Industry analysts predicted that GTA IV would sell $400 million in its first week, but it sold a staggering $500 million instead. Yes, half a billion dollars worth of sales for a video game in seven days! I bet that no film, concert tour, or any other kind of media has ever generated that much cash in a single week! I for one have been playing the game and can say that it is the most immersive game that I have ever played. And yes, it is clearly *not* for kids.
Results tagged “gta” from The Daily Nugget
Gamespot is reporting that pre-sales figures for the upcoming GTA IV video game are upwards of 6 million units and that the game is poised to generate $400 million in sales for the first week. With those types of numbers it may be able to surpass The Sims as the top selling video game of all time. GTA IV is scheduled for release on April 29th for the PS3 and Xbox 360.
Everyone is all up in arms at the fact that there are some explicit soft-core porn scenes embedded in Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. This is a game filled with almost every weapon imaginable, like bazookas, flame throwers, chainsaws, knives, machine guns, and pistols, and let's you kill anyone in the game at anytime!
So you are a teenager and you install a downloadable hack. Now, in the middle of this game, filled with blatant racist stereotypes, disposable prostitutes, and missions that get progressively more violent, you are in the middle of gangbanging, killing pimps, blowing up police helicopters, stealthily cutting people's throats when, there's a sex scene, a soft-core lamely animated sex scene at that. You are outraged because it looks so lame, your parents are outraged because it's, it's sex! Without Viagra and Cialis, they can't believe it! They call their congressperson.
Now congress is coming down on Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games for hiding a little bit of crappy soft-core sex in what may be considered one of the most violent games of all time. The message is clear. Violence is okay in our society because it desensitizes our teenagers to it enough so that we can send them to Afghanistan or Iraq or the next theater of war. But, those teenagers won't have sex, damn it, if it's the last thing we do!
The Entertainment Software Ratings Board has changed the game's rating from Mature to Adults Only. At the end of the day, the Mature rating is for people that are 17 and older, while the Adults Only rating is for people 18 and older--a one year difference. The shocking thing is that all of this violence in the game doesn't warrant and Adults Only rating! People are so fucking upset about the sex that you would think that this is a society of test tube babies. Everyone does it. Maybe the problem is that not everybody does and it makes those that don't very bitter and intolerant of those that do--even in video games.
So you are a teenager and you install a downloadable hack. Now, in the middle of this game, filled with blatant racist stereotypes, disposable prostitutes, and missions that get progressively more violent, you are in the middle of gangbanging, killing pimps, blowing up police helicopters, stealthily cutting people's throats when, there's a sex scene, a soft-core lamely animated sex scene at that. You are outraged because it looks so lame, your parents are outraged because it's, it's sex! Without Viagra and Cialis, they can't believe it! They call their congressperson.
Now congress is coming down on Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games for hiding a little bit of crappy soft-core sex in what may be considered one of the most violent games of all time. The message is clear. Violence is okay in our society because it desensitizes our teenagers to it enough so that we can send them to Afghanistan or Iraq or the next theater of war. But, those teenagers won't have sex, damn it, if it's the last thing we do!
The Entertainment Software Ratings Board has changed the game's rating from Mature to Adults Only. At the end of the day, the Mature rating is for people that are 17 and older, while the Adults Only rating is for people 18 and older--a one year difference. The shocking thing is that all of this violence in the game doesn't warrant and Adults Only rating! People are so fucking upset about the sex that you would think that this is a society of test tube babies. Everyone does it. Maybe the problem is that not everybody does and it makes those that don't very bitter and intolerant of those that do--even in video games.
Besides a fondness for fried plantains, Fabian and I also share a love for video games. Fabian must concede, however, the fact that I am much more involved when it comes to video games. Currently I own a PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, Gameboy Color, N64, and NES. I would own more systems, but I'm having trouble with funding. It seems that people are buying less crack and more pot these days.*
Anyway, I have just been informed that the next installment of the hugely successful Grand Theft Auto series will be released on October 19, 2004. Outstanding! Since the previous two editions of GTA sold over 10 million copies each, I have no doubt that GTA: San Andreas will sell approximately a gajillion copies before it can be bought in stores.
Now, the question remains, who is GTA:SA gonna piss off? My money is on the Mexicans. They have yet to be properly stereotyped in GTA. Their time is due. I just hope they take it with a grain of salt. The Haitians couldn't take a joke and raised all kinds of poo. I mean, really. It's not like the volatile Haitian-Cuban relationship portrayed in the game was made up. These peeps didn't get along in the 80's. Damn! Like the Haitians get along with each other now. So those peeps need to lighten up. No one is gonna buy a game where Cubans are running around beating up Norwegians. Well, maybe the Swedes, but that's another story...
*Note: Tasteless joke. Do not take seriously.
