MADD Targets GTA IV Over Drunk Driving Scene

eldavojohn writes "The watch-dog group Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) has set its sights on the rating of GTA IV, primarily because a player can drive drunk in the game. MADD released a statement saying that 'Drunk driving is not a game, and it is not a joke. Drunk driving is a choice, a violent crime and it is also 100 percent preventable.' MADD also is asking Rockstar Games to consider removing GTA IV from distribution 'out of respect for the millions of victims/survivors of drunk driving.' Rockstar replied to MADD by saying 'we have a great deal of respect for MADD's mission, but we believe the mature audience for "Grand Theft Auto IV" is more than sophisticated enough to understand the game's content.' As expected, Jack Thompson is making his usual attention-whoring remarks by comparing GTA IV to the polio virus."

In other words:

[ODiV]

MADD condones drive-bys as long as you're sober?

I don't know about M.A.D.D

[Anonymous Coward]

But I'm a member of Drunks Against Mad Mothers!

Heh

[Anonymous Coward]

I'll bet MADD really wouldn't have liked how I spent last Friday night.

Have you ever driven so drunk that you have to cover one eye to keep from seeing double?

Drunk driving isn't a choice

[Malevolent Tester]

It's a way of life. Goddamn dipsoaurigaeophobic bigots

attention-whoring

[frovingslosh]

As expected, Jack Thompson is making his usual attention-whoring remarks by comparing GTA IV to the polio virus."

And, as usual, Slashdot is helping him get even more attention. I want to go on record here and now asking Slashdot to pull this story, out of respect for all of the attention-whoring victims that this jerk has already affected.

Re:Feh.

[TripMaster Monkey]

I agree...after all, that's exactly what happened to me with San Andreas...I got so good at running over drug dealers and stealing their loot I thought I could handle it in real life...

</snark>

Actually

[kellyb9]

The drunk driving scenes didn't seem so bad to me, then again I was drunk.

Re:PR advice

[gnick]

I understand that MADD is all about drunk driving, but is that really the most disturbing thing that the player is allowed to do in the game? I've played a couple of the previous installments and while playing, I have beaten/run down innocent pedestrians, killed cops, intentionally rammed random cars with my stolen fire truck, set fire to little old ladies, etc. Is DWI really worse than any of those?

As a side note, doing all of those things in the game has only lead me to try a couple of them in real life. So I can personally debunk the myth that game violence leads to real-world violence. I mean, who among you can claim that you've never run down pedestrians in a stolen fire truck?

Re:PR advice

[Snowmit]

No, no, no. If you want to practice drunk driving don't play this arcadey tuned-for-fun mission over and over again. The trick is to pick up the most realistic driving sim you can find and then to get BLITZED OUT OF YOUR MIND.

Bonus points for FRAPSing it.

Re:Wow...

[Admiral Ag]

If Jack Thompson was right about GTA turning kids into gun crazed psychopaths, then he'd be too shit-scared to speak out about it, since he'd be the number one target of said kids who'd love to pop a cap in his ass for trying to take their game away.

As for MADD, someone needs to pimp those skanky bitches out! (Urmmm.... maybe I've been playing GTA too much... oh well... )