Related: How Grand Theft Auto III Changed Gaming Forever The lawsuit claimed the companies were guilty of deception, false advertising and fraud based on the change in rating. Many called for the game to receive the highest possible rating (Adults Only, which most retailers will not carry), which led to an unforeseen circumstance when an 85-year old woman filed a class-action lawsuit against Rockstar and producer Take-Two Interactive. Part of the issue arose from Rockstar's original statement that the game did not have the files locked and that they were originally removed, though new evidence proved that this was not the case.Įventually, government officials became involved, including then-U.S. GTA in particular has been accused of glorifying crime and violence and, despite its Mature rating indicating that it is not meant for children, the series has still been at the center of such controversies. In addition to concerns over violence, the 'Hot Coffee' mod brought sexual content into the situation, leading to more critiques of both Rockstar and the ESRB. While many studies have shown that violence in games has little to no effect on the psyche of young children, that hasn't stopped many from complaining about explicit content.

Video games have a long history regarding their portrayal of violence and women, leading to some concerns regarding their effect on those who play them, particularly children and young adults. RELATED: The Grand Theft Auto Trilogy Is a Great Idea - But There's One Problem While it wasn't the first time the series had included sexual or graphic content, the fact that such an explicit and interactive mechanic was hidden within the game led to a massive public reaction. With the mod, players could use a number of button commands to perform different sexual positions. The game allows players to slowly romance several woman and, eventually, go back to their houses. The locked files were, essentially, a mini-game centered around San Andreas' relationship mechanic.

While the developers never intended for the files to be found, they were eventually brought to the public attention through the 'Hot Coffee' mod. This controversy centered around a locked file in the PlayStation 2 and Xbox releases of the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Grand Theft Auto has always been a series that has worked around the controversy that surrounds it. However, one event in the franchise's history led to a massive backlash by families and even politicians.

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