Gang Fights, Virtual 'Escorts' Woo Older Video Gamers

Oct. 18, 2005 — -- Controversy peaked months ago over violence and hidden sex scenes in "Grand Theft Auto," but the video game industry is steadily pushing ever further into "adults only" territory.

Gamers have been anticipating the release of "The Warriors," a "mature-rated" game from Rockstar Games, the edgy creators of "Grand Theft Auto," while a new football simulation from a different game maker lets players send "escorts" to an opposing team's hotel room.

"Games are maturing as an entertainment medium," says Dan Morris, associate publisher of PC Gamer magazine. "Companies like Rockstar are pointing the way to a greater variety of choices ... They're taking the same steps movies and music did -- appeal to a broader audience than the kids they were initially aimed at."

Criticism of the gaming industry spiked earlier this year when explicit sex scenes were discovered hidden in "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas," a wildly successful video game that already had been criticized for excessive violence. The software industry quickly changed the game's rating to "Adults only," and retailers pulled it from their shelves while Rockstar scrambled to release a new version without the virtual pornography.

Many retailers will not sell mature-rated games to customers under 17 years of age.

Outrage over "Grand Theft Auto" may have cooled, but don't expect video games to return to any sort of age of innocence. Some of the latest titles suggest the industry is deliberately aiming for adult audiences -- with storylines that are much more edgy and gritty.

Gang Violence Revisited

Rockstar today released "The Warriors," which lets players portray members of a multi-racial street gang in 1970s-era New York City. As in the 1979 cult movie of the same name, Warriors face off against rival gang members armed with chains and baseball bats and fight their way through a virtual cityscape littered with trash and graffiti to reach their "home turf."

And like the "Grand Theft Auto" line of games -- which have sold over 50 million copies since 2001 -- many expect this latest Rockstar title to do well.

"They have a track record of success," says Morris, "And if any company could bring a new game franchise to success in the market, they would be it."

Other game makers are also pushing into edgier, adult-oriented content as well.

This week, Midway Games, introduces the latest version of its football simulation line called "Blitz: The League." Featuring the voice of former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence "LT" Taylor, the title simulates gridiron action and gives players control of their virtual athletes' lives and actions off the field. Players can choose if their characters should party before a game, use pain-killing drugs, or even sabotage opposing teams by sending "escorts" to their hotel rooms before the big game.

Midway spokesman Tim DeRosa says the content is indeed mature because it is a reflection of real-life professional football.

"LT did lend some content to the game ... based on some things he said in his book -- things like sending escorts to opposing players' rooms," says DeRosa. "This is reality gaming. A lot of the [game] play is ripped straight from the headlines."

But DeRosa insists the game isn't nearly as explicit as titles like "Grand Theft Auto."

"At no time, is there any nude female on-screen," he says. "A player doesn't hit [the] 'A' [button] to send escorts to the opposing team's rooms."

An Addictive Rush?

Game makers and industry watchers say the move to more adult-oriented game is a natural evolution of the market.

"There's always going to be a market demand for adult-oriented, mature-rated games," says Douglas Gentile, director of research at the National Institute on Media and the Family, a watchdog group. "When you have huge seller like 'Grand Theft Auto,' it's going to generate and push the boundaries of sex and violence [in video games.]"

Gentile says that his group is not opposed to mature-rated or adult-only games, as long they are not marketed or sold to kids. But they do worry that such games might drive the push for even more graphically violent content.

"I think they [games] certainly are getting more violent and edgier because desensitization happens. You play that first first-person shooter and you get that rush -- the same types of effects as if you were in a real fight," says Gentile, who is also a psychology professor at Iowa State University. "Then, over time, that stops happening, so you need new things to get that rush."

Moreover, industry watchers like Gentile are sure the rating system won't keep games out reach from children.

"Even though it's an 'M' rated game, millions of kids wind up playing it," he says. "There's too little being done to prevent that."

Game makers reject these claims, and cite the industry's quick response to the controversy over hidden sexual content in "Grand Theft Auto." They also argue game makers aren't acting differently from purveyors of other forms of entertainment.

"People make R-rated movies that sell millions of tickets, so why not video games?" asks Midway's DeRosa. "We're not going after kids under the age limit. We're going after guys watching 'Any Given Sunday' or those types of R-rated movies. We're going after the hard core audience of sports games."