone else?
Also, the comment about losing readers is odd.
I though this was a place to get news and information?
If you do not agree with a story you can post why you think the position is wrong.
If you think the news is bad, wrong, whatever don’t just say it’s bad.
Post a compelling text explaining why you think so.
October 22nd, 2004 at 1:43 am
Games exploiting the lowest common denominator are not exactly the best ever.
But I believe the problem is deeper than this.
If you let TV (on which there are real horrible and graphic atrocities)
educate your children you should not afterwards blame games for their actions.
Children learn from those around them, and it is up to the parent to do the hard work of raising children.
To ban or not to ban? Not the point. Rather a distraction.
To educate or not to educate is the real issue here.
October 22nd, 2004 at 4:11 pm
Yep. It’s me quoting me. Frankly, I was trying to get as much mileage out of the story as I could.
As a father, I’m really alarmed by these violent games. I know first-hand just how easily a youngster’s mind can be turned from watching something such as Rockstar ‘games’ without the experience to put it into context – if there IS a context for this kind of stuff.
Snuff movies?
Anyway, it’s not exactly the same as the p2pnet post so I figured I could get away with it ; )
October 22nd, 2004 at 4:12 pm
heh – I’ll delve into this. Sorry
October 22nd, 2004 at 8:18 pm
Ah, I didn’t realised it was from a technewsworld story.
As a side note, I do think that abstracted and removed violence could
cause someone to not realise the reality of actual violence.
For this TV is much more to blame than games
since the destruction and pain are real but they do not touch us.
TV makes intellectualising and rationalising violence as normal and not
affecting us easy since we are not exposed to it in any way.
Therefore, children must understand the reality of violence.
Since they must also be protected from it this might not happen.
Without experience to help them see things from the perspective of the victims
childrens can think it’s ok to use violence because they do not have to suffer the consequences.
It would therefore be nice to have games teaching people
to help each other, be kind and compassionate.
It might also prove more interesting than ethernal competition for “score” or “bragging rights”.
Maybe there already are games where the goal is not to destroy, conquer or otherwise defeat an enemy but rather to build, create and improve places, things or societies.
It is too common that these only serve as means to destruction or competition.
Or maybe we need to make them.
October 22nd, 2004 at 9:47 pm
—It would therefore be nice to have games teaching people
to help each other, be kind and compassionate.—
This kind of game would be just as challenging, and certainly more stimulating intellectually.
—It might also prove more interesting than ethernal competition for “score” or “bragging rights”.—
Right.
Cheers!
October 27th, 2004 at 9:56 pm
i’d like to inform you that i kno some p2p programs that distribute san andreas for example eMule it has 107 san andreas files which one works i wouldn’t know all im saying is theres no way you are gonna stop warez
October 27th, 2004 at 9:56 pm
i’d like to inform you that i kno some p2p programs that distribute san andreas for example eMule it has 107 san andreas files which one works i wouldn’t know all im saying is theres no way you are gonna stop warez and dont ban video games thats pathetic