Grand Theft Auto IV out tomorrow
28 Apr 2008 | 08:22 BST
Critics sharpen knives, chainsaws and axes
VIOLENT GAME Grand Theft Auto IV will be in the shops on Tuesday and the press seems ready to stick the knife in at the earliest opportunity.
Rockstar Games is planning to flog six million copies of the game in a week and most analysts are saying it will be the game of the year, whatever rumpus comes about.
Already there is some potential for problems. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has banned the sale of the game to anyone under 17. This will make it a must-have to every pre-teen on the planet and every one who gets a copy will be a potential lawsuit.
The ESRB and the National Institute on Media and the Family have even issued a press release warning parents to be careful about checking the game's rating.
Media murmuring has been focusing on the belief that the game will fall into the paws of kiddies, however according to AFP, most GTA IV will be 'adults' in their thirties.
It has been said that such games have been responsible for a rise in violent crime amongst children when, according to Mia Consalvo, an assistant professor specialising in video game research at Ohio University, the statistics show the opposite being the case.
As Frank Zappa once asked Congress when it was debating the impact of nasty rock lyrics on kids: "I wrote a song about dental floss once, but did anyone's teeth get whiter?" µ
L’Inq
AFP
© 2007 Incisive Media Investments Ltd. 2007