It’s amazing how much of a political football video games are. The latest case in point: Republican lawmakers yesterday called the FTC on the carpet for its settlement with “Grand Theft Auto” maker Take-Two Interactive Software.
At a hearing yesterday on violent video games, Republicans criticized a settlement the FTC made with the game distributor that they viewed as nothing more than a “slap on the wrist.” The FTC, at the request of Congress, investigated whether “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas” contained undisclosed hidden sex scenes that could be viewed via downloadable software.
The FTC settled with Take-Two, barring the company from misrepresenting its content or ratings descriptions. Not enough said the Congressmen.
At a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on violent video games, Michigan Republican Fred Upton complained the settlement terms “aren’t even a slap on the wrist.”
“I guess I thought the FTC had a few more teeth,” Upton added.
Texas Republican Joe Barton, chairman of the entire committee, said the FTC had yet to formally submit a report to Congress on its investigation.
“Given the sensitivity of the issue, it’s not acceptable practice by the FTC to respond in such a tardy fashion,” Barton said.
Of all the issues to get worked up over, the FTC’s handling of Take-Two’s possible content description violations seems like an utter waste of time.
Cynthia Brumfield at 11:23 AM|Comments(0)
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