By now I think that everyone knows that Grand Theft Auto IV is officially the most successful video game (in it's first week) in the history of the universe. Really.
Here are some figures, from a CNN.com article by GameTap
It's official. Grand Theft Auto IV is a video game blockbuster, with gamers around the world buying up more than 6 million copies of the gritty, urban action title in its first week of sales.
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Sales of the game generated more than half a billion dollars, the publisher, Take-Two Interactive, said.
That's 2% of the entire country. Grand Theft Auto, as a series, has been the focal point of every anti-video game organization and nut-ball who wants to get them banned. People like the lovely Jack Thompson wanted to take legal action to prevent sales of the game to minors. It's obvious that Jackie boy has too much time on his hands, because there are two major things that make such a suit unneccessary: the voluntary rating system and parental responsibility.
More after the jump...
First, the ratings
- Games are rated just like movies. They go from E (everyone) to AO (Adults Only). Most games on par with GTA IV are rated M (mature) which is classified as 17+, on par with an R-rated movie. Also, like movie ratings, the system is voluntarily enforced. It's a little-known fact that, if a theatre wanted to, that they could let anyone they damned well please into an R-rated movie. Really. But to eliminate lawsuits and complaints filed by parents who are too lazy to keep track of their kids, theatre owners came up with a rating system designed to "protect" kids from unsavory content. The same is true of video games. While there is no law stating that you can't sell an M-rated game to a 10-year-old, 99.99999999% of retailers won't do it.
Second, parental responsibility
- As usual, I find it mind-boggling how little parents will do to parent their kids. They'll yell and scream at Congress and file lawsuits until ragnarok, but they won't jsut talk to their kids. If your kid is too young (in your opinion) to play a game like GTA, here are a few tips.
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TELL THEM THAT THEY CAN'T HAVE THE GAME - That's part of what parents do. They tell their kids what they can and cannot do. It's called "setting boundaries." Check it out.
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DON'T GIVE THEM MONEY - Most kids who are "too young" for GTA IV are also probably too young to have a job. How about not giving your kids the $70 to buy the game?
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TAKE IT AWAY - If you already told them they can't have it and they got the money elsewhere (summer job, saving allowance, etc) just take the damned thing away if you catch them with it. Hell, take away the entire XBox/PS3/Whatever if they won't play by your rules. If they have a TV in their room (which Xander, sorry little guy, will no tuntil he can buy his own) take away the TV. Parents are allowed to punish their kids.
I would love to see a survey of how many underage kiddos have a copy of GTA IV. Of those kids I'd then like to see how they got it. I'd be willing to bet that the vast majority of their parents bought it for them without even asking what it was or just gave them the money, again, without asking for what.
People say that the government should protect their kids, and it should. From things like terrorism and ecological disaster. Video games and schoolyard bullies should be Mom and Dad's concern. I mean, if you really want the government to handle raising your kid for you, maybe adoption would be a good choice for you.
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