Grand Theft Auto and The Oval Office

I've been on vacation for the last couple of weeks, catching up with the family. My younger brother, who has no kids, brought along his PlayStation and a copy of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

What a riot. This is a video game in which you control a character who roams the streets of a fictional city, stopping pedestrians and beating them or shooting them randomly, stopping traffic, carjacking vehicles, driving around firing automatic weapons and exploding incendiary devices. You can also stop in on any number of safehouses to change into some sweet pimped-out outfits. Or, you can have an encounter with a prostitute and then beat her to death and take back your money.

I laughed non-stop when I saw this. I guess that this portrays something so far outside the realm of reality, at least my reality, so it hit me as absurd.

And like many video games, this one has a number of "cheat codes" that are implemented, whether to aid the testers during the development cycle or as treats for the fanatics. According to an LA Times article, a cheat code was recently discovered/made public on the internet that unlocks hidden interactive sex scenes. (Code name: Hot Coffee.) Sign me up!

But not everyone likes this idea. The Software Ratings Board revoked the game's "Mature" rating and raised it to "Adults Only." (I guess you can portray the beating of a hooker and that's OK, but show the sex and that's crossing the line.) This prompted major retailers like Wal-Mart to pull it from the shelves. Which is understandable. It also provoked comments from lawmakers like Washington state Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson and - get this - Hillary Clinton.

This, is great. Good Ol' Hillary getting upset over teenage boys being exposed to some good old fashioned faux-porn. She's even calling for a federal investigation.

What's the saying? Charity begins at home? I guess it's true for sexual depravity as well.

I'm waiting for the first idiot parent to file a lawsuit claiming that this feature is corrupting their little Johnny.

"Yes, your honor, I thought that I was buying this game so my son could pretend to roam the streets committing senseless acts of violence and cruelty - but never would I have expected that he would be exposed to the visual equivalent of a Ken and Barbie doll bumping cods. Now give me my $15 million to help me get over this trauma. Oh, and add some for Johnny too. He'll need a few extra sessions at his therapist."