Hackers Uncover Pornographic Content in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Ever since the revelation that mega-popular video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas can be modified to include a pornographic scene, politicians and the media have gone into a frenzy.

The game’s producer, Rockstar Games, initially said that “a determined group of hackers … have gone to significant trouble to alter scenes in the official version of the game” and that this violated their user agreement. That’s odd, since the game’s official website encourages players to modify the game, advertising that it has “player modifications support, giving PC gamers the opportunity to create their own world within San Andreas.”

But the real bombshell came when the company admitted that the content was already present in the game—the modification simply unlocked that part of the disc.

Since that revelation, the game has been pulled from most retailers’ shelves. In Australia, the game has been banned altogether. The rating was changed from M for Mature to AO—Adults Only.

Consider for a moment what has actually changed in the game’s rating though. It received its old rating for the following:

That was the old rating of M! This game already featured stealing cars, driving prostitutes around town, and having sexual relations offscreen before killing the prostitutes. The only thing that has actually changed in the game’s rating is the addition of the word “nudity.” The requirement for purchase moved from 17+ to 18+.

In the U.S., one grandmother is suing because she purchased this game for her 14-year-old grandson not knowing about the hidden content. In other words, this grandmother purchased a game for her grandson he legally couldn’t purchase himself because of its sex, violence, drug use and general debauchery, but is now outraged because the game no longer meets her moral standards.

In what way was this game ever appropriate entertainment for teenagers—or the preteens it invariably trickles down to? As adults, should we expose our own minds to this sort of debauchery? Grand Theft Auto was appalling before the modification. No one purchased this game with the idea that he was bringing the latest version of Donkey Kong home to the kids.

There should be outrage that this sort of culture exists at all. Not only are these sorts of games totally unsuitable for anyone to begin with, the gaming community actively works to make the games more disgusting than they already are. The main difference between this and other video game modifications is that the game maker had a hand in it.

Even with Rockstar Game’s negligence, anyone who saw this pornographic content had to actively download and install the modification—deliberately making a bad game worse. Players are actively seeking out the most morally bankrupt games they can find and then turning the depravity up another notch.

The game manufacturer plans to offer a download which will block the original modification. Who are they kidding? The modification was downloaded because the gamers wanted to see pornography. They still do.

Parents must take an active interest in protecting our children’s minds—as well as our own. For practical tips on how to regulate your family’s media usage in order to keep negative influences out of your home, read our article from the July 2005 Trumpet: “Protect Your Child’s Mind.”