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In a pleasingly balanced appraisal of Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto IV expansion The Lost and the Damned, US parenting group
has highlighted the DLC as certainly not safe kids – but spared the time to point out what a great download it is.
The DLC is clearly identified as most definitely not for children, tweens or teens under the age of 17”, highlighting its full frontal male nudity, bad language, drug references and gang violence – including a scene where someone’s face is pushed on to the spinning wheel of a motorcycle.
However, the site also goes on to add that the download will make you forget everything you know about downloadable content” owing to the depth of content it offers, giving it a review score of 4/5.
The site also states that: Families can talk about why Rockstar likes to push the envelope and garner controversy over its games? Why did they have to put full-frontal nudity in the game if it’s not integral to the story?
Do they correlate media outrage with extraordinary game sales? Do players expect Rockstar to stir up controversy with each of its titles, including the Manhunt and Bully series? Families can also talk about the impact of video game violence on players and why so many parents question whether GTA games are appropriate for kids.”
The balanced advice is in stark contrast to other notorious examples, and should set an example to others wishing to educate parents about gaming.
