Friday afternoon was bustling outside of Rockstar Games’ Soho offices in New York City when a group of Washington DC youths gathered to protest the recent release of Grand Theft Auto 4. Peaceoholics, a non-profit organization founded to develop support programs for young people involved in DC’s juvenile justice system, were led by co-founder and COO Ronald Moten to demand Rockstar stop marketing their Grand Theft Auto series to children under seventeen. As NYC Metro bus passed by adorned with a billboard for GTA4, Moten said that Rockstar’s game was a training simulator for young people, no different than games like America’s Army, a game used to train US Army recruits. “These games are training our children to be animals,” said Moten and and asked why Rockstar didn’t choose to make games about preventing crime that are as exciting as GTA. According to Moten, this was the third year Peaceoholics gathered outside of Rockstar’s offices. As of 1:30pm, Rockstar had not sent a representative downstairs to meet with the protestors.
GTA's defenders argue that the game isn't intended for minors; its detractors counter that thousands of kids play it anyway. Ronald Moten and Peaceoholics do have a point: Grand Theft Auto does indeed glamorize an urban crime lifestyle. I’m the first to celebrate GTA’s satirical content but I also recognize its earnest and lionizing moments. But Grand Theft Auto is not a training simulator like Ronald Moten argued; it’s entertainment, and its intent is in its audience’s interpretations. Rockstar is not in the business of creating criminals, they’re in the business of making games for money. I applaud the Peaceoholics’ conviction and goals, but I’m not sure they’ve chosen the right target.
You can read more about Peacoholics right here.