Rockstar Games sued
There’s a whole slew of Extreme Violence CD games which use death and mutilation as if they’re normal components of having fun. And that’s normal. (Thanks a bunch, ‘entertainment’ industry.) Moreover, these ‘games’ are being heavily marketed to kids and adults alike. (Thanks again …)
One of the worst is a Rockstar’s Sony Playstation 2 production called Manhunt in which the player ‘takes over’ death row inmate James Earl Cash.
Rockstar’s, "recent claims to fame – Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto III: Vice City – have done pretty well for the company," says CNET Networks’ GameSpot here. "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? That’s a grotesque ‘home movie’ in which the victim – usually a young woman – is video-taped while she’s being horribly mutilated and/or murdered. The resulting ’snuffy’ is then sold to very sick people.
But "Rockstar loves its .. snuff film".
New Zealand’s Office of Film and Literature Classification banned the game because it’s so bloody and violent.
And another Rockstar game, Grand Theft Auto III, is already being blamed for inspiring two brutal murders in California where deputy district attorney Darryl Stallworth wants death penalties for reputed killers Leon Wiley and half-brothers Joe and Demarcus Ralls, "the most malevolent members" of a gang linked to about a half-dozen slayings, scores of robberies, and a set of shootings," says the Alameda Times-Star here.
Now, Haitian civil rights groups have filed a lawsuit against Grand Theft Auto: Vice City because they say it instructs players to "kill the Haitians" and awards points for each kill.
New York’s Rockstar Games agreed to remove the offensive line from future versions of the award-winning video (that’as sold 11 million copies) reports an Associated Press story here, "But the Haitian organizations, led by the Haitian-American Coalition of Palm Beach County, have also asked for more than $15,000 in damages."
The suit was filed December 23 in state circuit court in Palm Beach County, says the report, adding: "Attorneys for Rockstar Games opted to move the case to federal court, and that motion was granted Tuesday. No hearing dates were immediately set.
"The lawsuit takes on heavyweights in the video game industry, including Rockstar Games, its parent company Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., Sony Computer Entertainment, the Microsoft Corp., and retailers Target, Wal-Mart and Best Buy."
No doubt they think they and their lawyers will do better in a federal environment which is used to caving in to Hollywood.
January 28th, 2004 at 12:16 am
GO ROCKSTAR GRAND THEFT AUTO AND VICE CITY IS THE GAME OF ALL YEARS AND NO ONE CAN TAKE THAT AWAY FROM US.
August 5th, 2004 at 7:08 pm
I can’t believe your mission statement includes this:
“censor-free international news service through which on- and offline community print and electronic media outlets can access and exchange news which hasn’t been spun”
and you write stories such as this, which are so full of obvious spin and bias this reader practically choked on it.
Jumped right on the bandwagon re: the Manhunt game belonging to the 17-year-old murderer, too, and proceeded to continued to report the real facts dubiously although police have said the game belonged to the victim.
Gee, could it be you’re putting a spin on things because “Sony is one of the major record labels that’s currently terrorizing file sharers for swapping digital music online?”
Too bad your attempt to spear hypocrites is dripping in its own hypocrisy.
May 31st, 2005 at 7:05 pm
why not blame the bible on all the religious murders and ban it outright? how many people kill in the name of god? and how few people kill in the name of GTA? i’m fed up with censorship! let US decide if we want to play GTA! we’re grown-ups and answerable for our own actions and should stop blaming it on random movies or games.
December 1st, 2006 at 11:52 am
Remember that graffiti artist that sued Rockstar games for using his artwork in GTA without permission. Well…they now use My graffiti artwork in their new game, BULLY. But I live in Sweden and have no idea on how to sue, or even get in touch with these bums. I would be happy with some $$$ for their copyright theft but I most likely end up with nothing while they continue to make big money out of others work..as usual.
If you want proof on the theft, check out the screenshots and the original work here: http://www.graffiticreator.net