Like Passion of the Christ, so too Grand Theft Auto? Content that succeeds at the big screen tends to wend its way into the homes of gamers, either directly (movie-to-game adaptations) or indirectly (themes, memes, subject matter, stylistic borrowings). With all of the "Torture Porn" that's so hot at theaters right now, perhaps gamers should brace themselves for the inevitable tsunami of blood that'll soon spill from theaters into homes.
Or maybe not. A double standard might be at work here. While movies are getting away with increasingly graphic depictions of violence, and while books are doing the same, games that try to depict the mature themes found in books and movies are subjected to scrutiny and criticism all out of proportion to their relatively tame depictions of violence (and sex). It's unfair that games are taking all of the heat when it's mere American bloodlust that fuels demand for and supply of violence in all forms of American entertainment.
