GTA helped industry stand up for itself

By Tom Bramwell Published 29 April, 2008

So says Insomniac Games' Ted Price.

Grand Theft Auto III was a "galvanising" factor in the games industry deciding to fight its corner, according to Ted Price, CEO of Ratchet & Clank developer Insomniac.

As well as driving hardware sales and demonstrating that games had "finally grown up", Price told GamesIndustry.biz, "it also shined a spotlight on an issue crucial to our industry's survival - that as works of art, games have a clear right to the same [US] first amendment protection as other media."

"Even if GTA hadn't come along we'd still be fighting to protect our rights to express ourselves creatively as artists.

"However, I think GTA III was extremely important in galvanising our own industry into standing up and responding to the narrow-minded measures being proposed by poorly informed and opportunistic legislators," he explained.

Frothing mentalist reaction to GTA IV has been relatively sedate compared to some of the early anger at GTA III, unless you count Jack Thompson's ongoing crusade to get it banned.

And other industry figures, quoted in the same GamesIndustry.biz piece, now shrug their shoulders at the backlash, with Game Developers Conference organiser Jamil Moledina pointing out that "daring artists always fall under fire from some segment of the population looking to ascribe their problems to people telling make-believe stories".

Which reminds me - I blame sombreros for Ellie.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000. Follow him on Twitter.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (9) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Dabs #1 4 years ago

    What's this GTA IV thing you keep talking about?

  • zedzee #2 4 years ago

    I think all games should be banned. They are a disruptive influence on our young people. They cause premature growth and promote violence in our society. They even make young men drive fast on the road. Games are a menace and we must stop them from being released...for good!

    ;-)

  • penhalion #3 4 years ago

    @zedzee

    Here! here!.......yep he's here.....kill him.....you sure....ok

  • NegativeZero #4 4 years ago

    "Frothing mentalist reaction to GTA IV has been relatively sedate..." ... because the game isn't even out yet.

    EDIT: unless you live in the place recently known as Liberty Bay, that is.
    Edited by NegativeZero at 29/04/08 @ 08:50

  • bdc #5 4 years ago

    BAN THIS SICK FILTH.

  • DutchDemons #6 4 years ago

    i'm sure the backlash will come. once the local mayors and other political dickheads are aware there's hookers/drugs/sex/drunk driving and violence in GTA 4, they will surely light the fire. Of course only when their re-elections are up.

    why fight crime and filth in reality when you can just as easily fight it ingame?
    Edited by DutchDemons at 29/04/08 @ 10:37

  • coojam #7 4 years ago

    The GTA games are certainly adult, but I'd hardly describe them as "grown-up". They're the gaming equivalent of a Tarantino film.

  • dsmx #8 4 years ago

    So the British fought for the first amendment rights of Americans?

  • djed #9 4 years ago

    i agree, ban it. think about the children. and the environment.