Group calls for ban on Grand Theft Auto game

A ROAD safety group has called for the computer game Grand Theft Auto IV to be banned because it “glorifies drink driving”.

In a letter to the Film Censor’s Office, Public Against Road Carnage (Parc) said the game sends out the wrong message to the young men most likely to play it. Parc spokeswoman Susan Gray said young men in the 18 to 24-year-old age group were one of the most high risk groups in terms of road deaths and also one of the key target demographics for the game.

By allowing players the choice to attempt to drive while drunk, with an attendant blurring of the screen and more difficult to use controls, Grand Theft Auto IV “diminishes its horrific consequences”, Parc said in its letter.

Parc has called on the censor to ban the game and others of a similar nature out of respect to the families of those killed and injured in crashes.

“I know there are car chase films and games, but you have got to start somewhere and with all the focus on drink driving in Ireland at the moment allowing this game seems inappropriate. And I know from my own experience that boys under 18 are able to rent this game,” she said.

In the US, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (Madd) has called for the game to be reclassified, where it is rated mature, or suitable for over 17-year-olds.

Madd wants an “adults only” rating applied, but has not sought a ban on the game.

Developer Rockstar Games said it believes the “audience for Grand Theft Auto IV is more than sophisticated enough to understand the game’s content”.

“For the same reason that you can’t judge an entire film or television programme by a single scene, you can’t judge Grand Theft Auto IV by a small aspect of the game,” it added.