"'The new, hotly anticipated Grand Theft Auto is being released today." "'And fans are revved up, and gearing up to buy it." "'Set in 1980s Miami, Vice City lets you be a gangster in your own home." "'And promises to be as colourful and controversial as its predecessors.'" "'Yes, as for the seminal Grand Theft Auto III, 'the question game watchers are asking is, 'can Sam Houser's Rockstar Games pull off 'making the most successful game ever, 'twice, in the space of one year?" "'" "'You're listening to WYNZ," "'New York's biggest and best radio station." "'This morning we are talking about Grand Theft Auto:" "Vice City." "'The hot new one from Rockstar Games hit the stores today." "'Expectation is sky-high, but just how good is it?" "'Let's take a call." "I've got Newark's Phil Lombard on the line.'" "'Hey, Sam Houser is a genius, man." "This game is beautiful." "'I bought it at midnight." "'I had to stand in line for four hours to get it." "'I have been playing it ever since." "It is huge." "'They've recreated the whole of 1980s Miami." "'They've made a living, breathing city." "'There is a great storyline this time, amazing visuals, 'loads of kick-ass '80s radio stations, 'and a huge number of cool missions.'" "'Sounds great.' 'It is, Steve." "'But what makes it genius is the size of the gameplay area." "'And the detail." "'GTA III was seminal." "It changed the whole of gaming." "'I think this one is even better.'" "'Phil, I'm going to let you get back to playing with yourself." "'Let's take another call." "I think we've got a female gamer on the line." "'Hello, Peggy, is that right?" "You're up...'" "Terry." "Have you seen the figures?" "We've sold a million units." "A million." "In one fucking day." "Aaaaargh!" "So whatever we do next, we have to take it to the next level." "I know we are all excited about how Vice City has done, but EA are breathing down our necks and we have demanding fans." "So, I want to create a world full of incredible realistic detail that evokes real emotions in the players." "Far more than we did in Vice." "Take-Two are expecting the next GTA within a year, by which they mean nine months." "We can do this in a year." "I had to discourage about 50 people from leaving every week." "We can't put everyone through that again." "Well, so we hire more people." "Boyz N The Hood." "Menace II Society." "Colors, I want a fucking cool vibe." "That is the world we're in." "South-Central LA." "Compton and Watts." "A black hood game?" "Those barrios are vibe." "You remember when the Crips and Bloods were fighting in the '80s?" "We can't make a game about that." "Why not?" "We are British." "We know nothing about it." "Hey, look, we're good at making games about American culture because we grew up absorbed in it." "But you're talking about a real American conflict." "Exactly, something real that is not just an iteration of a TV show or a film." "Because we are outsiders, we see America for what it is." "Better than they do." "There she is." "The successful wife." "I got us Italian." "Oh, great." "I am starving." "Long day." "Johnny." "Dinner." "May the Lord bless this meal and grant us a compassionate and understanding heart, in Jesus' name we pray." "Amen." "Amen." "All right." "This looks good." "Yeah!" "Listen, I'm going to need your help with this." "We need to push it." "Now, we need to be careful, though, Sam." "You know, finishing Vice City nearly killed everyone." "If we go bigger, it is going to be harder." "It is not just about scale." "Come on, little brother." "You are the clever, funny one." "We need new ideas to move us on." "So, if you want to push boundaries, we should have a black lead character." "Yeah, great idea." "Yeah, let's take it black." "Can you have a black lead in a game?" "Has anyone done that?" "No." "We will." "Could we get Samuel L Jackson?" "Yeah, I'm sure we could." "You can get anyone." "Film stars don't matter, all right, forget film stars." "This game has got to be something that goes beyond film." "It does something film can't do." "How?" "I don't know, that is why we are talking about it." "Ooh!" "Hello?" "Well, hello, Margaret." "Of course I remember you." "How can I help?" "Uh-huh." "I see." "Well, Margaret, let me stop you there." "It sounds to me like the treatment you had may well be medical malpractice and, gee, I would love to help." "But I don't think you should use me." "I think you should speak to a lawyer who may be able to better represent you." "Well, to be frank, I've become a little toxic as a lawyer." "I got Howard Stern and a 2 Live Crew rap album banned for violating obscenity laws and subsequently no-one wants to be represented by a kooky moral campaigner." "You should try my friend, Frank Simpson." "He is a good man." "A fine advocate." "Why do I do it?" "What can I say?" "Because I am Batman." "Because for some reason, God rose this asshole up to do good." "Well, I appreciate the call." "All right." "Goodnight." "We just made the biggest selling game in history!" "We've lined up the usual suspects for a cheese ball competition, so, if you want to be a rock star, you have got to play the game." "Right, now, listen up." "Last year's record was 68." "Anyone who beats that, you get the holiday and I will throw in a triple pass, all right?" "Eat the cheese." "Don't, don't..." "Oh, no, look." "That is disgusting." "That is carnage." "That is a cheese fondue right there." "What?" "What is it?" "I bought you something." "It is the first TTS convertible in America." "What?" "For me?" "It's a thank you." "For everything you've done for Rockstar." "And for me." "You'll be too busy to ever drive it, of course." "Yeah, of course." "Look, Vice City is good, really good, but you and I know we are only just scratching the surface of what these games can do now." "And for the next one," "I want to create a completely real world, right?" "For grown-ups, where you don't have to become a penguin or some shitty hairy elf." "When people talk about video games the way they talk about films and music, Jamie, that is when we have done it." "Enjoy that." "'A blue Pontiac, registered stolen 'this evening at 23:00 hours, 'license plate 0093, registered to a Mr Evelyn..." "'Officers Spencer and Watt in attendance, 'appears to be a trauma injury...'" "What is your full name, please, Devin?" "I need your full name, son." "Devin Darnell Moore." "Darnell Moore." "Date of birth?" "Look, son, you are in a lot of trouble, you need to start helping." "OK." "Let's do your fingerprints." "He's got a gun!" "What's going on?" "Ace, Ace, we got a fucking problem!" "Jesus!" "Honey, there's a muffin for you here." "We leave in five minutes, OK?" "I've got lacrosse tonight, Dad." "Can you pick me up at seven?" "What's that?" "Lacrosse." "Tonight." "Fayette, Alabama, please." "Can I get the number of the Fayette police station?" "You know how in traditional role-playing games you can train yourself to be a better shitty swordsman, or do better shitty little goblin spells?" "Our hero, Carl, should be able to improve himself too." "Like, to change." "So you can make him thinner, or fatter, or sexier, or stronger, you know." "You can change him." "Morning, Jamie." "People have been able to do that in RPGs for a while." "Yes, but that is always to help you complete some sort of narrow mission." "All right, now we're going to offer the players the chance to adapt themselves as they go." "Shape themselves." "Not because they need to for the game, just because they want to." "All right, so if you want Carl to get a haircut, you can." "If you want him to go and get new threads, you just go and buy them." "And then doing these things will change how other characters relate to you in the game." "But if it's not linked to missions, won't all that feel a bit irrelevant and super nerdy?" "No, I don't think so." "I think it will make people feel incredibly emotionally linked to Carl." "You are the hero." "The hero is you." "OK, Terry, if you could send Carl to get a haircut - go and get dreads - would that not feel good?" "Ha-fucking-ha." "Jen, you want a tattoo?" "Via Carl, you can go and get one." "Jamie, you want a six pack." "You can get one." "Got one." "Dan, you want to have sex, via Carl, finally, you can." "If you make Carl attractive enough, somebody should have sex with him." "This is beyond what film can do." "Guys, we're going to create the first truly adaptable hero across any art-form." "Devin, my name is Jack Thompson." "I am an attorney at law based in Miami." "I am very sorry about the situation you are in." "I'd like to understand how it happened." "Why it happened." "When they arrested you in Mississippi, apparently you said," ""Life is like a video game, you have got to die sometime."" "Is that what you said?" "Who are you?" "He doesn't know why he did it." "He said it was like a flashback, like he was playing the game." "He is just a sweet, stupid lost kid." "He got arrested and he panicked." "I just don't believe he would have killed those men if he had not spent hours a day practising doing exactly the same thing in that cop killer game." "You don't know it was the game that made him act that way." "But it WAS the game." "He is still guilty of murder." "Yes, he is, and nothing will change that." "Come on, you're a lawyer." "I think the people that make these games are partly responsible." "I mean, think about it." "They're drenching our children in depravity and violence, training our kids to be killers and making money out of it." "They..." "They make an entertainment that normalises horrendous violence." "It makes me sick." "You're going to fight them." "You don't think I should?" "I feel compelled to." "We're raising a generation of kids steeped in sex and violence and no-one's doing anything about it." "I think this is what's required of me." "This is vibe." "Very cheery." "Yeah, this is what I'm talking about." "Get video of every street around here, Jamie." "Is it safe?" "Yeah, get filming, it's fine." "Hiya." "Lookin' real good." "We should get the programmers down here too so they can see it for themselves, iterate on it." "The streets speak to you." "Whoo!" "I feel very English." "You don't look it." "You look like a bad... shit mother!" "You know what I'm saying?" "Are we... hoping to see a drive-by?" "Do you mind if I don't film that?" "We should get the programmers firing some guns too, so they know how they sound and feel." "Who are you?" "Hey, my man, don't sweat it." "These are English fellas I'm showing around." "Why you got that rip in your jeans, boy?" "Is that a Crip thing?" "Is it?" "I'm not a Crip, I promise you." "By cool, these are..." "Do not tell me to be cool, nigga!" "I'll decide when I'mma be cool." "Who are you?" "I'm DJ Dog from South Park, man." "These fellas are just here doing research on a game." "They make Grand Theft Auto." "Y'all make GTA?" "Y'all some Rockstars." "Yo, I love that game!" "I play it for hours!" "Tell them I play it for hours." "Don't I play it for hours?" "Hmm-hmm." "Yo..." "Y'all want to make a game around here?" "Yeah, a game that's set here." "Maybe you could help us." "Like, can I be in it?" "Like, I'm a performer, I've got my own record label and I'm an actor." "Yeah, man, what's your name?" "And where do you get your jewellery?" "I'll show you." "OK." "Good." "Carl's got this girl he's dating in the game." "Denise, we said." "Denise, right." "Oh, 21-11." "Next gangster." "You should be able to take her on different dates, do stuff that affects the relationship and how she behaves to you, like in real life." "Come on then, Houser." "I'm gonna take you down." "Be able to take her to bars or out driving, buy her flowers." "Can you take her on a drive-by?" "Some girls would love that." "Ho-ho!" "What was that, Jamie?" "And I want a proper sex scene this time round." "A full-on sex scene." "If you treat Denise right, she'll have sex with you." "It's only fair." "You can't put a sex scene in a game, Sam." "Yes, you can." "Why not?" "Sex is a part of life." "Films and music tackle sex all the time - why can't we?" "2-0, wanker." "Oh, Ray, sorry I'm late." "I had a hell of a time finding the place." "No problem." "We're all here." "My friend Ray here is an excellent trial lawyer." "He believes as strongly as I do that Rockstar and Sony are, to some degree, responsible for the deaths of your loved ones." "We believe what Devin did was an impulsive act, made more likely due to the fact that he played a violent video game for weeks beforehand." "And we're gathering a handful of expert witnesses to testify in court that there is a clear link between teenagers playing violent games and violent behaviour." "You saying that the game's responsible for his actions, that will let Devin off the hook, won't it?" "I don't know about the others here, but I want that boy to face up to what he did." "I want him on death row." "We don't believe what Devin did was premeditated." "You don't know it wasn't." "No, I don't." "I'm not saying he's not responsible for what he did - he is - and he will face that in a criminal court." "Our civil case isn't designed to get him off, but we want the makers of these obscene games to take some responsibility and help stop other police officers from being killed in the same way that James and Arnold and Ace were." "Don't you want that too?" "And we want you to have some form of compensation... for your loss." "You think you can win?" "We will win, I promise you, because I will fight this as hard as I've ever fought anything and because I believe what Martin Luther King said " ""The arc of history is long, but it bends towards justice."" "This lawsuit will put the video game industry on trial." "Strickland versus Sony, the makers of PlayStation and Rockstar Games, the makers of Grand Theft Auto is a lawsuit designed to make every police officer in America safer." "How much are you seeking in damages?" "600 million for the families." "Isn't that excessive?" "I don't think so." "We're going to destroy Rockstar Games, you can count on that." "Listen, there's some born-again Christian nutbag lawyer in Florida bringing a civil case against us for that supposed copycat killing in Alabama." "For what Devin Moore did?" "Are Take-Two worried about?" "No." "It's America - it's ligation-crazy." "They've put their lawyers on it, you don't have to do anything, but you should be aware of it, that's all." "OK." "I'm aware." "OK, good." "Coming to play ping pong?" "Sure." "What's this lawyer's name?" "How long have you been playing that game?" "Jesus, Patty!" "I didn't pick you up, I'm sorry." "Oh, that's OK." "It's not what it looks like." "I just thought I'd better exactly understand what it is I'm objecting to." "It's unbelievable." "From the moment you start playing, it encourages you to hurt people and you start doing it." "It's disturbing." "I mean, how dare these people make this depraved garbage and force it on our children." "Yes, Jack." "A disgusting picture of America made by some Brits." "I really wish ill on the people who make this filth." "Who are you?" "Perfect." "Cheers, man." "What's that?" "A T-shirt I bought." "It's a list of all the pharmaceutical drugs found in Dom Simpson's blood system when he died." "He's not the greatest film producer ever - that's James Cameron." "Cameron's a director, not a producer." "Simpson produced Top Gun, Bad Boys and Beverly Hills Cop." "End of." "Don't forget Flashdance." "It's not even just what he produced, it's how he produced it." "Unashamed to be populist and entertaining." "Never compromised and basically invented the action comedy." "Hey, Sam, the guys..." "Ah, Jamie, have you spoken to JP about our new game engine yet?" "Well, no, I haven't been to San Diego yet." "Well, can you get on that, please?" "I don't want to have to lease a game engine any more " "I want us to have our own one." "And not just for GTA - for all our games." "OK." "When you start dressing in Armani and cowboy boots and start taking hard drugs like Don there, you'll know what's been going on." "So we've created a new game engine to replace RenderWare." "We're calling it the Rockstar Advanced Game Engine " "RAGE." "OK, so... how are we going to show Sam what it can do?" "He wants to see something soon." "We were thinking we could take some GTA scenes and show how the movement would be improved." "No, he's going to want to see something new." "Trying to build a new game engine is about producing an authenticity to movement, right?" "Yeah." "Do ping pong." "Sam loves table tennis." "If you can show him how the ball will move in flight and get that right..." "Not shooting someone or driving a car?" "Ping pong." "OK." "Is my taxi here?" "I've got to get to the airport." "Er... yeah, it's here." "It would really help if we could have some more people, Jamie." "20 guys from here got put on GTA." "Yeah, I know." "It's the same everywhere." "Everyone's on GTA now till it's released - it's the way it is." "Don't ask me where the next game is going to come from." "Paging Dr Sexton..." "What surprised us, when we first showed violent material to children, was how much brain activity it produces here, an area called the posterior cingulate." "MRI research with veterans and victims of violent crime has shown that this is an area of the brain where we store distressing or traumatic events for long-term memory." "You're saying that the same area of the brain that processes traumatic stress in real life is also triggered by violent entertainment?" "Especially in teenagers, because their brains aren't fully formed yet." "People don't know this, Doctor - they should - and you can prove it." "Would you be willing to testify to this in court?" "Of course, if necessary." "The neurology is clear." "Has anyone ever asked you to do that?" "No..." "Not yet." "Your weapons training is absolutely vital, because, as an old gunny sergeant taught me, in combat, you don't rise to the occasion - you sink to the level of your training." "The point is this - what we teach you in training will come out in combat... without thought." "And that is why your training needs to be the most accurate, most authentic it can be." "When we use these violent games to train soldiers, we call them combat simulators." "When young kids use them at home, they're murder simulators." "You call these games murder simulators?" "The same thing is going on in both situations." "You're training young people to kill." "They're making killing a conditioned reflex stimulus response." "Dave, would you be willing to say these things in an expert witness statement or in court?" "Sure." "Everything that's in my book, I am willing to say in court." "Great." "This coming from a man of your first-hand military experience will really have an impact on a jury." "Well, I'm happy to help, because I think that this is a serious social issue." "Say, can I trouble you for an autograph?" "My pleasure." "This sex scene in San Andreas has got to be good." "It's not some Benny Hill bit." "It's got to be something proper that can get people excited." "Have you seen what they've animated yet?" "No." "Have you?" "No." "They were looking at this scene where Carl goes round to see Denise, she invites him in for coffee, he goes in, has full-blown sex and a blowjob." "Sounds great." "When can we see it?" "It's going to be hard to get this stuff in, Sam." "I know." "No-one's ever done a sex scene in a game before." "I know," "I know, but it's really important for the vibe of the game and it has to be as good as the best sex scenes in movies." "As good as..." "Last Tango?" "Angel Heart?" "Nine 1/2 Weeks?" "As good as the Top Gun sex scene." "Fucking Tom Cruise and Kelly Mc-wotsit?" "You're joking!" "Anyway, everyone's favourite sex scene from Top Gun is the one where all the men play topless volleyball." "Whatever." "Just make it fucking good." "Jack." "Jack." "Oh, hello, Sally." "How are you?" "I hear you're campaigning against the people who make those violent video games." "That's right, I am." "Good for you." "Go get 'em, Jack." "They're fucking with our kids." "Fuck these people." "Fuck 'em." "Well, I certainly intend to." "Thank you." "Can I make a donation?" "Oh, no need." "Just send us your prayers." "I'll be on 60 Minutes tonight." "I'll watch you!" "I'll pray for you... and I'll send them some hate mail." "God bless you." "'Shooting, stealing," "'Grand Theft Auto has always been controversial 'and it's now the subject of a civil lawsuit." "'Florida attorney Jack Thompson 'is bringing the case against the makers of GTA." "'You think that playing Grand Theft Auto...'" "'Well, there's plenty of blame...' 'Turn your TV on - 'that guy from Florida's on the news.'" "Yeah, we're watching it." "'..responsible for what he did.'" "This Jack Thompson seems to be everywhere." "'He's been sending loads of aggressive e-mails' to Take-Two management, OK?" "If he sends any to us, we've been instructed not to reply." "'Forward them straight to me or Kolbe." "'She'll send them to the lawyers.'" "'I believe that if it wasn't for that video game," "'Devin Moore wouldn't have killed those cops." "'Rockstar Games gave him a cranial menu that popped up 'and offered him the option to kill the police officers, 'shoot them in the head 'and flee in a police car." "'What we're saying is that Devin Moore, in effect, 'was trained to do what he did." "'He bought a murder simulator and he played it for hundreds of hours." "'He's primarily a cop-killing...'" "That's just fucking whack." "I'll call you later, Terry." "A game does not make someone a criminal." "If he hadn't played Vice, he'd have played something else." "If it's the cop-killing in the game that's the problem, maybe we should tone it down for San Andreas." "A bit." "No way, Jamie, this is a free country." "We're allowed to make the game we want to make." "We can't go around curtailing people's artistic freedoms because of one lunatic." "'If you tell the tales, you define the culture." "'Rockstar Games are telling tales full of violence and depravity.'" "Parents have no idea what their kids are playing." "That's the problem." "Yeah, but that's not our fault, is it?" "It's theirs!" "They don't understand games and they want to blame someone for these deaths, but rather than blame this kid's parents or failed education or zero job prospects, this man wants to blame us." "I'm not changing a single thing about GTA." "OK, I agree, I just don't think any of us like being accused of making a murder simulator." "Well, that's good, because we don't, we make entertainment." "'How do you want to make a game that suggests, even for a moment, 'that it's OK to kill police officers?" "'Why do you want to do that?" "'" "'As he fled, Moore stole a bunch of car keys." "'He climbed into a police car out front 'and hit the road." "'It was over within seconds." "'Inside, three people had been murdered.'" "I'll be in Baton Rouge" " I've got to debate Louisiana Law School." "Up against a bunch of nightmare Southern liberals." "And Friday, I'm set up to be on The Today Show again." "I got a client dinner that night." "Mm-hm." "Hello?" "'I'm going to kill you fuckers.'" "What is it?" "Oh, it's gay boy!" "It's just kids being stupid." "Oh, I know." "People who really wanna kill you, they don't phone you up and warn you, they just do it." "Yes, I know." "We can't let things like this stop us." "What sort of message would that send?" "I agree, Jack." "How about, as you burn the grass, you get high, so it becomes harder to do." "Controls get harder." "That's really funny." "Jamie!" "How was Vienna?" "Good." "Tiring." "I need you to go to Edinburgh tomorrow to talk to the animators of the Truth mission, OK?" "They need to be better." "I was supposed to have this weekend off." "I've got that stag party, remember?" "You're just going to have to skip it." "Yeah, it's crunch time, I need people to dig deep." "That's how I dig." "We're six months off delivering this game now and whole chunks of it are still shit and boring." "There's animation glitches in the street scenes still, the mo-cap's terrible." "Terry, we need to hire more QA people." "Take-Two won't let you hire anyone else." "At this rate, the game's going to be six months later than we said it would be when we said it would be six months late." "I'm not going to release a shit product into the world, guys." "I'm sorry about that." "If we can't hire more people, fine - we'll just have to take people off Manhunt and Warriors." "Jamie, go to Edinburgh, then go to Toronto and get people working on GTA." "Also, I've just heard there are 63 tracks you still haven't licensed?" "I'm on it." "They take time." "You gave us 160 to do." "Oh, and by the way," "James Brown's publishers said they definitely won't let us use Payback." "Go back to them, persuade them, you're really good at that and that's a really important track for the game." "Come on, mate!" "You're Mr Wolf!" "Hi, honey, good game?" "Uh-huh." "Hey!" "You OK?" "Slow down!" "What's the matter?" "Someone took my lacrosse stick, I think." "What do you mean, "took"?" "On purpose?" "I don't know." "Maybe I lost it." "It doesn't matter." "Hey!" "What's going on?" "Everything OK at school?" "Yeah." "You'd tell me if there was something wrong, wouldn't you?" "Look, I know you think these games hurt people, Dad, but, you know, not every kid's about to pull a Columbine, Dad, you know?" "What's wrong?" "He's having a tough time." "This is all my fault." "No, it's not." "He'll be fine." "I won't let him be bullied." "I'll go to the school." "I'll talk to the kids." "Do a convocation." "Is that a good idea?" "We don't want to make it worse." "I won't." "I'll make them understand." "...those sunglasses look like goggles." "But this one's perfect, that's good." "OK." "Hey!" "What?" "We've been looking at how we can incorporate the sexual content you want in San Andreas without hurting sales." "We'll do this later." "OK." "It's a question of how far we can push the creative envelope in this area and still get a mature rating." "If we get an adults-only rating, about 80% of shops and distributors in the US, particularly Wal-Mart, won't stock the game." "I've always been clear about this - this stuff is not gratuitous." "It's done within context and it's been linked to the story." "What's acceptable as sexual content is different in different countries." "I can send you a full list of the various dos and don'ts." "It'll depress you." "Broadly, male nudity is acceptable as long as the penis isn't erect." "No erect cocks?" "That's right." "The US is the most sensitive country by miles." "No penises, no vaginas, no nipples." "So that scene you've got animated of Carl having sex with Denise, that will get us an instant adults-only label here and needs removing." "That's ridiculous." "We don't all live in a virtual Utah." "I know, I wish we could include that stuff, but it's not feasible." "What's wrong with this country?" "I can walk down the road and get an Uzi if I want to, they're sending kids off to kill people in Iraq and heaven for-fucking-bid anyone sees a woman's nipple!" "That's America." "The Jack Thompsons of this world won't have it." "I don't care what he thinks." "I'm not going to bend to this." "Sex is a perfectly acceptable thing to have in a piece of adult entertainment and we are not pushing boundaries without it." "Maybe we should just be an AO game." "We're a game for adults - fine, let's just be that." "That would be retail suicide." "Who cares!" "So we sell half of what we hoped - at least we get to make our game." "I'm not having the content of my game dictated to me by a bunch of moronic shopkeepers!" "Don Simpson wouldn't settle for it, would he?" "What would he do?" "He'd hire an aircraft carrier, fill it with prostitutes, take 15 different types of class-A drugs and then, I think, he'd accept the power of the marketplace." "Fine, take the scene out." "There's no time, the game's due." "Happy?" "Blank Rome has been confirmed as the defence counsel for Rockstar and Take-Two." "That is a big, serious law firm." "They're going to fight you every step of the way." "Good!" "You know what?" "I want this fight." "Believe me, Jack, they will look into every corner of your life, of our lives, to try and discredit you." "Let 'em" " I've got nothing to hide." "You ever smoke dope at college?" "Fake a tax receipt?" "Failed to pay a fine?" "They'll try and find out, they'll try and pathologize your behaviour." "Make you seem like a fanatic." "Forget what I've done." "I'm going to do my best to make their lives a living hell." "No, don't try and attack them." "They are not the target, are they?" "The target is the video games industry." "Keep your eye on the target, Jack." "Right." "Here's Villagio's." "Let's pray for a parking space." "You know this Jack Thompson guy?" "What about him?" "You know he got Howard Stern thrown off the air?" "Yeah?" "He got a 2 Live Crew album banned and now he's having a go at us." "The whole Devin Moore case, they're just using us as scapegoats." "These people have an issue with the entire gaming industry." "They'll find any excuse." "Yeah, but this guy wins." "He's relentless and he's clearly obsessive." "He won against a rap band, that's all." "You're not taking this seriously enough." "Listen, we've got Blank Rome, yeah?" "A seriously heavyweight law firm." "He won't know what's hit him." "They say Thompson's his own worst enemy." "He's a bigmouth, can't help himself." ""Your client and what it does" ""is indefensible." ""You disgrace us as lawyers." ""Shame on you."" "You OK?" "Doing battle, honey." "Doing battle." "Good night." ""These men have done their level best" ""to promote what John Paul II called a 'culture of death'" ""to an entire generation of American children."" "Make this filth disappear..." "Torturing our children, violence... depravity..." ""Absolutely the dumbest thing you ever did was hire Blank Rome" ""as your law firm."" "John, Dave." "Thanks so much for coming, all of you." "Hey, Jack." "When the judge hears your expert testimonies, there'll be no way he can dispute the influence of Grand Theft Auto on Devin's case." "Who are they?" "Blank Rome." "Rockstar's lawyers." "Jack, a word." "800." "800 pages from Blank Rome describing all your campaigning, despite the case being active, including press releases that you have written about this case before it's even been heard." "Ray, they want me off the case." "They're scared of me." "You've been on The Today Show seven times talking about this!" "Eight times." "And Fox News." "You know it's not allowed." "You're killing our case, Jack, before it's even started." "Did you write to the CEO of Take-Two telling him that you're going to take him for every penny that he has?" "Yes, I did, and I don't regret it." "Did you say in the press that Sony dumping GTA on American kids was "effectively Pearl Harbor 2"?" "All of these communications are fundamental violations of Bar ethical codes." "If you think I'm going to allow this sort of grandstanding in my courtroom, you are absolutely wrong." "OK, I understand your position, Your Honour." "That's become very clear." "Myself and Mr Reiser have discussed that and I'm happy to step down." "My colleague can prosecute it very ably without my assistance." "It's not up to you whether you take part or not, it's up to me." "And given your manner and your numerous violations of Bar ethics, you're right, you will not be taking part." "Mom..." "Is Dad OK?" "I mean, he told one of the moms at school today he was Eliot Ness." "He's got his big civil case, you know how he gets." "He's doing what the Lord wants him to." "He said he's going to come to the school and talk about violence in video games." "Is that what's bothering you?" "Don't worry, honey, your dad is a brilliant public speaker." "He won't embarrass you." "You should be pleased you've got a dad who's prepared to do these things, huh?" "All rise." "Be seated." "The question before this court is whether Devin Moore's crimes are the result of his use of Grand Theft Auto and, despite their expertise and interesting points they raise, since the plaintiff's experts have acknowledged that they have never met Devin Moore" "and have no personal knowledge of his specific crimes," "I cannot consider their evidence." "Since they have never met Devin, they cannot know if he engaged in scripted behaviour." "In fact, I am entirely unpersuaded he carried out his violent actions because he had been programmed by a video game." "Therefore, summary judgment is granted in favour of the defendants." "Case dismissed." "That's outrageous." "Jack..." "Jack." "Jack!" "Nice job, guys." "You must be very pleased with yourselves." "Mr Thompson, you should be aware that we're going to ask the Florida Bar to look at your behaviour in this case for your repeated professional misconduct." "Guys, I'm not the one breaking the law." "Your clients are." "Every time they sell one of those violent, evil games to a child." "Excuse me." "Dan?" "They chucked it out." "They chucked what out?" "What do you think?" "The Thompson civil case - the judge threw it out." "Blank-Rome did us proud." "So, it's over?" "It's over." "It was ridiculous to blame those murders on the games anyway." "Forget it." "Listen, San Andreas is due." "Clear your head - finish the game." "Terry!" "What are you talking about...?" "Thanks, man." "So, how's life in Westchester, Pat?" "Great." "You must come up some time." "Yeah, I must." "I'd like that." "So, here you are, Pat, the first official copy of Grand Theft Auto:" "San Andreas." "Two years of work, our biggest and best game ever, I think." "I'm sure it'll be a massive hit for you." "Anything we need to know about from a ratings board perspective?" "No, it should be another mature rating." "Good." "Yazooks!" "Man, have you played GTA:" "San Andreas yet?" "It is unbelievable how much cool stuff there is to do in this game." "Driving, gambling, dancing, killing people - you can turn" "Carl into whatever kind of bad ass hero you want him to be." "Change his clothes, change his weapons, get him fit, get him fat, make him whatever you want." "Trust me, you're going to love it." "Pow!" "Mm-hmm." "OK, thanks, I appreciate you telling me right away." "Blank-Rome has submitted a motion to the Florida Bar Association to have me disbarred." "They're claiming I tried to hide my previous disciplinary record, which is a lie." "I disclosed everything..." "Little bastards!" "Come back here!" "Come back here!" "Asshole!" "Keep running!" "Come back here!" "Come back!" "Fuck off, loser!" "You fat fuck!" "Do you want to make a report?" "Not unless it happens again." "I'm sorry." "Careful." "You still think I did the right thing, taking on these guys?" "Of course I do." "But you don't want this." "No." "It just feels so degrading to have to engage with these people." "It makes me angry and that affects you." "Don't worry about us." "You're doing righteous work, Jack Thompson." "If you judge a man by his enemies, you're a great man." "What do you want from me, Lord?" "Is this what you want, me fighting these people?" "Because it feels like death." "It's so destructive to my soul and my family." "I'm not sure how much longer I can endure it." "If this is your will, Father, show me a sign." "Stop me from hating them." "Give me the strength to not hate them." "Hey, fella!" "Move along, please!" "Terry!" "Have you seen the number of comments we're getting back, the RPG and San Andreas?" "People love how they can adapt Carl." "Forget that." "Have you seen how many units we've sold?" "That's amazing." "It is amazing." "Stop what you're doing, everybody!" "Ping-pong competition." "Figures must be amazing cos it does not get better than that!" "Hoi." "Hoi!" "JP..." "I fucking love it!" "It's the best animated movement I've ever seen." "Well done, fella, it's ace." "It should be our next game." "Table tennis?" "Yeah." "Re-doing Pong?" "We'll do World Championship Table Tennis." "We'll do the best, most exciting, most authentic, table tennis game that's ever been made." "Right!" "What?" "'You're incredible, you should get paid for this.'" "Come on, girl!" "How did they get a hold of this?" "Don't answer that." "I'm serious." "This is going to get brutal." "It's had thousands of hits and it's been on for two hours." "How the fuck did this get out there?" "!" "Who put this out there?" "NO!" "Nobody answer your phones, OK?" "Jesus!" "'You're incredible, you should get paid for this.'" "They created this for an M-rated game?" "This is it, Ray." "This is proof that Sam Houser has absolutely no regard for the law, or children's welfare." "I prayed for something like this." "Is this part of the game?" "You don't think so." "If this scene was in the game," "Rockstar would have highlighted it with us." "Are you sure about that?" "Yes." "So where'd it come from?" "We're trying to find out." "Yeah, well we need to know because this kind of thing confirms everyone's worst fears about the gaming industry." "This could undo years of lobbying." "If Rockstar misled you, I want to know." "Patrick!" "Pat, I assure you that sex scene is not in the game." "It's a third party modification, made by some hacker in their bedroom and then put on YouTube." "Well, it's had over 20,000 hits now." "The integrity of our rating system depends on customers trusting our judgment, so we're going to investigate fully, OK?" "And if there's been a violation, we'll take appropriate action." "OK, Pat, there hasn't been a violation." "I'm telling you it was the modders." "We're confident that the ESRB investigation will uphold the correct rating of GTA:" "San Andreas." "Was the hot copy coding included on the games disc?" "The scene is the work of a group of hackers or modders who've gone to significant trouble to alter scenes in the official version, in violation of the user software agreement." "OK, thanks." "You've got to be fucking kidding me." "Who's idea was that?" "Shut up, Jamie." "He usually knows what he's doing." "Does he?" "!" "That we're blaming our biggest fans?" "Where's Sam?" "Coming back from Edinburgh." "Shit!" "Terry!" "What were you fucking thinking?" "I'm trying to protect the company, Sam, while you were in Edinburgh." "By blaming the modders." "Sorry, but it's the most stupid PR decision I've heard of in my life." "Sam?" "Fuck you." "They've sentenced Devin Moore to death by lethal injection." "Ah, he's a victim, too." "You want me to...?" "I got it." "Hello?" "Certainly." "One moment, please." "It's Hillary Clinton, for you." "We're here from Blank Rome to understand the situation as best we can so we can advise your owners, Take-Two, and yourselves if necessary, on any legal action you may be likely to face as a result" "of the so-called Hot Coffee scene that's come to light." "Sure." "I-I'm very happy to help." "Is the sex scene in the game, as some people are saying?" "No, it's not." "Therefore Patrick Wildenborg, this Dutch hacker, made it?" "He created it?" "No." "So where did it come from?" "It's a scene that we had created for the game but then we didn't want to use." "It's not in the game." "It was removed." "The scene would have prevented the game getting an M rating." "Yeah, yeah, that's one reason, sure." "But also, I just didn't like it." "It didn't fit the vibe of the game." "The rendering was shit." "So, you know, I said that we'd get rid of it." "You said, "Get rid of it," and it's not in the game." "So how did Patrick Wildenborg come across it?" "Well, it's hidden in the code, so he hacked it." "So it's in the code." "Forgive me, the game is made up of code, isn't it, on the disk?" "Yes." "So does it not therefore follow that if it's in the code it's in the game?" "Well, no, it doesn't, it's a little more complicated than that, actually." "Explain." "The scene is in the code, but the players can't access it." "But Wildenborg did." "Well, he shouldn't have done, should he?" "What he did was illegal?" "It breached the purchaser's license agreement?" "It's not as simple as that." "Whatever the end user agreement may say, modders have a well-known history of adapting Grand Theft Auto." "Don't they?" "Er, sorry, did somebody offer you a drink when you came in?" "Do you want a tea or coffee or anything?" "No, thank you." "Mm-hm." "If you didn't want the sex scene in the game, why did you leave it there in the code, where hackers could find it?" "Why didn't you just remove it fully?" "Well, Michelle, because it is complicated to remove something like that." "It's hard." "If you fiddle with the code, it can have a knock-on effect on a lot of things that are very hard to predict." "We were in the run-up to delivery." "It was too complicated for you to remove this prohibited sex scene from the game?" "How many people do you employ?" "You employ 983 people." "Last year, your company made over 253 million." "But you're saying it was too complicated to remove a prohibited sex scene from the code of the game, code that hackers are not only allowed to enter but do so, sometimes with Rockstar's blessing?" "So, Sam, is it not true that far from removing the sex scene, you deliberately left it in a place where you knew it was highly likely to be found?" "No." "No." "OK?" "Absolutely not." "Please, I thought you guys were on my side?" "Let me assure you, if the Feds prosecute you for this, we're a picnic compared to what you'll face in court." "Mr Thompson." "Yes." "Hello." "Good day." "This way, please." "Thank you." "Jack Thompson!" "Thank you so much for coming to see us." "Thanks for asking me." "Please." "Thank you." "The Senator's very interested in what you've been saying in the media about violent video games." "As a parent and a politician, Hillary's very concerned about these games that are being sold to our children." "Well, I'm delighted to hear that." "We may have different politics, but I think this is a bipartisan issue." "In addition to the violence, these recent revelations about this so-called Hot Coffee sex scene perfectly demonstrate what little regard these game designers, these Brits, have for our federal laws or the welfare of our children." "Yes, we are aware of that scene." "The Senator's keen to have the House investigate the issue." "But more broadly, what scientific evidence is there linking violent video games with violent behaviour?" "There's lots of precise scientific evidence." "I've been travelling round the country talking to experts, including neurologists from the NIH, who've done CT scans of..." "Hey, hey, ho, ho, Rockstar's gotta go!" "Hey, hey, ho, ho, Rockstar's gotta go!" "After a thorough investigation, we have concluded that sexually explicit material exists in a fully rendered form on the final disk of Grand Theft Auto:" "San Andreas." "The existence of this undisclosed content has seriously undermined the credibility of the ESRB's rating." "Yeah?" "'Where are you?" "No-one knows where you are.'" "I'm heading upstate for a bit." "So, the ESRB have found us guilty." "'They re-rated the game as adults only.'" "Take-Two are pulling every disk out of every store in America at a cost of 25 million." "'We need you back here, Sam.'" "The Federal Trade Commission has been ordered to investigate" "Rockstar over Hot Coffee." "That's good!" "Oh, it's better than good, honey." "It's great." "It'll bring a lot of unwanted heat on Rockstar." "This is all because of the briefing I gave Hillary." "Oh, your good friend Hillary, huh?" "HE LAUGHS" "Just goes to prove, if the Lord asks you to do something you sure as hell better do it!" "Hello?" "WOMAN: 'Why are you such an asshole?" "'" "Why am I an asshole?" "It's a hate call." "Why do you think I'm an asshole?" "Are we going to use this?" "What shall we tell them?" "That they're not right." "OK, what don't you like about it?" "Sam, are you all right?" "The House of Representatives have voted 355 to 21 to investigate" "Hot Coffee and whether we committed fraud." "Fraud?" "!" "What fraud?" "Misleading the ratings board." "Misrepresenting the game." "Well, that's insane!" "We didn't commit fraud, so we'll be fine." "We can fight it." "Why was that scene allowed to be left on the disks?" "I thought you ran this company." "Shut up, Terry!" "If something's wrong, somebody needs to point it out to me!" "Let's not turn this into a blamestorm." "Let's just work out how we get through this." "This is all due to this Jack Thompson guy." "Blank Rome will advise us on how to deal with the Federal Trade Commission." "Let's be cool-headed about this." "It's a process." "We can hire experts in Washington and be guided through it." "Will the Feds call me in to give evidence?" "They can call any of us in." "Somehow, this has become personal." "Somehow, these people in Washington have become convinced that" "WE are responsible for teenage sex and violence." "It is ridiculous!" "If these scenes were in a film or a book, no-one would even blink." "This beautiful game we made's only going to be remembered for this shit." "I don't want anyone communicating by e-mail any more, OK?" "Nothing in writing." "If we have any important meetings, we take them outside on the street." "And tell the whole office." "They won't have bugged us." "You don't know that, mate." "And you don't know what these people are capable of." "Jamie?" "Who the fuck gave all our e-mails to the FDC?" "We had to." "Sam, you can't refuse a request from the Feds." "If we get this wrong, they could take all of this." "You know that." "I need to talk to you." "Go outside." "Can I have one?" "I don't want you going to that conference in Vegas next weekend, all right?" "I don't want anyone going to any conferences." "OK." "Those table-tennis screen shots are shit." "The crowd perspective's all wrong, the colours are too muted." "What has JP been doing for the last two weeks?" "Well, he's been waiting for you to feed back on them." "Here's my feedback." "He's fired." "Sam!" "No, seriously, go to San Diego and fire him." "Twice he's sent screen shots I wouldn't put up in a classroom." "Does he realise how fucking untalented he is?" "Does he wake up going, "Fuck, I'm not that talented,"" "or is he oblivious to his own shitness?" "Yeah, sure, I'll ask him that as I fire him." "It's all Terry's fault, this." "Don't you think?" "Which bit?" "That press release." "It's because he's not a gamer." "Not really." "He doesn't understand the fans." "Sam it's late." "Let's go home." "I'll finish this." "OK." "Hey." "How's it going at the coalface?" "Hi, Jamie." "Back from San Diego?" "Oh, no, this is my avatar." "I'm actually having a holiday on a tropical island." "I just wanted to let you know, whatever happens, we'll always look after you, OK?" "You're a key part of the Rockstar family." "Jen?" "It never occurred to me that you wouldn't." "Good." "Fuck." "Leaving early, Terry?" "It's 11pm!" "So... you're doing this talk tomorrow at school." "Yeah, I'm just writing it." "Hey." "Don't worry, Son." "Do you realise the shit I've been getting about this?" "What, because I'm doing this talk?" "They know you're going to tell them all to stop playing video games." "They've seen you on TV." "I'm not going to make things worse for you, Johnny, I promise." "I want to make it better." "This is what I've written." "You tell me if you like it." ""If you play violent video games, you will go to hell."" "I'm just kidding!" "OK?" ""This..." ""..is the greatest computer ever devised." ""You have a choice, but I think you should be aware of what it is" ""you're putting on your cranial hard drive." ""Some of you may resent me for suggesting you stop playing" ""violent video games." ""Fair enough." ""You have that right." "But give me this." ""I don't blame you." ""I blame the big, isolating," ""money-driven games industry that wants you to think violence is cool," ""because I think you all know, in reality, it's not."" "How's that?" "That's good, Dad." "Yeah?" "I think that'll be good." "Yeah?" "Thank you." "I love you, son." "'At the FTC hearing, ' if you are found guilty of false representation, fraud, eventually you could be looking at a fine of many millions of dollars." "It'll be the end of Rockstar Games if they even go halfway..." "Fine." "I get it." "I do." "It'll be a grilling and I'm going to deal with it in my own way." "I'm going to explain to them exactly what it is we do at Rockstar and how we make games because obviously they don't have a fucking clue." "OK." "But please try and be humble and serious." "And please wear a suit." "I just want it to be over now." "Where's Jamie?" "How should I know?" "Is he away somewhere?" "He's not in San Diego or Edinburgh, is he?" "He wasn't in yesterday either." "Dan." "Just a tick." "Do you know where Jamie is?" "He's not been in for two days, has he said anything to you?" "No, mate." "Hello?" "Hi." "Hi." "The Florida Bar Association wants to disbar me for unprofessional conduct." "There's going to be a hearing." "It's just the 31 charges that I've got to defend myself against." "Did I underestimate Blank Rome?" "Oh, Jack." "Mr Houser." "Good afternoon." "This way, please." "Thank you for coming, Mr Houser." "We're here to ascertain exactly how it is that the so-called" "Hot Coffee sex scene ended up on the DVDs of San Andreas." "I'm..." "I'm here to help in any way I can." "We have all your e-mail correspondence on this matter over the last three years." "You like to use profane language in your e-mails, don't you, Mr Houser?" "Yeah, I'm very sorry about that." "'Mr Thompson...' ...I have reviewed over 2,000 pages of submitted transcripts that contend you've abused the legal system by submitting numerous frivolous and inappropriate filings to court, that you've made false statements to tribunals and that you've engaged in incidents of libel and slander." "The fact is, Your Honour, most of these accusations are laughable and motivated by a malicious desire for revenge due to the civil case" "I recently brought against their clients." "Their accusations stretch back over 20 years." "That's the legal equivalent of going through my trash." "And more recently, did you write to Judge James Moore in Alabama falsely accusing him of..." ""consorting with criminal bodies"?" "Your Honour, the real fact of the matter is these people don't like me because I give them the truth and it hurts like hell." "Hey, man, it's me." "Er, what's happening?" "How's it gone?" "You can't still be in there." "Call me." "I want to know what's happening." "'Jack, it's Patti." "Please give me a call when you get out.'" "'According to the FTC, Take-Two and Rockstar 'failed to notify consumers that Grand Theft Auto:" "San Andreas 'contained otherwise hidden nudity and a sexually-themed mini game.'" "The settlement today requires that the companies must now develop a system to ensure that all game content is considered and reviewed before being submitted to the ratings authority." "'In other breaking news...'" "That's it?" "They got off." "'.." "As hurricane-force winds continue to batter the Bahamas." "'An emergency task force has been appointed...'" "Hey." "Well done." "Wrist slap, no fine, mustn't happen again." "Couldn't have hoped for better than that." "You were in there nine hours." "Yep." "I just heard Jack Thompson's been permanently disbarred from practising law." "Maybe he'll leave us alone now." "Maybe." "But I doubt it." "I thought you'd be pleased to know you'd won." "Don Simpson died of a heart attack on the toilet with 21 different types of drugs in his system and his trousers round his ankles." "He'd had so much cosmetic surgery, people said he barely looked human." "He's your hero, he is." "Today, I'm announcing, along with my colleagues, the Family Entertainment Protection Act." "This bill will prohibit the sale of violent and sexually explicit video games to minors." "We need to treat violent video games the way we treat tobacco, alcohol and pornography..." "And Governor Schwarzenegger has banned the sale of violent games to minors in California." "You are winning." "What am I winning?" "I've been permanently disbarred." "Families of those dead cops haven't had justice." "Rockstar Games got off scot-free." "'We know that these products are damaging to children...'" "What did I win?" "The law is changing." "You're a special lady, Patti." "Thank you." "Thank you for always supporting me." "Erm, excuse me." "You want to let me in?" "No." "Was this you running away?" "I don't remember the last time I had any time to myself." "Why are you here?" "We need you." "I quit, Sam." "I'm going to leave." "Don't leave." "I need a break." "Come here." "Come here." "You're one of the most important people in my life." "I need you." "I'm still going to leave, despite the nice hug." "We're just having a bad time right now cos people are using us as a political football, all right?" "But that will change." "And we'll get back to normal." "I don't want to go back to normal." "The endless crunch times, running between eight different studios, living on a plane and firing people." "It's your company, Sam." "Not mine." "Yeah, but you're a key part of it, mate." "I can't do it without you." "But Rockstar belongs to you and Dan and Terry." "You get all the royalties." "Do you want to give me some of them?" "I've been thinking of quitting myself." "Just stopping the whole thing." "It's not fun any more." "You can't do that." "Look, I can leave but you can't because you're a proper pioneer, Sam." "You're a genius." "You're changing the way games are perceived." "I don't know, man." "I don't even know what I'm going to do next." "You'll do your next game... and it'll be the best one yet." "I know it will." "Hey, what are you doing?" "!"