Ladies and gentlemen, Grand Theft Auto IV will have violence, will have drugs and alcohol, will have sex and prostitution, will have excessive profanity, and will cause massive controversy around the world.
Look, this is not a question of should the game be banned or censored (like it is in New Zealand and Australia), this comes down to the question of whether as a parent, you let your child play the game. Grand Theft Auto IV is classified as R18 in New Zealand which means that if you are not allowed to vote, go to war, or go to prison, then you should not be allowed to play the game. This is a game for adults. It's that simple.
Parents need to make a decision about whether they let their child play the game or not and because it's R18 that decision should be an easy one. Children are exposed everyday to some form of the above mentioned actions, albeit usually but not necessarily, in more subtle, minor forms and they are needed to learn about life and the rights and wrongs of actions. Letting your child play Grand Theft Auto IV is not something they need to be exposed to.
All said and done, Grand Theft Auto IV will cause controversy, but unnecessary controversy because there should be no discussion about whether children will be influenced by it, because if you are a good parent, you won't be letting them play it.
So ADULT gamers, go and buy your Grand Theft Auto IV copy and don't buy into any of the controversy or politics that goes along with it because good parents will know that it is not a game for children.
