The ever reliable Sun tabloid newspaper combined with the reliably scandal-seeking Rockstar Games have managed to produce an ever horror inducing paedophile story complete with a shocked and disgusted gamer responding in... disgust and shock.
Yes, The Sun has discovered the littlelacysurprisepageant . com 'site' within GTA IV. This is the element of the game that refers to a beauty pageant but has been blocked with the in-game authorities. Visiting the 'site' also gives you a five-star wanted rating. The in-game URL itself simply links to Rockstar.
The idea is that the Liberty City authorities have taken note of the website, rated it as a paedophile site and have blocked it. Some regular attendees of child beauty pageants might, of course, be outraged that events in which pre-teen tots are made up to look like street-walkers and paraded for prize money could be perceived by video game makers as a little on the strange side.
The Sun finds one reader so totally shocked and outraged that even the concept of paedophilia could get mentioned in-game that he refuses to play GTA IV ever again. This is despite the fact that in-game this marks you out as a hyper-criminal and displays moral outrage in the guise of satire.
Social satire should, after all, have its limits otherwise it could actually achieve something that might upset the status quo. Frankly, the sheer bleakness of the Liberty City lifestyle fills us with more horror than the idea that visiting a fictional paedophile website should mark you out as a criminal. It would have been more of a surprise had the Housers not opted to include a hot-button topic such as this one.
You can see The Sun's take here.
See the appalling shocking site in the video below... and then go and report yourself.
Yes, The Sun has discovered the littlelacysurprisepageant . com 'site' within GTA IV. This is the element of the game that refers to a beauty pageant but has been blocked with the in-game authorities. Visiting the 'site' also gives you a five-star wanted rating. The in-game URL itself simply links to Rockstar.
The idea is that the Liberty City authorities have taken note of the website, rated it as a paedophile site and have blocked it. Some regular attendees of child beauty pageants might, of course, be outraged that events in which pre-teen tots are made up to look like street-walkers and paraded for prize money could be perceived by video game makers as a little on the strange side.
The Sun finds one reader so totally shocked and outraged that even the concept of paedophilia could get mentioned in-game that he refuses to play GTA IV ever again. This is despite the fact that in-game this marks you out as a hyper-criminal and displays moral outrage in the guise of satire.
Social satire should, after all, have its limits otherwise it could actually achieve something that might upset the status quo. Frankly, the sheer bleakness of the Liberty City lifestyle fills us with more horror than the idea that visiting a fictional paedophile website should mark you out as a criminal. It would have been more of a surprise had the Housers not opted to include a hot-button topic such as this one.
You can see The Sun's take here.
See the appalling shocking site in the video below... and then go and report yourself.
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Comments
Joji 16 Jun 2008 11:28
1/16
This is nothing worth worrying about. The Sun of all papers, should be aware that While GTA4 is violent, its also a satire tale based on messed up reality.
The reason they'd choose child beauty pageants, is because child beauty pageants are god damn creepy, but everyone accepts them. GTA4's world is a reflection of our and thus has in it, fake game internet access, so naturally fake websites have to made up for this section of the game. Big deal, its an adult game.
Its almost as if they'd like to pretend paedos and the net don't exist. And once again, we've been here with films and tv before, which have done the same, plenty of times.
You think GTA4 is guilty, try watching Law and Order a lot, no one every complains about anything in that show.
Move along, nothing to see here. Rant over.
The reason they'd choose child beauty pageants, is because child beauty pageants are god damn creepy, but everyone accepts them. GTA4's world is a reflection of our and thus has in it, fake game internet access, so naturally fake websites have to made up for this section of the game. Big deal, its an adult game.
Its almost as if they'd like to pretend paedos and the net don't exist. And once again, we've been here with films and tv before, which have done the same, plenty of times.
You think GTA4 is guilty, try watching Law and Order a lot, no one every complains about anything in that show.
Move along, nothing to see here. Rant over.
Psalms 16 Jun 2008 12:01
2/16
Agreed, I object to a lot of the content of GTA games, but there is definitely nothing wrong with this. If anything it's the first attempt the game's made to teach a moral lesson. Still, that doesn't sell newspapers I guess (page 3 does).
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Bentley 16 Jun 2008 12:14
3/16
"I object to a lot of the content of GTA games"... what a nancy you must be, David Armstrong. Stick to the Wii if you don't like violence in games, or sex or whatever it is that you see on-screen that makes you outraged. Sure, you have a right to an opinion on it, but it does make you look silly to the more mentally evolved out there who realise that it is a game. The problem is not the content, but allowing those who are mentally immature to have access to the content, e.g. minors or Sun readers. I actually object to the lack of content in GTA IV... gameplay-wise, at least. The satire, though, is spot-on. The Sun just want to put themselves in Rockstar's sights to see their trashy publication lampooned in the next GTA, I suspect.
What a complaint though... "I object to the notion that looking at pre-pubescent girls dolled up like cheap tarts in a competition environment is unhealthy and immoral, and so I will never play this game again!" (not an actual quote). F**k me, there's so much bad s**t going down in the world at the moment, and this loser is getting irate over this... what a t**t.
What a complaint though... "I object to the notion that looking at pre-pubescent girls dolled up like cheap tarts in a competition environment is unhealthy and immoral, and so I will never play this game again!" (not an actual quote). F**k me, there's so much bad s**t going down in the world at the moment, and this loser is getting irate over this... what a t**t.
deleted 16 Jun 2008 12:29
4/16
its all over reaction once again, but then again did rockstar really need to have this in the game, why mention (or hint at) pedo`s?
config 16 Jun 2008 14:36
5/16
Jeez, the guy playing the game on the uToob vid is crap - he couldn't even last a 5-star pursuit for a minute. Wuss
Rutabaga 16 Jun 2008 15:01
6/16
It's just typical of "The Cun" trying to play up to the uneducated reactionary pitchfork mentality, by somehow suggesting that the game is rewarding you for visiting that website. The editors probably know it's a joke but have managed to spin it to show the game in a bad light. It's reminiscent of their reaction to the Brass Eye special ("Paedogeddon")
Joji 16 Jun 2008 17:07
7/16
Oh, Brass Eye was the best satire to ever grace U.K tv. Such a shame that the PC fools out there didn't get that it was SATIRE, and band it for no reason, when it was a flying success.
In truth, C4 should try bringing Brass Eye back under another name. Stick a disclaimer at the beginning and go crazy for it. Maybe even put Brass Eye online, now that would be funny.
In response to Haritori, when you understand satire (maybe you aren't old enough to, I don't know), you'll understand that its the kind of comedy that you can aim at anything in life, no matter how messed up the subject can be. If you need a hint, go to you tube and watch the Brass Eye Cake videos. They are really funny, despite the dark subject of drugs. It was these that some U.K fools took seriously and got it banned.
In truth, C4 should try bringing Brass Eye back under another name. Stick a disclaimer at the beginning and go crazy for it. Maybe even put Brass Eye online, now that would be funny.
In response to Haritori, when you understand satire (maybe you aren't old enough to, I don't know), you'll understand that its the kind of comedy that you can aim at anything in life, no matter how messed up the subject can be. If you need a hint, go to you tube and watch the Brass Eye Cake videos. They are really funny, despite the dark subject of drugs. It was these that some U.K fools took seriously and got it banned.
PS3 Auctions 16 Jun 2008 23:48
8/16
This game gets blamed for everything, it is a little harsh but its poking fun at our screwed up reality that we have to put up with, in the game you can be whoever you want to be, if it were a simulator of real life it would be boring and people would be complaining about how their in game paychecks are too small..
Leave it to Rockstar to push the limits of decency.. this one is a little drastic but it just shows how our harsh reality is being included in our video game alter egos.
Leave it to Rockstar to push the limits of decency.. this one is a little drastic but it just shows how our harsh reality is being included in our video game alter egos.
TimSpong 17 Jun 2008 08:10
9/16
Joji wrote:
Oh, Brass Eye was the best satire to ever grace U.K tv. Such a shame that the PC fools out there didn't get that it was SATIRE, and band it for no reason, when it was a flying success.
Mostly cancelled due to commercial pressure on and from Michael Grade. Also due to pressure from tabloid press.
Joji wrote:
In truth, C4 should try bringing Brass Eye back under another name. Stick a disclaimer at the beginning and go crazy for it. Maybe even put Brass Eye online, now that would be funny.
Why under a different name? The name hasn't been made illegal.
Joji wrote:
In response to Haritori, when you understand satire (maybe you aren't old enough to, I don't know), you'll understand that its the kind of comedy that you can aim at anything in life, no matter how messed up the subject can be. If you need a hint, go to you tube and watch the Brass Eye Cake videos. They are really funny, despite the dark subject of drugs. It was these that some U.K fools took seriously and got it banned.
B.E. was mostly cancelled due to the paedophile episode not the Cake episode at all. Well made satire takes shots at relevant social issues otherwise it is simply offending for the sake of making the satirist appear edgy and clever. Satire is not, for example, hammering home a point and making a comment about somebody not understanding it because they are not old enough. That is confusing 'satirical humour' with 'playground screaming'.
For great satire read Jonathan Swift - and less of the personal insultments, eh?
Cheers
Tim
DoctorDee 17 Jun 2008 09:04
10/16
Tim Smith wrote:
That is confusing 'satirical humour' with 'playground screaming'.
For great satire read Jonathan Swift - and less of the personal insultments, eh?
For great satire read Jonathan Swift - and less of the personal insultments, eh?
Satirical Humour is over-rated. Let's face it, we all started with the Playground Screaming you place at the inferior side of that dichotomy. It is only the intellectual elitists amongst us who "ascended" to the heady heights of satire, and then started pretending it was somehow superior and pointing the (figurative) finger in order to satisfy their own lust for superiority.
I say yah, boo sucks to Satirical Humour, what did it ever achieve but to make smug people feel even smugger? What good laws were enacted as a result of satire, what bad laws repealed, which despots brought down?
And Jonathan Swift is hoity toity bullcrap that you only claim to like because he's Irish, much like your great grandmother's third cousin was. FFS, who's got time to read that tosh when there are Steven Seagal films they may not have seen!?
schnide 17 Jun 2008 12:25
11/16
DoctorDee wrote:
..what did [Satirical Humour] ever achieve but to make smug people feel even smugger?
There's meant to be a negative in there, I'm sure of it.
Psalms 20 Jun 2008 00:26
12/16
I didn't say I was offended by it, I just think a lot of the content is just there to be controversial. It's the wrong concentration when it comes to game design, it should be on gameplay and then if violent content, etc. adds to the experience of the game then that fine but it shouldn't be there just to get into the headlines again. This, however, is a fun joke as I see it. If this was in a Newgrounds flash or something nobody would think twice but, because it's GTA, it makes anti-gaming headlines that people want to read. It gives gaming a bad image.
TimSpong 20 Jun 2008 08:33
13/16
David Armstrong wrote:
If this was in a Newgrounds flash or something nobody would think twice but, because it's GTA, it makes anti-gaming headlines that people want to read.
(Declaration of interest here - I love Family Guy)
Certainly the latter is true. However, on any 'slow news day' any mention of paedophilia anywhere will give rise to a shock-horror outburst. I say, "anywhere" but I will, of course, exclude anywhere except News International products. I'll go back to Family Guy's Mr Herbert again. There's no pretence there at all of his proclivities. The show is widely broadcast but there's been nowhere near the stink kicked up about the old man's child-love. Strange...
David Armstrong wrote:
It gives gaming a bad image.
That's not the issue at all. The idea that gaming should have a 'good' image is so full of value judgements as to not make it worth dealing with. Okay, I will... in whose eyes? In the eyes of Keith Vaz or Hilary Clinton? In the eyes of my mum? In the eyes of the stock holders of EA? You? PreciousRoi or phil cort?
Cheers
Tim
deleted 20 Jun 2008 10:12
14/16
Tim Smith wrote:
David Armstrong wrote:
If this was in a Newgrounds flash or something nobody would think twice but, because it's GTA, it makes anti-gaming headlines that people want to read.
(Declaration of interest here - I love Family Guy)
Certainly the latter is true. However, on any 'slow news day' any mention of paedophilia anywhere will give rise to a shock-horror outburst. I say, "anywhere" but I will, of course, exclude anywhere except News International products. I'll go back to Family Guy's Mr Herbert again. There's no pretence there at all of his proclivities. The show is widely broadcast but there's been nowhere near the stink kicked up about the old man's child-love. Strange...
David Armstrong wrote:
It gives gaming a bad image.
That's not the issue at all. The idea that gaming should have a 'good' image is so full of value judgements as to not make it worth dealing with. Okay, I will... in whose eyes? In the eyes of Keith Vaz or Hilary Clinton? In the eyes of my mum? In the eyes of the stock holders of EA? You? PreciousRoi or phil cort?
Cheers
Tim
Im saddened that you didnt even think about my large brown cow eyes, as most certainly all of your judgements in life must certainly contin at least a flicker of thought for me?
TimSpong 20 Jun 2008 10:19
15/16
haritori wrote:
Im saddened that you didnt even think about my large brown cow eyes, as most certainly all of your judgements in life must certainly contin at least a flicker of thought for me?
Or - most importantly at all - in the large, brown cow eyes of Haritori.
Cheers
Tim
guy 2 Jan 2009 16:27
16/16
you should be concerned with the real world ... not a freakin video game