The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) said it was looking into whether Rockstar Games’ bestselling Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas contained a sexually explicit minigame hidden in the code.

“Hot Coffee” is the mod which, when installed on the PC version, unlocks several minigames which prompts players to engage in X-rated acts. ESRB president Patricia Vance said her organization has “opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the ‘Hot Coffee’ modification.” They will try to determine if the mod unlocks pre-existing code, and determine if Take-Two violated ESRB regulations.

“The integrity of the ESRB rating system is founded on the trust of consumers who increasingly depend on it to provide complete and accurate information about what’s in a game. If after a thorough and objective investigation of all the relevant facts surrounding this modification, we determine a violation of our rules has occurred, we will take appropriate action,” Vance said in a written statement.

This story has had a huge following in the gaming world, but to be honest, it’s not that big of a deal. The GTA brand is so strong, that even if it was not rated, parents should still know better than to let their children play it. The big issue here, however, is the political undermining being played by Vance, and Assemblyman Leland Yee.

Yee has stated, time and again, that the ESRB is practically worthless and doesn’t do a correct job in rating games.

“Assemblyman Yee has been on a crusade for years to undermine the integrity of the ESRB, and in so doing, generate support for his legislative agenda. His latest attempt to win political points is to claim, without any legitimate basis, that a game rated for ages 17 and older with explicit content descriptors prominently displayed on every box has been inappropriately rated,” Vance said.

It’s a game of tit for tat. Don’t you love it? Personally, I find the ESRB to be over-rated, yet necessary. Of course, I hate politicians altogether.

What’s your take on this?

Provided by Geekstreak