GTA Chinatown Wars drug-dealing minigame elicits 'fury' from UK drug support group

by Griffin McElroy { Sep 28th 2008 at 1:30PM }

Well, that certainly didn't take long. Along with Wednesday's revelation that Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars would include a drug-dealing minigame came a potent tingling of our "controversy-sense" -- said tingle was justified Thursday by an article in the British tabloid The Sun, titled Fury Over Drug Deal Vid Game. In the article, Darren Gold, speaking on behalf of UK support group Drugsline, called out the title for its "glamorization" of drug-dealing and "substance misuse".

In related, breaking news, Rockstar may thoroughly enjoy the game-selling hype that arises from this kind of controversy. More at eleven!

Tags: chinatown-wars, drugs, grand-theft-auto-chinatown-wars, rockstar, the-sun

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Extinction @ Sep 28th 2008 1:38PM

Yes because a minigame is sooooo like actually drug dealing

Red Leader @ Sep 28th 2008 1:54PM

Call me a hypocrite after all these years of supporting GTA for all the awesome violence and fun there is to be had in a video game like that, but I somehow find the drug dealing aspect to be in bad taste.

Games are starting to go too far.

AirIntake @ Sep 28th 2008 2:38PM

Yeah, before you know, they'll be making entire games about dealing drugs, and civilization will crumble. Oh wait, they already have, it's called Drugwars, and it came out in 1984 for DOS. Get over it.

Jakka(A tribute to whose who fought and failed during the Epic Flamewar of L.A. Noir and MR.ESC) @ Sep 28th 2008 3:03PM

Actually I do kinda agree with him, but only because I perceive this as another very lazy attempt to gain publicity and increase sales.

YOU DON'T JUST HIDE AO-RATED CONTENT IN YOUR GAME, UNLESS YOU'RE WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO DISCOVER IT A FEW MONTHS LATER WHEN ALL THE HYPE MANAGES TO DIE DOWN!

required @ Sep 28th 2008 3:19PM

Red Leader, I hate to ask, but do you feel the same with the amount the drug industry advertises on TV, in print, on the radio, online, on the roadway, in the movies, etc?

Youthinized @ Sep 28th 2008 4:05PM

God I loved Drugwars.

BigD145 @ Sep 28th 2008 4:55PM

Next thing you know, they'll make a drug-dealing minigun.

Red Leader @ Sep 28th 2008 10:46PM

@ required

Yeah.

Trance Addix @ Sep 28th 2008 1:38PM

People should stop wasting their time worrying about video games, and do something productive with their lives.

Slayer @ Sep 28th 2008 1:41PM

Thing is, they have no lives.

Trance Addix @ Sep 28th 2008 1:47PM

True...but I hate people who do shit like that. Mind your own business, and worry about raising YOUR children -- not other people's.

Slayer @ Sep 28th 2008 2:11PM

You bring up an excellent point. I fucking hate it too. I hate the fact that stupid ass people feel the need to butt in to other peoples business and tell them what they can and can not do. Shit like this always pisses me off. We're going to have a lot of scared retarded children because of this pussification that's going on.

J.D @ Sep 28th 2008 4:03PM

The only reason people worry about other peoples kids is because they don't want all their hard work bringing their kids up the right way to just be taken away by some dick with a knife.

Trance Addix @ Sep 28th 2008 4:08PM

Well the same can be said about worrying about other cars on the road, because we all know not everyone is a perfect driver...Damn, ONE CANNOT CONTROL THE DYNAMICS OF LIFE. Raise you're family well and hope for the best...it is impossible to control everything. Worrying about selling virtual drugs is one of the stupidest shit I ever heard. Damn.

Haggard (steam: haggard_dawn, PSN: HaggyWaggy) @ Sep 28th 2008 4:24PM

My solution to the knife-crime 'epidemic' all the newspapers here can't shut up about is simple: I don't live in London.

J.D @ Sep 28th 2008 4:56PM

Indeed it is impossible to control things such as bad drivers etc. But it is possible to control the things that contribute to these things such as banning drivers from using mobiles whilst driving. I'm normally an avid fan of GTA, but this mini-game seems a bit distasteful considering the current social climate we're in. Some kid is going to earn lots of money on this mini-game and assume it can be applied to real life.

Trance Addix @ Sep 28th 2008 5:03PM

Than those kids are stupid, and deserve to be in jail. I may be harsh, but that's reality. Common sense is the thread that connects the smart people in this society....

supakoopa @ Sep 28th 2008 1:39PM

Do you guys realise that a new DS model was announced last night? Why the he'll is this two-week-old story being posted instead of that?

Negativecool @ Sep 28th 2008 1:44PM

Because political intrigue is more exciting?

Or maybe they're just pissed cuz their DS's don't take pic's or play mps3's.

Mr Khan @ Sep 28th 2008 1:56PM

Much as i like them, joystiq has dropped the ball on a few big stories lately. Monster Hunter 3 confirmation for one, that for two

willie @ Sep 28th 2008 1:49PM

maybe they dont expect us to fully rely on Joystiq for everything? lol who knows, i'm sure it'll be posted soon enough

Invisible Robot Meat @ Sep 28th 2008 5:29PM

You owned the comment spot

sk8rfolife090 @ Sep 28th 2008 1:49PM

I had a game like this on my phone around 5 years ago i think it was called dope wars im not sure

this even reminds me of the scarface game for PSP

Titanium_Orchid @ Sep 28th 2008 2:55PM

I had dope wars 8 years ago on my TI-86

NiGhTmArE @ Sep 28th 2008 1:50PM

Substance misuse ftw!

Megadanxzero @ Sep 28th 2008 1:53PM

lol, tabloid newspaper

ScallionN @ Sep 28th 2008 1:55PM

I want a game that completely revolves around dealing.
It'd be interesting.

sk8rfolife090 @ Sep 28th 2008 2:18PM

scarface for PSP

lorddshadow @ Sep 28th 2008 7:00PM

like said a gablillion times before, dope wars on a number of platforms.

Balius @ Sep 28th 2008 1:56PM

Yeah, a similar game was making the rounds on all my high-school's graphing calculators. It went ignored, though...probably because anyone with a graphing calculator wasn't really all that high on the threat of "burnout" scale.

Jacksons @ Sep 28th 2008 3:07PM

Haha, we used to play one called Drug Wars way back in the day on the TI-83. Good times.

Bill Pullman @ Sep 28th 2008 2:00PM

i'm guessing they put this in to create some buzz with the media, and they'll just pull it later after the hype is at its peak. then of course, if no one gets too pissed off, they'll leave it in. win-win for Rockstar either way.

Jakka(A tribute to whose who fought and failed during the Epic Flamewar of L.A. Noir and MR.ESC) @ Sep 28th 2008 2:56PM

Who gives a shit about what Sun says? The only people who buy that p.o.s. are chavs because it has boobs and there aren't any words with more than two syllables.

TFoK (Naked Peach Defense Force) @ Sep 28th 2008 3:13PM

Why would they be angry if they support drugs?

Wiinterfang @ Sep 28th 2008 3:37PM

There's something about that Peach that turns me on, you guys thing I'm turning into one of those Fruit Fuckers I heard so much about?

Jakka(A tribute to whose who fought and failed during the Epic Flamewar of L.A. Noir and MR.ESC) @ Sep 28th 2008 4:16PM

That peach is not naked!

These are some true naked peaches!
http://bp3.blogger.com/_Rc9CVqS3WjY/RpxN2CalC-I/AAAAAAAAAfA/1GRpiTnH5Nk/s400/P1030038.JPG

Bizzeh @ Sep 28th 2008 3:14PM

i know drug dealers, and this game is nothing like what they do on a day to day basis, this is clearly a comic parody of what drug dealers do, and someone has seen an opertunity to get some free publicity out of rockstar doing something seemingly controvercial.