It seems in the video gaming world this is the trend. Sex in a video game rated for Mature (17 and over) gamers warning of "strong sexual content, intense violence, strong language, blood and gore, and use of drugs." is still too overt for 17 year olds and MUST be pushed up to an ADULT ONLY title for sale to gamers 18 and over.

Apparently, in one year you go from innocent to harlot without warning.

It was just revealed that a secret scene, appearing in all copies of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, has the player interact in a highly sexual scene with a prostitute. Allowing the gamer to determine angles and sexual positions. The scene is entitled "Hot Coffee" and can only be revealed with the use of a secret code and a downloadable mod.

Currently, it's available to Playstation 2 and PC versions of the game. Sadly, for those of us on Xbox we must wait for our own version of the mod.

So thanks to the strong leadership of the American parents' groups and New York Senator Hillary Clinton, big name retailers, such as Wal-Mart have pulled the title off of their shelves. But, don't fret, you can still buy it in independent retailers :)

Microplay & Electronics Boutique come to mind.

This is all well and good, but, this still raises the question that Sex in comparison to violence is 10X more desirable to feature in video games sold in the United States. Don't bother emailing me about how it's also changed things in Canada. Canada doesn't have an independing gaming review board and we just go along with the verdict of the US based Entertainment Software Rating Board.

I'm not saying that children should watch sex, but, simply, what is the lesser of two evils here? Grand Theft Auto is a brutally violent game that hinges solely on the protagonist's ability to successfully kill with fists, knives, guns, and threshers. When we live in a world that is witnessing a dramatic increase in terror acts initiated by children in their homes, their towns and their schools. Metal detectors and police, bent to deter the smuggling of arms, are permanent fixtures at some schools.

Adults left scratching their heads wondering how on earth we got to this point and they stand blind to the cries of "KILL MEEEEE" eminating from their child's video game of Half Life. Go figure.

Come on. Strike a balance. Violence will happen in life but are we equipping the next generation with the tools necessary to cope coming to face with it?

We obviously are sending the wrong message when the act of sex is publically forbidden in a game where the objective is to get ahead by brutal murder.

Smart.
Real 'effing, Smart.

I'm going to lock my door riiight after I buy a copy of this game.