Grand Theft Auto creators detail Max Clifford’s engineered controversy

Speaking to the Sunday Times, Grand Theft Auto creators David Jones and Mike Dailly have gone into further detail on the fact that much of the controversy surrounding the series was engineered by publicist Max Clifford. The collaboration was last explored in David Kushner’s book Jacked: The Outlaw Story Of Grand Theft Auto.

How Dan Houser turned Grand Theft Auto into a cultural phenomenon

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/nov/18/dan-houser-grand-theft-auto?INTCMP=SRCH

Mr Dan Houser was interviewed in the Guardian on Saturday - MUST READ

How Dan Houser turned Grand Theft Auto into a cultural phenomenon

There isn't another video game firm in the world like Rockstar Games. Founded in 1998 by Dan Houser and his brother Sam, it has been responsible for some of the most fascinating, successful and controversial video games ever, including the groundbreaking Grand Theft Auto series (120m sales and counting) and the vast wild west adventure, Red Dead Redemption.

World of Warcraft hobby sparks US political row

The gaming hobby of a political candidate has become an issue in a state senate race in New England, US.

Maine Republicans have created a webpage revealing that Democrat candidate Colleen Lachowicz plays an orc rogue in World of Warcraft (WoW).

Ms Lachowicz's liking for back-stabbing and poison in WoW raise questions about her "fitness for office", they claim.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19842704

 

Lesson 8 - How are games consumed?

Consumption is important to consider - do not stop with the end users just playing a game in their home - there are many other ways gaming influences consumers.

PPT after the cut

"We're training our kids to be killers" - Jack Thompson

What is Hot Coffee?

http://www.nomorehotcoffee.com/

 

What is "Hot Coffee"?
The term "Hot Coffee" has come to be used to refer to an unauthorized third party modification to the retail version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. This modification is a piece of software which has been made available for download from the internet and has been used to change the retail version of the game to access scenes which were rendered inaccessible during development. These scenes were not intended to be seen or to be part of the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas experience.

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2012/04/05/hot-coffee-gamings-greatest-story

Hot Coffee: Gaming's Greatest Story

Sex, scandal, stupidity. Hot Coffee had it all. A new book tells the tale of Grand Theft Auto and its biggest moment. Here's the IGN review.

There's no contest. In the history of videogames, the saga of Hot Coffee is the greatest story ever told. It's bursting with sex, hypocrisy, lies, espionage and even a dash of heroism.
It's a battle-royale between two establishments – the old, cold media-governmental combine and the hot young blades of the game industry's cultural-revolution. It's about one of the best, most controversial games-series' ever made. And it's about a host of incredible personalities, many of them mind-blowing egotists with an absolute conviction of moral rightness.