Ben-DutkaIt's no surprise to any video game journalist that Grand Theft Auto IV is a constant source of controversy and concern amongst politicians and the mainstream public. However, due to the high profile status of the game, this news tends to become overblown with exaggeration, and in some cases, complete misinterpretations and falsehoods.
Yesterday, the news broke that Connecticut State Senator Gayle Slossberg was concerned about a rape scene rumored to exist in Rockstar's blockbuster title. This initially came from a New Haven Advocate report, which was then reported on by GamePolitics. We contacted Senator Slossberg to explain that GTAIV didn't include any rape scene, but as it turns out, the explanation was irrelevant.
"The article in the New Haven Advocate misrepresented my off-the-record-comments during an informal conversation about parenting. I was in no way announcing a legislative proposal, announcing intent to introduce legislation or taking a public position on restricting the content of video games." — Gayle Slossberg
For those of us who are used to print media distorting the facts and "misrepresenting" certain details about the video game industry, this comes as no surprise. But we wanted to clear this up before a slew of indignant gamers caused a major backlash on what amounts to a non-issue. We're all a little on guard after the Jack Thompson era (thankfully ended by the Florida Supreme Court), but this is hardly comparable.
Related Game(s): Grand Theft Auto IV
