By Staff
WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) is leading the Congressional effort to determine if a best selling videogame maker intentionally deceived the industry's ratings board to avoid an "Adults-Only" rating. The House of Representatives on Monday will consider Upton's resolution, H.Res. 376, that expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Federal Trade Commission should investigate the publication of the video game "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" to determine if the publisher intentionally deceived the Entertainment Software Ratings Board to avoid an "Adults-Only" rating. The bestselling game had been rated "Mature," but it was recently discovered that the game was manufactured with hidden, sexually explicit graphics.
"I am outraged by the brazenness of Rockstar Games in their effort to do an end-run around the ratings system," said Upton. "Parental involvement is the most important line of defense in determining the type of content suitable for children, and the ratings system empowers parents to do just that. Unfortunately, Rockstar Games' deceit has severely undermined the integrity of the ratings system. What good are ratings that parent's cannot put their faith in?"
The content of "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" warrants an "Adults-Only" rating, and the ESRB has since re-designated the game "AO" and pulled all of the remaining "M" games from the shelves. Upton has also drafted a bipartisan letter to the FTC that over 75 members of Congress have co-signed that will be sent Monday urging the FTC to investigate the matter.
"The release of 'Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas' was widely anticipated, but an Adults-Only rating would have severely limited its sales in retail outlets," said Upton. "It appears that the publisher has blatantly circumvented the rules in order to peddle sexually explicit material to our youth, and they should be held accountable. A company cannot be allowed to profit from deceit."
Upton appreciates the ESRB's swift action in investigating the matter and revoking the M rating and ensuring any further sales of "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" will be under an AO rating. But, Upton notes, that this action should have never been necessary had Rockstar Games complied with industry standards from the outset.