Grand Theft Auto IV was just released on the Sony Playstation 3 as well as Microsoft’s XBOX 360 gaming systems. With every release of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, politicians, lobby groups, and various other groups begin issuing their opinions on the game. Do they not realize they are just giving the game even more free promotional time?

Mothers Against Drunk Driving is disappointed that Rockstar added the drunk driving element into the game as they feel it encourages people to drive after drinking:

Each year nearly 13,500 people die in drunk driving crashes and another half a million are injured in alcohol-related traffic crashes. This is why MADD is extremely disappointed by the decision of the manufacturers of the game Grand Theft Auto IV to include a game module where players have to drive drunk. Drunk driving is not a game and it is not a joke. Drunk driving is a choice, a violent crime and it is also 100 percent preventable. MADD is calling on the Entertainment Software Ratings Board to reclassify Grand Theft Auto IV as an Adults Only game, a step up from the current rating of Mature and for the manufacturer to consider a stop in distribution - if not out of responsibility to society then out of respect for the millions of victims/survivors of drunk driving.

First off, the statement is misleading. Players do not “have to drive drunk” in the game, in fact the first time the character Niko stumbles out of the bar with his girlfriend the game actually pops up a message that encourages you to take a cab instead of driving. By including this element into the game, youths can see firsthand just what it is like to drive drunk. The game does not require you to drive drunk in order to complete it. Obviously, nobody at MADD actually picked up a copy of the game to try before they complained about it because that would just be too easy.

If you want to see what is causing MADD to get all upset, watch the videos here.