A Dutch programmer claims credit for a modification to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas that allowed porn scenes to be seen by players, while an American media watchdog has begun warning parents about what their kids might see if they play the game.
Patrick Wildenborg of the Netherlands claims to have created a software modification called Hot Coffee that lets Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas players see porn scenes he said were already in the game.
Wildenborg emailed the Associated Press over the weekend to deny suggestions that he or anyone else had hacked the game to insert the porn. San Andreas developer Rockstar Games has asserted, without offering further comment, that the game did not originally include porn scenes and might have gotten them by way of a hack.
Wildenborg's email said Hot Coffee only let users see what was already put into the game's code by Rockstar programmers. "If Rockstar Games denies that," he added in his email, "then they're lying, and I will be able to prove that. My mod does not introduce anything to the game. All the content that is shown was already present on the DVD."
Media watchdog National Institute on the Media and the Family issued an advisory after the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas porn presence became known. "It should be clear to everyone by now that video games do influence young people," said NIMF's Dr. David Walsh, author of the best-selling book on teenage brain development Why Do They Act That Way? in the group's advisory.
"Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas never belonged in the hands of kids," he continued. "We are taking the unusual step of alerting parents to the pornography available through this game to any child or teen who is Internet savvy."
The game was already the subject of a small uproar because players steal cars, deliver drugs, and even deliver prostitutes to johns, among other actions.
At the same time, the Entertainment Software Ratings Board said it would investigate the game to determine whether there is validity in the claim that the game includes hidden porn scenes. The ESRB decided to look into Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas after a stinging verbal attack from California Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) last week.
Yee accused the ESRB of caring more for video game makers, where big money is at stake in avoiding AO (adult only) ratings, than about keeping games like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (rated M: 17 and older) away from kids. ESRB president Patricia Vance said in a July 8 formal statement that the board relies on accurate information from consumers to help its rating system.
"If after a thorough and objective investigation of all the relevant facts surrounding this modification, we determine a violation of our rules has occurred, we will take appropriate action," said Vance's statement, which also accused Yee of crusading "for years" to undermine the ESRB on behalf of his own legislative agenda.
