Sims 2 is ruder than GTA

By Ellie Gibson Published 25 July, 2005

Says US videogame critic.

US attorney Jack Thompson has taken time out from his busy schedule of condemning the makers of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and comparing the ESRB president to Hitler to take a pop at EA's The Sims 2 - describing the game as a "pedophile's paradise."

In a statement, Thompson referred to The Sims 2 as the industry's "latest dirty little secret", claiming that the game "contains, according to videogame news sites, full frontal nudity, including nipples, penises, labia and pubic hair." [According to videogame sites!? Lordy. - Ed]

Although there is no sex in the game, characters appear nude when carrying out activities such as taking a shower. Their breasts and genitals are blurred out to avoid offence - but Thompson claimed hackers can get around this by using a cheat code.

"The nudity placed there by the publisher/maker, Electronic Arts, is accessed by the use of a simple code that removes what is called 'the blur' which obscures genital areas," he said.

"In other words, the game was released to the public by the manufacturer knowing that the full frontal nudity was resident on the game and would be accessed by use of a simple code widely provided on the Internet."

Thompson went on to note that children can also be made to appear nude in the game - "Much to the delight, one can be sure, of pedophiles around the globe who can rehearse, in virtual reality, for their abuse."

EA responded by observing that even if the blur is removed there is nothing to see: "This is nonsense. We've reviewed 100 percent of the content. There is no content inappropriate for a teen audience. Players never see a nude sim," EA executive Jeff Brown told US website GameSpot.

"If someone with an extreme amount of expertise and time were to remove the pixels, they would see that the sims have no genitals. They appear like Ken and Barbie."

But that's not good enough for Thompson. "The sex and nudity are in the game. That's the point," he said.

"The blur is an admission that even the 'Ken and Barbie' features should not be displayed. The blur can be disarmed. This is no different than what is in San Andreas, although worse."

Thompson later updated his statement, saying that he understood that available mods only get rid of the blur without revealing graphic details. However, he went on to complain that, "Electronic Arts has done nothing about this," claiming that the publisher is "co-operating, gleefully, with the mod community to turn Sims 2 into a porn offering."

The ESRB has made no comment on Thompson's statement, and there is currently no suggestion that The Sims 2 could be slapped with a higher age rating as in the GTA: San Andreas case.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (54) Latest comment 7 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Milk #1 7 years ago

    Oh dear....

    In suggest EG refrain from giving jack any more free publicity in future.

  • Artemus #2 7 years ago

    This man needs to get a job.

  • Psi #3 7 years ago

    I am Jack's debilitating social problem.







    I've found a picture of what he looks like

    http://photos1.blogger.com/img/248/3631/320/lionel_hu tz.jpg
    Edited by 1 at 26/07/05 @ 10:07

  • JonFE #4 7 years ago

    One might argue that he needs to get laid...
    Edited by 1 at 25/07/05 @ 14:11

  • Dark Scizor #5 7 years ago

    That Thomson guy really needs to go see a Therapist!
    Next time he'll demand that Lara Croft or the bombshells from DoA be dressed as nuns and made to look like they don't have any breasts just because he is easily offended.

  • Derblington #6 7 years ago

    Or shot, preferably.

  • mattius30 #7 7 years ago

    I was watching EastEnders the other day and a friend told me that under their clothes the actors are COMPLETELY NAKED! Come on BBC, think of the children and ban this filth!

  • Dynamize #8 7 years ago

    "The sex and nudity are in the game. That's the point," he said.

    In other news that will no doubt shock Mr Thompson, there are people in the world who can freely remove their clothes! People are going around completely naked underneath their clothes! Not to mention that people are having SEX, leading to PREGNANCY, and people like Mr Thompson existing! Somebody think of the children!

    I know I speak for all Thompsons out there when I say I cannot wait for science to enable me to place my brain in an austere, metallic grey robot. Thus humanity will forever be free of the embarassment, shame and naughty jokes relating to our various fleshy appendages and orifices. God knows the human form is disgusting and frankly, an embarassment.

  • Freek #9 7 years ago

    No, Jack you are wrong, the facts state this.

    Jack: "But..but but but....No you're wrong!, HA!"

  • mattius30 #10 7 years ago

    Your right Dynamize - underneath my trainers, jeans and t-shirt I am completely naked. It makes me feel dirty and wrong and only the Bible Game on PS2 will make me feel good again.

  • smelly #11 7 years ago

    I just drew a cock in paintbrush.. BAN THIS SICK FILTH!

  • pjmaybe #12 7 years ago

    I just drew a cock, a pair of tits and a fanny with a pencil.

    On a piece of paper

    BAN THEM, BAN THEM NOW!!!!!!!!

    BAN the Nintendo DS because you can send cocks and fannies to people on Pictochat.

    BANNNN!

    Peej

  • mattius30 #13 7 years ago

    I once drew a cock on Pac-Pix and the game recognised it as a Pac-man. As fun as it was watching a cock moving sideways and munching on ghosts - my blood ran COLD when I realised that kids can get their hands on Pac-Pix without the need for ID. I weep myself to sleep at night, I really do!

  • bionutz #14 7 years ago

    don't even get me started...
    /wonders who this media-attention-craver is.
    Or is this another "double-think" trick?

  • mattius30 #15 7 years ago

    And ban mirrors!!! After my shower this morning, I caught a glance of myself in the mirror. Although the mirror was steamed up I could tell that I was COMPLETELY NAKED. What if I were a minor? Then what eh? Then what????

    *deep breath*

  • espadachin #16 7 years ago

    what.
    a.
    tit.

  • PearOfAnguish #17 7 years ago

    He don't know Jack!


    Ha!

  • teamonkey #18 7 years ago

    Psi: "I am Jack's debilitating social problem."

    I need that on a T-shirt.

  • abeit #19 7 years ago

    he is soo gay

  • asphaltcowboy #20 7 years ago

    What's most annoying is that he hasn't even played it. He just read about it somewhere (apparently a videogame news site o_0). For the love of god, no one give him a copy of the Daily Mail!

  • binky #21 7 years ago

    Twonk

  • smelly #22 7 years ago

    And of course, dont let us see nipples.. it's not as if EVERY human in the whole world has them!

  • asphaltcowboy #23 7 years ago

    I have three!

  • PearOfAnguish #24 7 years ago

    You have to be worried about the mental stability of someone that claims pedophiles will use the Sims as a child-abuse training tool.

  • Markusdragon #25 7 years ago

    "The blur is an admission that even the 'Ken and Barbie' features should not be displayed. The blur can be disarmed. This is no different than what is in San Andreas, although worse."

    So the fact that ken and Barbie (wait, didn't she dump him for a surfer not too long ago?) have clothes is also an admission that plastic toys should cover their modesty. But wait! You can remove clothes from Barbie toys! Ban that sick filth!

  • mattius30 #26 7 years ago

    I have been playing Gods of War on PS2 and there are many, many nipples in the game. Not just male nipples but FEMALE nipples. They aren't even pixallated! Oh the horror!

  • mattius30 #27 7 years ago

    If the Sims 2 is a pedo-training sim then surely the games Nintendogs and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory could also be considered to be dangerous? I hear puppies and sweeties are the tools of the trade, so to speak.

  • wattoo #28 7 years ago

    What about dolls?

    Sick paedos can practice in the REAL WORLD for their abuse.

    "This is no different than what is in San Andreas, although worse"

    That sounds like a Colemanball to me.

  • DrPhil #29 7 years ago

    does this mean we can ban the crazy frog for having a blurred wang?

    /crosses fingers

  • MrGrumpy.au #30 7 years ago

    No DrPhil, but you can beat the living crap out of the stupid frog.

    http://www.somethingwrong.co.uk/crazy_frog_baseball/

    LOL!

    Have fun!

  • abigsmurf #31 7 years ago

    Sims don't actually have genitalia or nipples with out the downloading an (illegal) modification.

    This rubbish lawyer has destroyed all his credibility. Oh look, is that EA's team of very expensive lawyers I see coming?

  • dj-danger #32 7 years ago

    careful, this happened to the comic's industry in the USA in the 1930's.

    I am Jack's wasted life.

  • abigsmurf #33 7 years ago

    DJ-Danger : Exactly why manga has come along and given the US industry a kick up the arse. Everytime a decline comes along in a media in the US, it gives media from a different country a chance to shine.

    the fall of comics gave rise to manga's popularity

    The endless crap slasher flicks from the US gave rise to british and Asian horror

    etc.

    if you castrate one form of media in a country, either through self-enforced censorship or corporate thinking, you just make people look elsewhere.

  • DrPhil #34 7 years ago

    Darn it MrGrumpy, his head comes off too easily. I was enjoying working the face...

  • Xensor #35 7 years ago

    I'm not one to support EA and certainly not their massed ranks of trained attack lawyers, but i for one hope they publicly castrate this fool. Then he wouldn't have to worry that virtual toon with a pixellated crotch has got a bigger cock than him :p

  • MrGrumpy.au #36 7 years ago

    DrPhil, just slow it down a bit and the frog should suffer a little longer. ROFL!

    Cheers

  • Tweakmonkey #37 7 years ago

    Is there a mod available that makes this fool disappear?

  • Merefield #38 7 years ago

    They should add cultural advisory information.

    "Truly Liberal Societies (e.g. UK, Northern Europe)- 12"
    "Conservative US territories - 65"

  • Kafeen #39 7 years ago

    the game "contains, according to videogame news sites, full frontal nudity, including nipples, penises, labia and pubic hair.

    Mine didn't contain any of those.

    Although there is no sex in the game

    Wrong again. You can have sex and get pregnent and have children.

    appear nude when carrying out activities such as taking a shower.

    Shock horror!!!

    "Much to the delight, one can be sure, of pedophiles around the globe who can rehearse, in virtual reality, for their abuse."By removing the blur to see naked children, pedo's can practice grooming children? HUH???

  • shapiro49 #40 7 years ago

    Better those "pedos" waste their time modding Sims 2 than leave the house, I say.

  • max #41 7 years ago

    Knowing what little sense of humour EA have, I truly hope they eviscerate Mr Thompson with their legal team for defamation and all that. Rockstar could probably have done the same, but are no doubt revelling in the publicity.

    To be honest, I hope he lives to see another day, he really makes me smile :)

    Max

  • w00t #42 7 years ago

    Urge to kill... rising...

    It's not games that make me violent, it's idiocy in all it's myriad of forms. Please spay this man now.

    Sims 2 encourages paedos!?!?! What about MSN Messenger? What about mixed adult and child swimming sessions at the local leisure centre? WHat about TV shows containing children? What about LIFE!?!?! The only solution to the problem of humanity is obviously to remove all culture and children from the planet. That'll save us.

    For FUCK's sake, this guy needs to get a grip. [Not on a child COS THAT'S WRONG]

  • volb #43 7 years ago

    I just saved Mr Thompson's speech in text form and rearranged the letters to describe immoral and twisted perversions. The necessary words and letters are present in any of his arguments and the instructions for the modification are made readily available in public comment threads on the Web, exposed at the sight of minors worldwide.

    The shameful scam cannot be ignored when Mr Thompson describes unspeakable body parts with mercilessly unambiguous vocabulary.

    The ESRB must act now and give Mr Thompson a rating of "M", for "Moron".

  • KraftWerk #44 7 years ago

    The man is insane. Move along.

  • dj-danger #45 7 years ago

    I am Jack's complete lack of surprise.

    northy, now there is a good reason for censorship.

  • Darth_Flibble #46 7 years ago

    I hope EA's lawyers take him for every cent, rip out his non-beating heart and I really hope he has to have a very bad sex change and get work as fat lardy rent boy to buy food. The guy is scum

  • The12thMonkey #47 7 years ago

    Never thought I'd ever be cheering EA on. You go, EA, put thy lawyers to good use for once.

  • Dark Scizor #48 7 years ago

    Next time, Jack will discover that, OMG, there's nude in porn movies and people there are having sex. The horror!!!!

    PS: His name should be Jack "Moron" Thompson.
    Edited by 1 at 26/07/05 @ 04:42

  • Carrybagma #49 7 years ago

    Never mind porn - why can't they put a warning on this stuff to advise that it's crap?

    "WARNING - May contain scenes of mediocrity."

  • optimusprym8 #50 7 years ago

    Sims? Good for grooming? How_does_HE_know_this?

  • Universal_Hamster #51 7 years ago

    Question: He wants the rating bumped up from Teen. How many teenage paedophiles are there anyway?

  • Slacker #52 7 years ago

    Really though, does he have a clue what The Sims is? I fail to see what sort of rehearsing pedophiles can actually do with the game.

    Unless he takes 'grooming' to mean helping them clean the house, eat, go to college, hold down a job and the like...

    My God man. Get a grip.

    I do, however, like the way he says that EA is "co-operating, gleefully, with the mod community to turn Sims 2 into a porn offering". It gives me the image of EA as some crazy porn king, laughing like an evil maniac, rubbing it's hands as it urges the 'mod community' to make it's little creations do the dirty-dance...

  • PES_Fanboy #53 7 years ago

    I agree, ban this sick filth, the sooner its banned the sooner I can get back to pissing on people and setting them on fire in Postal 2. Oh, and inspecting my victims after a sweaty round of Battle Raper.

    I'll admit it, I just don't find killing prostitutes fun anymore.

  • Krun #54 7 years ago

    Ban Paint shop pro, i drew a dirty picture with it!!!!