The document discusses several controversial themes in the Grand Theft Auto video game series that could potentially influence players, including drugs, prostitution, killing, drinking, theft, reckless driving. It provides details on how each of these acts are portrayed in the games and discusses real-world incidents that were allegedly inspired by or linked to playing the games. The document also covers laws around copyright, defamation, child protection, and animal cruelty that the games had to consider in their design.

2. There are many controversial themes that can influence
the users of Grand Theft Auto. Here is a list of the themes
that are used in Grand Theft Auto which hold a possible
influence on the users of the game:
Drugs
Prostitution/Strip Clubs
Killing
Drinking
Theft
Driving Wrecklessly

3. Drugs
During the game the player finds themselves
in many drug dealing situations. Usually after
these missions they will have earned a
substantial amount of money. As well as this
other people will be taking drugs and
describing them in a positive way. This may
intrigue the player in taking drugs or having
something to do with drugs in real life thinking
they may make lots of money, or want to use
them recreationally.

4. Prostitution/Strip Clubs
The game includes side activities which you
can do with the characters friends. One of
these activities is strip clubs. This is where you
can go on your own or with other characters to
pay for women to give them promiscuous
dances. This appeals to the typical male
audience and therefore might influence them
into going out to real life strip clubs and
spending large amounts of money for their own
pleasurable benefit.

5. Killing Another action you can perform in the game is killing people
using different weapons or techniques. You are mostly asked to
kill or assault someone on the majority of story missions within the
game. This usually results in some kind of reward such as a car,
weapon, money, revenge or sometimes a house. When you kill
someone on the “free roam” mode, things may fall out of the
victims pockets such as weapons or money. This helps the
character progress through the story by enabling them to have
new ways in which to buy weapons or use the weapons dropped
to kill more people. This could influence the players of the game
to kill people in order to find a reward or get revenge.
Story about GTA 4-Influenced murder
“On 27 June 2008, police arrested six teenagers who went on
a crime spree in the town of New Hyde Park, New York. The
group mugged a man, knocking his teeth out, attempted to
car-jack a woman driving a BMW and smashed a passing van
with a bat. According to the Nassau County Police, the teens
claimed they were inspired by Niko Bellic perpetrating violent
crimes in Grand Theft Auto IV.”

6. Drinking
As a side activity in the game the player can go to pubs or clubs with friends and
will become heavily drunk. When this happens the view becomes wildly distorted
and movements almost unpredictable. The players also have the ability to
access cars whilst still drunk. This may be conveyed to the audience as a
comical moment as they are laughing at the silliness of the situation. Therefore
this may influence the players to go out and get drunk in real life, and maybe try
to steal a car to see if it is like the game. However the game does not actually
promote drink driving to the players, if they are seen driving by police whilst
intoxicated they will gain a “wanted” level and be arrested and fined, the
character will also make remarks like “I shouldn’t be driving” therefore showing
to the audience that this should not be done.
“The organisation Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) sharply criticized an in-game option that allows
players to drive while intoxicated and called for a stricter rating on the game that would effectively ban
its sale in the United States. "Drunk driving is not a game and it is not a joke," MADD said. "Drunk driving is
a choice, a violent crime, and it is also 100 percent preventable." MADD is asking the Entertainment
Software Rating Board to bump Grand Theft Auto IV's rating up to AO for Adults Only from M for Mature
and calling for Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games to consider stopping distribution out of a sense
of social responsibility, or out of respect for those who've been hurt or killed by drunk drivers. The ESRB
describes that the game includes "Use of drugs and Alcohol".”
Story about GTA 4 Drinking and Driving
Controversy

7. Theft
Story about GTA 4-Influenced murder and
theft
“On 4 August 2008, BBC Newsbeat reported that an 18 year-
old student had been arrested in Bangkok, Thailand after he
killed the driver of a taxi while attempting to steal it. Bangkok
police captain Veerarit Pipatanasak stated "He wanted to find
out if it was as easy in real life to rob a taxi as it was in the
game." According to local sources, the student was playing
the game in an arcade and wanted to rob the taxi driver to
get money to continue playing the game.
As a result of this incident, the game (along with the whole
series) was subsequently banned in Thailand.”
Different missions and side missions throughout the game require
you to steal different valuable items for a reward. This usually
involves stealing a car, stealing drugs from other drug lords, and
one mission requires you to rob the city’s bank. These missions all
end up in rewarding the player with mass amounts of money
which comes in handy to their progression of the game. This may
intrigue the players into stealing in real life to earn money

8. Driving Recklessly
The in game driving system enables the user to navigate
their way around the games world. This gives them freedom
to do more on the game when free roaming. The player is
also able to shoot weapons out of their window at other cars
or passers by, which is helpful when being chased by police
or other gangs. As well as this the player can break road
laws such as speeding, passing red lights, hitting pedestrians,
and resisting arrest. This may influence a person into doing
this in real life to get a rush of adrenaline and a feel of
freedom.

9. “The VSC was established in 1989 and fulfils two basic roles:
It is a standards body for the video and video games industries and has a
Code of Practice designed to ensure that both industries show a duty of
care in their dealings with customers and the public generally. It provides its
retailer members with a staff training course dealing with age restricted
videos, DVDs and video games.
It acts as an administrator of the PEGI system of age rating for video games.
PEGI is used in over 30 countries. It is the UK regulator responsible for the age
rating of video games supplied in the UK (using the PEGI system). In fulfilling
this role it uses the name Games Rating Authority (GRA).”
From the Video Standards Council

10. Copyright Law – governing the ownership of
intellectual property, including music and
photographs, Copyright protects only the particular
manner of an author’s expression in literary, artistic,
or musical form.
There are many elements within the game that
would need to obey copyright laws. These are such
things as vehicles, products, music etc. A lot of
vehicles within the game look like real life vehicles
therefore in order to make sure no complaints were
filed Rock star would have made sure the vehicles
are named differently to avoid complaints and
lawsuits from vehicle manufacturers. This would be
the same for the food, drink and clothing products
that can be purchased within the game. However
the in game radio station will have had to get
copyright rights for the songs to be able to use
them. Royalties are paid to the band in order for the
games company to sell the games soundtrack.

11. Liable Law – governing what can and
cannot be said in public about individuals
The game does not purposely affect
anyone's life by keeping the world of the
game in a different place by using different
names. Instead of New York it is called
Liberty City, as well as this no-one in real
life is mentioned on the game. As well as
this, because the game is set in a location
inspired by New York, Rockstar have taken
out the ability for users to pilot aeroplanes
due to the controversy of the 9/11 terrorist
attack.

12. Child Protection Law – governing how
children should be protected by the state
Cruelty to Animals Law – governing how
animals should be treated in society
Both the Child Protection and Cruelty to
Animals Law have been treated the same
way in the game. Grand Theft Auto, so far,
has never included any children or animals
within their games. Animals such as rats
are shown within the game to represent the
class of society a player might be in. As
well as this seagull can also be seen flying
around in the sky, however neither of these
animals can be killed. Although one side
mission is to kill 100 pigeons or more
known as “flying rats” that are scattered
throughout the city. By using the term
“flying rats” Rockstar has so far seemed to
avoid any animal Cruelty controversy. As
for the Child Protection Law no children
have been added or used at any point in
the game therefore creating a less
controversial game due to the amounts of
violence and other illegal mayhem caused
within the game.