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`EXHIBIT 18
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`EXHIBIT 18
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`From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
`
`Grand Theft Auto is an open world actionadventure
`video game series created by David Jones and Mike
`Dailly;[3] the later titles of which were created by brothers
`Dan and Sam Houser, Leslie Benzies and Aaron Garbut.
`It is primarily developed by Rockstar North (formerly
`DMA Design), and published by Rockstar Games. The
`name of the series references the term used in the US for
`motor vehicle theft.
`
`Most games in the series are set in fictional locales
`modelled on American cities, usually either Liberty City,
`Vice City, or San Andreas, which are standins for New
`York City, Miami, and the state of California,
`respectively. The first game encompassed three fictional
`cities, while subsequent titles tend to emphasise a single
`city and its outlying areas. Gameplay focuses on an open
`world where the player can choose missions to progress
`an overall story, as well as engaging in side activities, all
`consisting of actionadventure, driving, thirdperson
`shooting, occasional roleplaying, stealth, and racing
`elements. The series also has elements of the earlier beat
`'em up games from the 16bit era. The series has gained
`controversy for its adult nature and violent themes. The
`series focuses around many different protagonists who
`attempt to rise through the ranks of the criminal
`underworld, although their motives for doing so vary in
`each game. The antagonists are commonly characters
`who have betrayed the protagonist or his organisation, or
`characters who have the most impact impeding the
`protagonist's progress. The series contains satire and
`humour.[4]
`
`Genres
`
`Developers
`
`Series logo, used since Grand Theft Auto III
`(2001).
`Actionadventure
`Thirdperson shooter
`Racing
`Rockstar North
`Other
`Rockstar Games
`
`Publishers
`Creators
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`Grand Theft Auto (series)
`
`Grand Theft Auto
`
`David Jones[1]
`Dan Houser[2]
`Sam Houser[2]
`Mike Dailly[3]
`Leslie Benzies
`Aaron Garbut
`Platforms
`List of platforms
`Platform of
`MSDOS
`origin
`Microsoft Windows
`First release Grand Theft Auto
`October 1997
`Latest release Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City
`Stories (Android)
`11 February 2016
`
`British video game developer DMA Design began the
`series in 1997. As of 2014, it has eleven standalone
`games and four expansion packs. The third chronological
`title, Grand Theft Auto III, was widely acclaimed, as it
`brought the series to a 3D setting and more immersive
`experience, and is considered a landmark title that has
`subsequently influenced many other open world action
`games and led to the label "Grand Theft Auto clone" on
`similar games. Subsequent titles would follow and build
`upon the concept established in Grand Theft Auto III.
`Film and music veterans have voiced characters, including Ray Liotta, Burt Reynolds, Dennis Hopper,
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`Samuel L. Jackson, Debbie Harry, Phil Collins, Axl Rose, and Peter Fonda.[5] The series has been critically
`acclaimed and commercially successful, having shipped more than 220 million units, as of September
`2015.[6] The Telegraph ranked the GTA series among Britain's most successful exports.[4]
`
`Contents
`
`1 Titles
`1.1 Main series
`1.2 Other games
`2 Related media
`3 Common elements
`3.1 Gameplay
`3.2 Setting
`4 Controversies
`4.1 Grand Theft Auto
`4.2 Grand Theft Auto III: general violence and crime
`4.3 Vice City: ethnic discrimination
`4.4 San Andreas: sex minigame
`4.5 Grand Theft Auto IV: drunk driving
`4.6 The Lost and Damned: fullfrontal nudity
`4.7 Chinatown Wars: drug dealing minigame
`4.8 Grand Theft Auto V: torture and sexism
`5 Reception
`5.1 Sales
`6 Similar games
`7 See also
`8 References
`9 Further reading
`10 External links
`
`Titles
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`Home release
`Title
`Developer
`Universe[7]
`Computer
`Handheld
`Windows ·
`MSDOS
`Windows ·
`MSDOS
`
`Console
`
`Mobile
`
`GBC
`
`PS1
`
`PS1
`
`2D
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`Year
`
`1997 Grand Theft Auto
`
`1999
`
`Grand Theft Auto:
`London, 1969
`Grand Theft Auto:
`London, 1961
`Grand Theft Auto
`2
`2001 Grand Theft Auto
`III
`
`2002 Grand Theft Auto:
`Vice City
`
`Grand Theft Auto:
`San Andreas
`
`2004
`
`2005
`
`Grand Theft Auto
`Advance
`Grand Theft Auto:
`Liberty City
`Stories
`2006 Grand Theft Auto:
`Vice City Stories
`2008 Grand Theft Auto
`IV
`Grand Theft Auto:
`The Lost and
`Damned
`
`DMA
`Design
`
`Rockstar
`North
`
`Digital
`Eclipse
`
`Rockstar
`Leeds
`
`Rockstar
`North
`
`2009
`
`Grand Theft Auto:
`Chinatown Wars
`
`Rockstar
`Leeds
`
`Grand Theft Auto:
`The Ballad of Gay
`Tony
`
`2013 Grand Theft Auto
`V
`
`Notes:
`
`Rockstar
`North
`
`GBC
`
`GBA
`
`PSP
`
`PSP
`
`iOS ·
`Android ·
`Fire OS
`iOS ·
`Android ·
`Fire OS
`iOS ·
`Android ·
`WP ·
`Fire OS
`
`iOS ·
`Android ·
`Fire OS
`
`3D
`
`PSP · DS
`
`iOS ·
`Android ·
`Fire OS
`
`HD
`
`Windows
`
`Windows
`
`PS1 ·
`Dreamcast
`PS21 2 · Xbox Windows ·
`OS X
`
`PS21 2 · Xbox Windows ·
`OS X
`
`PS22 · Xbox ·
`PS33 ·
`Xbox 3604
`
`Windows ·
`OS X
`
`PS21
`
`PS21
`
`PS3 · Xbox
`360
`
`PS3 ·
`Xbox 360
`
`PS3 ·
`Xbox 360
`
`PS3 ·
`Xbox 360 ·
`PS4 ·
`Xbox One
`
`Windows
`
`Windows
`
`Windows
`
`Windows
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`1. Available on PlayStation 3 as part of the PlayStation 2 Classics line via the PlayStation Network.
`2. Available on PlayStation 4 as part of PlayStation 2 emulation via the PlayStation Network.[8]
`3. Originally available on PlayStation 3 as part of the PlayStation 2 Classics line via the PlayStation Network, but
`later replaced with a HD native release.[9]
`4. Originally available on Xbox 360 as part of the Xbox Originals line via the Xbox Live Marketplace, but later
`replaced with a HD native release.[10]
`
`Main series
`
`The Grand Theft Auto series is split into separate fictional universes,
`named after the primary level of graphics capability used in each
`era.[7] The original Grand Theft Auto, its expansions and its sequel
`are considered the "2D universe". Grand Theft Auto III and its
`sequels are considered the "3D universe". Grand Theft Auto IV, its
`expansions and Grand Theft Auto V are considered the "HD
`universe". Each universe is considered separate with only brands,
`place names and background characters shared between them.[7]
`
`Grand Theft Auto, the first game in the series, was released for
`Microsoft Windows and MSDOS in October 1997, ported to the
`PlayStation in 1998 and the Game Boy Color in 1999. Grand Theft
`Auto 2 was released in 1999 for Microsoft Windows, later receiving
`ports on the PlayStation, Dreamcast and Game Boy Color.[11]
`
`Timeline of release years
`– Grand Theft Auto
`
`– Grand Theft Auto 2
`
`– Grand Theft Auto III
`– Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
`
`– Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
`
`– Grand Theft Auto IV
`
`1997 –
`1998 –
`1999 –
`2000 –
`2001 –
`2002 –
`2003 –
`2004 –
`2005 –
`2006 –
`2007 –
`2008 –
`2009 –
`2010 –
`2011 –
`2012 –
`2013 –
`2014 –
`2015 –
`2016 –
`
`The PlayStation 2 also featured three instalments of the main series,
`all of which have been rereleased on several platforms; a deal
`between TakeTwo Interactive and Sony Computer Entertainment
`resulted in their timed exclusivity on the PlayStation 2, before
`receiving ports to Microsoft Windows and the Xbox.[12] The 2001
`title Grand Theft Auto III moved away from the twodimension (2D)
`graphics used in the first two games to threedimension (3D) computer graphics; the game features
`polygonal characters on prerendered backgrounds.[13] Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was published in 2002,
`and was the first to feature a speaking protagonist, voiced by Ray Liotta.[14] Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas,
`released in 2004, introduced various new elements, including character customisation and a large map
`encompassing three cities and surrounding rural area.[15]
`
`– Grand Theft Auto V
`
`Two main instalments were published for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The 2008 title Grand Theft Auto
`IV focused on realism and detail, removing various customisation features, while adding an online
`multiplayer mode.[16] Grand Theft Auto V, published in 2013, featured three playable protagonists.[17] It was
`released to massive financial success, breaking multiple records.[18] It was later rereleased with various
`enhancements, in 2014 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and in 2015 for Microsoft Windows.[19]
`
`Other games
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`Grand Theft Auto has spawned numerous additional games and expansion packs. In 1999, the original game
`received two expansion packs: Grand Theft Auto: London, 1969 and Grand Theft Auto: London, 1961.[11]
`Grand Theft Auto Advance, released in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance, featured a topdown perspective.
`Three games were released for the PlayStation Portable. The 2005 game Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City
`Stories is a prequel to Grand Theft Auto III, while the 2006 game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories is a
`prequel to Vice City; both games were later ported to the PlayStation 2. In 2009, Grand Theft Auto:
`Chinatown Wars was released for the Nintendo DS, and later ported to the PlayStation Portable.[20] In 2009,
`The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony were released for the Xbox 360 as expansion packs to
`Grand Theft Auto IV; a "strategic alliance" between Rockstar and Microsoft resulted in the timed
`exclusivity. They were later released on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows as part of an
`expansion pack, titled Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City.[21]
`
`Numerous titles in the series have received ports to mobile devices. Chinatown Wars was released for iOS in
`2010 and for Android and Fire OS in 2014.[22] For their tenth anniversaries, Grand Theft Auto III and Vice
`City were both rereleased for iOS and Android in 2011 and 2012, respectively.[23][24] In 2013, San Andreas
`was ported to iOS, Android & Windows Phone and RT ;[25] the mobile port was later rereleased for Xbox
`360 in 2014, the year of the game's tenth anniversary.[26]
`Related media
`
`The series has been expanded into various other formats. Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto, a
`book written by David Kushner chronicling the development of the series, was published in 2012.[27] In
`March 2015, BBC Two announced The Gamechangers, a 90minute docudrama based on the creation of
`Grand Theft Auto,[28] Directed by Owen Harris and written by James Wood, the drama will star Daniel
`Radcliffe as Rockstar president Sam Houser and Bill Paxton as disbarred attorney Jack Thompson.[29] In
`May 2015, Rockstar filed a lawsuit against the BBC for trademark infringement, stating that they had no
`involvement with the development of the film and had unsuccessfully tried to contact the BBC to resolve
`the matter.[30] It first aired on 15 September 2015 on BBC Two.[31]
`
`In 2006, McFarland & Company published The Meaning and Culture of Grand Theft Auto (ISBN 9780
`786428229).[32] Compiled by Nate Garrelts, the 264page book is a collection of essays regarding the
`Grand Theft Auto series, to help audiences better understand the games and to make a point about due
`diligence of game criticism. The book is divided into two parts: the first part discusses the controversies
`surrounding the series, while the second half takes a theoretical look at the games absent of the
`controversy.[33]
`Common elements
`
`Gameplay
`
`Each game in this series allows players to take on the role of a criminal in the big city, typically an
`individual who plans to rise through the ranks of organised crime through the course of the game. The
`player is given various missions by kingpins and major idols in the city underworld which must be
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`completed to progress through the storyline. Assassinations and other violent crimes are featured regularly.
`Occasionally taxi driving, firefighting, street racing, bus driving, or learning to fly helicopters and fixed
`wing aircraft are also involved in the game.
`
`In later titles, notably those released after Grand Theft Auto 2, the player is given a more developed
`storyline in which they are forced to overcome an unfortunate event (e.g., being betrayed and left for dead),
`which serves as motivation for the character to advance up the criminal ladder and ultimately leads to the
`triumph of the character by the end of the storyline.
`
`The Grand Theft Auto series belongs to a genre of freeroaming roleplaying video games called open world
`games, and grants a large amount of freedom to the player. Traditional action games are structured as a
`single track series of levels with linear gameplay, but in Grand Theft Auto the player can determine the
`missions that they want to undertake, and their relationship with various characters are changed based on
`these choices. Influenced by the earlier game Turbo Esprit,[34][35] the cities of the games can be roamed
`freely at any point in the game, and are examples of open world video game environments which offer
`accessible buildings with minor missions in addition to the main storyline. There are exceptions: missions
`follow a linear, overarching plot, and some city areas must be unlocked over the course of the game.
`
`Grand Theft Auto III and subsequent games have more voice acting and radio stations, which simulate
`driving to music with disc jockeys, radio personalities, commercials, talk radio, pop music, and American
`culture.
`
`The use of vehicles in an explorable urban environment provides a basic simulation of a working city,
`complete with pedestrians who generally obey traffic signals. Further details are used to flesh out an open
`ended atmosphere that has been used in several other games, such as The Simpsons: Hit & Run, which has
`less emphasis on crime or violence, and Lego City Undercover, which reverses the roles of police officer
`and criminal, although the player goes undercover in gangs for a portion of the game.
`
`Setting
`
`The Grand Theft Auto series is set in a fictional version of the world, in a number of different time periods.
`The original Grand Theft Auto introduced three main cities: Liberty City, based upon New York City, Vice
`City, based upon Miami, and San Andreas, based upon mostly parts of California. In the first Grand Theft
`Auto game, San Andreas was based on San Francisco and parts of Las Vegas. Expansion packs later set the
`game in London.
`
`The second entry in the franchise, Grand Theft Auto 2, set the game in the future in a locale named
`"Anywhere City".
`
`Subsequent games in the series have reimagined and expanded upon the original locales. Grand Theft Auto
`III is set in a different rendition of Liberty City only loosely based on New York City.[36] A revised Vice
`City and San Andreas are depicted in Vice City and San Andreas, respectively, the latter of which takes the
`form of an entire state, instead of a single city. The state of San Andreas is based on the states of California
`and Nevada, and consists of three major cities: Los Santos (Los Angeles), San Fierro (San Francisco), and
`Las Venturas (Las Vegas). Surrounding towns and areas of desert, water, woodland, and countryside lie
`between the three cities. The GTA III rendition of Liberty City is also briefly featured during one mission.
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`Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories, originally released on the PlayStation Portable handheld console
`and later reissued for other consoles, are set in the previous depictions of their respective eponymous cities,
`but in different decades. The maps for the two cities remain the same, with some differences in terms of
`buildings and geography to reflect the different time periods.
`
`Grand Theft Auto IV and its subsequent expansion packs The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony
`are set in a third revision of Liberty City, set in 2008, which is a closer analog to New York City and its
`boroughs than the GTA III version.[37] Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is also set in this version of
`Liberty City, although the Alderney portion of the map is not present.[38]
`
`Grand Theft Auto V, released in 2013, is set in a revised depiction of San Andreas that features Los Santos
`(Los Angeles) to the south and the rural Blaine County to the north.[39] It includes revised landmarks such
`as the "Vinewood" sign (instead of Hollywood), Rockford Hills (instead of Beverly Hills), Del Perro Pier
`(instead of Santa Monica Pier), Los Santos International Airport (LSIA) (instead of LAX), Los Santos Golf
`Club (instead of Los Angeles Country Club.), and Galileo Observatory (instead of Griffith Observatory).
`The game also features the town of Ludendorff in the fictional state of North Yankton. Los Angeles was
`extensively researched for Grand Theft Auto V. The team organized field research trips with tour guides and
`architectural historians and captured around 250,000 photos and hours of video footage during these
`visits.[40] Since the release of the game, hundreds of ingame buildings have been identified as being based
`on realworld landmarks.[41] The New Yorker's Sam Sweet notes that, with sales of game reaching thirteen
`million copies, "there will be more people living in the imaginary state of Los Santos than in the real city on
`which it was modelled."[42]
`
`In both Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Grand Theft Auto V, Los Santos and the state of San Andreas
`are depicted as being on an island an undetermined distance from the US mainland. In both games it is
`possible to circumnavigate the state by boat. Similarly, the versions of Liberty City and Alderney in Grand
`Theft Auto IV and expansion packs are also completely located on islands, as is Vice City. The GTA III
`rendition of Liberty City however, while mostly island, is connected to mainland on its Northwest corner (a
`region the player cannot navigate).
`
`Only the expansion packs for the original Grand Theft Auto, London, 1969 and London, 1961, set in
`London, have featured a location outside the United States and used a reallife location.
`Controversies
`
`Former lawyer Jack Thompson has been involved in a number of attempts to get families of murder victims
`to hold the Grand Theft Auto series accountable for the death of their loved ones. Due to his conduct in this
`and related cases, Thompson was disbarred in 2008[43] and was fined more than $100,000 by the Florida Bar
`Association.[44]
`
`On 20 October 2003, the families of Aaron Hamel and Kimberly Bede, two young people shot by teens
`William and Josh Buckner (who in statements to investigators claimed their actions were inspired by Grand
`Theft Auto III) filed a US$246 million lawsuit against publishers Rockstar Games, TakeTwo Interactive
`Software, retailer WalMart, and PlayStation 2 manufacturer Sony Computer Entertainment America.[45][46]
`Rockstar and its parent company, TakeTwo, filed for dismissal of the lawsuit, stating in U.S. District Court
`on 29 October 2003 that the "ideas and concepts as well as the 'purported psychological effects' on the
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`Buckners are protected by the First Amendment's freespeech clause". The lawyer of the victims, Jack
`Thompson, denied that, but failed in his attempt to move the lawsuit into a state court and under Tennessee's
`consumer protection act.[47] Two days later, the plaintiffs filed a Notice of Voluntary Dismissal, and the case
`was closed.
`
`In February 2005, a lawsuit was brought upon the makers and distributors of the Grand Theft Auto series
`claiming the games caused a teenager to shoot and kill three members of the Alabama police force. The
`shooting took place in June 2003 when Devin Moore, 17 years old at the time, was taken in for questioning
`by police in Fayette, Alabama regarding a stolen vehicle. Moore then grabbed a pistol from one of the police
`officers and shot and killed him along with another officer and dispatcher before fleeing in a police
`car.[48][49] One of Moore's attorneys, Jack Thompson, claimed it was Grand Theft Auto's graphic nature—
`with his constant playing time—that caused Moore to commit the murders, and Moore's family agrees.
`Damages were being sought from branches of GameStop and WalMart in Jasper, Alabama, the stores from
`which Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, respectively, were purchased and also from the
`games' publisher TakeTwo Interactive, and the PlayStation 2 manufacturer Sony Computer Entertainment.
`On 29 March 2006 the case was dismissed and permission to appeal was denied.[50]
`
`In May 2005, Thompson appeared via satellite on the Glenn Beck program on CNN's Headline News.
`Thompson mentioned Devin Moore and said regarding Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice
`City "There's no doubt in my mind [...] that but for Devin Moore's training on this cop killing simulator, he
`would not have been able to kill three cops in Fayette, Alabama who are now dead and in the ground. We
`are suing TakeTwo, Sony, WalMart, and GameStop for having trained Devin Moore to kill. He had no
`history of violence. No criminal record."[51]
`
`In September 2006, Thompson brought another lawsuit, claiming that Cody Posey played the game
`obsessively before murdering his father Delbert Paul Posey, stepmother Tryone Schmid, and stepsister
`Marilea Schmid on a ranch in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The suit was filed on behalf of the victims'
`families.[52] During the criminal trial, Posey's defence team argued he was abused by his father, and
`tormented by his stepmother.[53] Posey was also taking Zoloft at the time of the killings.[54] The suit alleged
`that were it not for his obsessive playing of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, the murders would not have taken
`place.[55] Named in the suit were Cody Posey, Rockstar Games, TakeTwo Interactive, and Sony. The suit
`asked for US$600 million in damages.[56]
`
`Several celebrities have sued Rockstar Games and/or TakeTwo Interactive for violating their intellectual
`property or personality rights, including hiphop artist Daz Dillinger,[57] Karen Gravano of Mob Wives,[58]
`and actress Lindsay Lohan.[59]
`
`According to The Guinness World Records 2008 and 2009 Gamer's Edition, it is the most controversial
`video game series in history, with over 4,000 articles published about it, which include accusations of
`glamorising violence, corrupting gamers, and connection to real life crimes.[60]
`
`Grand Theft Auto
`
`The game was controversial from the very first incarnation of the series.[61] Grand Theft Auto was
`condemned in Britain, Germany, and France due to its "extreme violence",[62] and Brazil banned it
`outright.[62] Publicist Max Clifford planted sensational stories in tabloids in order to help sell the first
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`game.[61][63][64]
`
`Grand Theft Auto III: general violence and crime
`
`The controversies flared up again with Grand Theft Auto III, since the 3D graphics made the violence more
`realistic, and players could pay the services of prostitutes to recover their health, and if they wished, killing
`them to get some of their money back.[64]
`
`There is also criticism from the focus on illegal activities in comparison with traditional "heroic" roles that
`other games offer. The main character can commit a wide variety of crimes and violent acts while dealing
`with only temporary consequences, including the killing of policemen and military personnel.
`
`Vice City: ethnic discrimination
`
`The sixth game in the series, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, also came under criticism. One mission in
`particular, in which the player must instigate a gang war between Haitian and Cuban gangs, has been
`controversial. Haitian and Cuban antidefamation groups criticised the game.
`
`JeanRobert Lafortune of the Haitian American Grassroots Coalition is quoted as saying that "The game
`shouldn't be designed to destroy human life, it shouldn't be designed to destroy an ethnic group," for this and
`similar scenarios, including lines in the game's script such as "kill the Haitian dickheads" said by character
`"Diaz" during an altercation between the player and a Haitian gang. After the threat of a lawsuit by the
`HaitianAmerican Grassroots Coalition, Rockstar removed the word "Haitians" from this phrase in the
`game's subtitles.[65]
`
`San Andreas: sex minigame
`
`San Andreas was criticised initially due to its "gangster" elements, which include drugs, prostitution, and
`murder; but later due to the discovery of disabled interactive sex scenes, nicknamed Hot Coffee, which was
`a sexual minigame that was cut from the game, but remained in the game code, which was discovered in
`both the console and Windows versions of the game. Dubbed the "Hot Coffee mod", the minigame allowed
`players to have sex with their ingame girlfriends.
`
`After the release of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, modders managed to find the unused code in the game
`and released unofficial patches for the Windows and Xbox (with a modchip) versions as well as a
`PlayStation 2 version through the use of an Action Replay code enabling the player to engage in these
`sexual minigames (dubbed "Hot Coffee" in reference to a euphemism for sex used in the game). These
`minigames were left partially intact in the game's code. This prompted application of an AO (Adults Only)
`ESRB rating to the version of the game containing the leftover code. TakeTwo Interactive was forced to re
`release the game in order to restore the M (Mature) rating. A class action lawsuit against TakeTwo was also
`filed as a result of the "Hot Coffee" code.[66][67]
`
`Grand Theft Auto IV: drunk driving
`
`One of the controversies involved with this game was Mothers Against Drunk Driving's (MADD) criticism
`of the ability to drink and drive as a new feature. MADD had even requested ESRB to change the rating of
`the game from "M" for ages seventeen and up to "AO", for adults only, because they felt it was
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`inappropriate for children, even at the age of seventeen, to experience drunk driving in such a manner.[68] In
`the final game, drunk driving is a playable event, but it is a crime that automatically generates a wanted
`rating and main playable character Niko Bellic loudly (and drunkenly) proclaims that it is a "bad idea" and
`that he "should know better".[69]
`
`Notably, it is impossible to drive while drunk in the GTA IV expansions, The Lost and Damned and The
`Ballad of Gay Tony. These were released after the criticism. It is, however, possible to drive drunk again in
`the successor, Grand Theft Auto V.[70]
`
`The Lost and Damned: fullfrontal nudity
`
`The Lost and Damned expansion pack was condemned by U.S. parents group Common Sense Media who
`issued a public warning against the pack's content due to a fullfrontal nudity scene during one of the
`cutscenes. They claimed the game was "more controversial than its predecessors" because it featured "full
`frontal male nudity".[71]
`
`Chinatown Wars: drug dealing minigame
`
`There has been some controversy over a drug dealing minigame[72] along with comments that some
`Nintendo games are being aimed at children (despite the fact that the game was rated Mature). The drug
`dealing minigame allows players to peddle six types of drugs around the city, but the profit the player
`makes depends on market conditions, which will be based on the area in which they deal, and the level of
`regular service this area receives from them.[73][74]
`
`“ Nintendo wanted us to make Grand Theft Auto, and we wanted to make a game on their
`
`platform. They didn't want us to make a Grand Theft Auto for kids, and we weren't interested
`in making a game we wouldn't normally make.
`
`”
`
`— Dan Houser[75]
`
`Grand Theft Auto V: torture and sexism
`
`A segment in the latest instalment caused controversy for scenes
`containing player initiated torture. The mission "By the Book"
`features graphic depictions of kneecapping, electrocution, dental
`extraction and waterboarding, and the player is required to
`perform the acts in order to progress in the game.[76][77][78]
`
`UKbased charity Freedom from Torture publicly condemned
`the use of torture scenes in Grand Theft Auto V. The
`organization who work to rehabilitate survivors of torture,
`joined other human rights charities who were outraged at a
`torture scene in the game in which the players have to pull teeth
`and electrocute an unarmed man in order to extract information.
`The charity's CEO Keith Best stated: “Rockstar North has
`crossed a line by effectively forcing people to take on the role of
`a torturer and perform a series of unspeakable acts if they want to achieve success in the game."[76]
`
`The mission "By the Book" involves a
`sequence wherein players use torture
`techniques including waterboarding to
`interrogate a man.
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`The game has also been accused of sexism. The Los Angeles Times considered the game's satirical
`portrayals of women uncreative, and added that violent and sexist themes hurt the game experience.[79] Edge
`noted that while "every female in the game exists solely to be sneered, leered or laughed at", it treated its
`allmale lead characters in a similar vein through their stereotyped tendencies towards violence.[80] Sam
`Houser, Rockstar Games cofounder, felt that the development team sometimes overlooked their portrayal
`of women in Grand Theft Auto games, but that the weight towards male characters "fit with the story we
`wanted to tell".[81]
`Reception
`
`Ever since 2001, the Grand Theft Auto series has been a major success, both critically and financially. It has
`generated perfect or near perfect reviews and scores on almost all of the games; by September 2013, the
`series sold over 150 million copies worldwide,[147] and as of August 2015, Grand Theft Auto shipped over
`220 million units worldwide.[6] The Times Online reported that Grand Theft Auto IV recorded 609,000
`copies in the UK on its first day of release.[148] In its first week, Grand Theft Auto IV sold approximately 6
`million copies worldwide and grossed over $500 million.[149]
`
`In 2006, Grand Theft Auto was voted one of Britain's top 10 designs among Concorde, Red Telephone
`Boxes, Catseyes, The Underground, Mini, Tomb Raider and the World Wide Web.[150]
`
`The series has broken several records, resulting in Guinness World Records awarding the series 10 world
`records in the Gamer's Edition 2008. These records include Most Guest Stars in a Video Game Series,
`Largest Voice Cast in a Video Game (Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas), Largest InGame Soundtrack (Grand
`Theft Auto: San Andreas) as well as Most Successful Entertainment Launch of All Time (Grand Theft Auto
`V). Guinness World Records also ranked Grand Theft Auto in third place on their list of top 50 console
`games of all time based on initial impact and lasting legacy.[151] Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is listed as
`the most successful game on the PlayStation 2 according to The Guinness World Records 2009 Gamer's
`Edition.
`
`Grand Theft Auto III, San Andreas and Vice City currently lie at the 2nd, 5th and 6th highest