Hot Coffee minigame controversy

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The Hot Coffee minigame controversy concerns a dormant sex minigame that exists in the 2004 video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, developed by Rockstar North. The minigame was made notable with the release of the Hot Coffee mod, created for the 2005 personal computer port of San Andreas. When installed, it enables access to an otherwise inaccessible part of the game which involves a sexual intercourse minigame (featuring oral sex with an invisible "penis" and dry humping) with any of the main character's girlfriends to try to improve the relationship between the two. The name of the mod is derived from the girlfriends' offer for the main character to come into their homes for "coffee" — a euphemism for sex.

Although the "Hot Coffee" minigame was completely disabled and its existence was only highlighted after the mod's release for the PC version in June 9, 2005,^[1] the assets for the minigame were also discovered in both the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of the game, and people found ways to enable the minigame via console video game hacking tools. By the middle of July 2005, the minigame's discovery attracted considerable controversy from lawmakers and politicians, prompting the game to be re-rated as an adult game, and pulled from some shelves. An updated version of San Andreas has since been released with the minigame removed completely, allowing the game to regain its original rating. A patch for the original version of the game, which removes the minigame, has also been released.

Contents 1 Minigame overview and Hot Coffee mod 2 Controversy 3 Response 3.1 Product rerating 3.2 Product withdrawal and recall 3.3 Federal and legal action 4 Hot Coffee references and spoofs 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Minigame overview and Hot Coffee mod

During the course of the main plot of the game, the player (as main character Carl "CJ" Johnson) may date up to six girlfriends, carrying out various "date missions" in order to improve his relationship with a particular girl. Once Carl has become particularly close to a girlfriend, she may end a successful date by inviting him into her house for "coffee," from which Carl may choose to accept or decline. Improving relationships with girlfriends through successful dates and other related activities will eventually reward CJ with new items (vehicles and special wardrobes), along with pre-existing gameplay benefits (e.g. dating a nurse grants the player free visits to the hospital, without losing their weapons, after dying).

In the unmodified version of San Andreas, the player sees an exterior view of the girlfriend's house while hearing the muffled voices of Carl and his girlfriend as they engage in sexual intercourse. However, the Hot Coffee modification replaces this with a minigame which allows the player to actually enter the girlfriend's bedroom and control Carl's actions during sex. None of the six possible sex scenes involve any nudity, and there are animation problems with the girlfriends' partially-clothed textures and bedrooms, suggesting the minigame was abandoned at a relatively early stage. Third-party additions were later incorporated in the Hot Coffee modification which replace the girlfriend's clothes with modder-created, flesh-toned bitmaps. These additions, like most nude patches, can only be applied to the PC version of the game, and do not incorporate visible genitalia.

Rockstar Games, the publisher of the Grand Theft Auto series, initially denied allegations that the minigame was "hidden" in the video game, stating that the Hot Coffee modification (which they claim violated the game's End User Licence Agreement) is the result of "hackers" making "significant technical modifications to and reverse engineering" the game's code.^[2] However, this claim was undermined when codes and techniques were released on Internet forums for PlayStation 2 and Xbox cheating devices (such as Gameshark, Action Replay Max and modchipping) that demonstrated that the controversial content was, indeed, built into the console versions as well. No SEC actions or investor lawsuits have been brought over these materially false and misleading claims in the early days of the controversy.

The creator of the mod, Patrick Wildenborg (under the Internet alias "PatrickW"), a 37-year old modder from the Netherlands, rejects Rockstar's claim that the mod required significant technical effort, pointing out that he only changed a single bit in the installed game's "main.scm" file, and that there is absolutely no new content that he actually created — every piece of the required code was already in-game, just not available to the player.^[3] The PC mod itself is actually just an edited copy of the game script files with the bit changed. The mod was also made possible on the console versions, by changing the bit inside a user's savegame or by using a third-party modding device. Mods for the Grand Theft Auto series are nothing new. The mod community has flourished for years creating additions to the map, new cars, and even a mod for multi-player gameplay. All of this is possible because Rockstar left the scripts open for mod makers to edit in order to have user created content. These mods do not violate the license agreement that comes with the game and, before the controversy, were partially encouraged by the company.^{[citation needed]}

The possibility of enabling the minigame by changing a single bit of code shows that the sexual intercourse content is part of the game's original data, and not new content inserted into the game by the mod. However, it is not possible to access the sexual content simply by playing the game as intended by the developers, because it was fully disabled and the bit cannot be changed by normal gameplay.^[4] The blow-job animations are however clearly visible in the background of an early mission, "Cleaning the Hood", even in the re-released game.^[5] This may explain why the mini-game was not simply removed when the decision was made to cut it from the game: its assets were in use elsewhere.^[6]

[edit] Controversy

The revelation of the minigame sparked a fair amount of controversy around GTA:SA, with some politicians firing harsh words at both the game's developer and the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), the organization which establishes content ratings for video games in the United States. It has also rekindled the debate over the influence of video games in general with new protests against several other games such as Killer7, The Sims 2, and Bully. The affair was nicknamed "Hot Coffeegate" at its height.

Jack Thompson, a lawyer and anti-video game activist from Florida, was one of the first to criticize the game for its recently found content. Thompson believes that violent media such as video games are one of the main sources of violent crime in America and has lashed out against Rockstar on several occasions for previous games they have developed.

U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton has jumped into the fray by suggesting new regulations be put on video games sales^[7]. The ESRB is also conducting an investigation into whether the game's publisher lied about the game's content in an attempt to avoid the Adults Only 18+ rating. Also, Congress just passed a resolution to have the Federal Trade Commission investigate whether Rockstar intentionally undermined the ESRB by having the content in the game^[8].

In New York, a class action lawsuit has been filed by Florence Cohen, an 85-year old grandmother who purchased the game for her 14-year old grandson (according to the old rating of M, the game is typically considered inappropriate for this age). Cohen's lawsuit claims that Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive, the publisher of the game, are guilty of deception, false advertising, fraud and abuse. The accusation of deception is based on the change from M-rated to AO, meaning according to the lawsuit that the original rating was a deceptive practice^[9].

There was also a protest that occurred at Rockstar's headquarters. A protest group known as the Peaceholics organized a protest on August 4, 2005. The group organized against San Andreas as well as the upcoming game Bully, which they wanted canceled because of fears that the content could inspire children to become bullies themselves. The protesters had signs that read "Put the Cuffs On Rockstar", "Prosecute Rockstar Games; they are felons", "Hey hey, ho ho, Rockstar Games has got to go".^[10] Peaceholics had several demands for Rockstar:

1. Not to release Bully under any circumstances. (Bully was eventually released and has not been banned, but there are movements by protesters for the latter to happen.)
2. Volunteer to sell its violent and sexually explicit games in adult video stores only.
3. Let parents return Grand Theft Auto for a full refund until they do a national awareness campaign to educate parents of content and possible effects.
4. Create a fund for victims of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and car-jackings, etc.
5. Make a national apology for misleading and lying to children, parents, and legislators about their intentions and causing insurance premiums to sky rocket.
6. Give a written response within five business days of receipt of these demands.^[11]

However, there are many who disagree with these critics and feel that the attacks on video games are unfounded. While not as organized as the anti-gaming groups some gamers have decided to counter their activities. A few pro-game activist sites have also emerged, such as GamePolitics [1] and Gamerandy [2]. Gamerandy even has a petition to combat Jack Thompson and other anti-video game activists.

These sites provide sources to support their arguments. One particular article circulated by video game proponents cites the diminishing crime rate as one of the major distortions that have emerged in the new fight against violent and sexually explicit video games. This recent article details how the overall crime rate has actually gone down since the fighting game, Mortal Kombat, caused a major controversy in the early '90s. The youth crime rate has diminished as well^[12].

GamePolitics has also launched some attacks of their own directed at Jack Thompson because of alleged distortions he has made about their reporting. Thompson has apparently taken information out of context from GamePolitics to claim that Grand Theft Auto: Vice City also has a sex minigame.

The "Hot Coffee" controversy dashed financial expectations for Rockstar Games parent Take-Two Interactive, which lost $28.8 million in its fiscal 3rd quarter of 2005 (May to July) partly because of the rerating; the company lost $14.4 million in the same quarter in 2004. The effect on San Andreas sales is as of yet unknown, but Take-Two has revised its projected financial statement for the quarter to reflect a further anticipated loss.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Response

[edit] Product rerating

On July 20, 2005, the ESRB announced that it was changing the rating of GTA:SA from Mature (M) to Adults Only 18+ (AO).^[13] Rockstar stated that it would discontinue manufacturing the current version of the game, and produce a new version that would not include the content that is unlocked by the Hot Coffee mod. In the fourth quarter of 2005, Rockstar released this "clean" version with the "Hot Coffee" scenes removed (Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas 1.01), allowing the game to be rerated to a Mature 17+ rating.^[14]

On August 10, 2005, Rockstar Games officially released a patch for San Andreas.^[15] Nicknamed the "Cold Coffee Patch" by some,^{[citation needed]} the patch fixed many performance issues and bugs. However the patch also disabled the controversial "Hot Coffee" scenes, even if the "Hot Coffee" mod was reinstalled.

On July 29, 2005, as a result of the newly-discovered scenes, the OFLC revoked the game's "MA15+" classification (the highest currently available for computer games in Australia), and changed the game's status to "RC" (Refused Classification) meaning that the original version could no longer be sold in Australia. The patched version was given an "MA15+" classification on September 12, 2005.[3]

As of July 23, 2005, however, the PEGI rating for the game has remained unchanged (because the rating was already at 18+, the higest PEGI rating), although it is likely that the PEGI sexual content label will be added to the game cover.

There has, of yet, been little reaction in Europe, perhaps because each country would have to reclassify GTA:SA in order to have it taken off the shelves.^{[citation needed]} However, most European nations have already classified the game as "adult only" for its violent content, so no further action is necessary with or without the mod. Furthermore, unlike the United States, many European nations operate the same regime for video games as they do to films, thus it is a criminal offense to sell adult-only games to minors. For example, the UK version of GTA:SA as with all previous incarnations of the series all the way back to the original GTA, was rated as 18 by the BBFC. There may also be more general cultural factors in the differing responses to the incident.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Product withdrawal and recall

The day after the rating change, several North American chain stores, and IEMA retailers, which accounted for every major retailer in the United States and approximately 85% of the game's market in the country, removed the PC and console versions of the game from their store shelves, either restickering the box with the new rating, or returning it to Take-Two Interactive. These included major chains such as GameStop, Sears, Hudson's Bay Company, Zellers, Hollywood Video, Blockbuster, Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, and Electronics Boutique.^{[citation needed]} Rockstar has given some retailers ESRB "Adults Only" rating stickers to put on their copies of GTA:SA, should they decide to keep selling the original product.

eBay has been removing copies of GTA:SA that have been reported by the eBay community. eBay claims that GTA:SA violates the terms of the eBay seller policy and cannot be sold unless it is located in the Everything Else > Mature Audiences section. This section requires a credit card to validate the age of the eBay user. Since eBay relies on the community to police itself eBay users have to report a game before eBay staff will remove the listing. Several games have been unreported and have sold for extremely high prices.

On August 24, 2005, Rockstar announced a mandatory recall for all games still owned by the general public. Consumers who had already purchased the game were allowed to keep it in certain areas, but with the patch installed, although many serious players refused to use it as they didn't want to block out an unused part of the game's code. Some commentators have anticipated a product recall of San Andreas once the "clean" version is available, although given the high value of the "uncensored" versions, it is doubtful that many gamers will return their copies voluntarily.^{[citation needed]}

Presently, the original version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is highly coveted, since it is necessary to use multiplayer game modifications such as San Andreas Multiplayer or Multi Theft Auto and other game modifications that include new scripts or vehicles, which do not work with the new updated / censored version 2.0.^{[citation needed]} Many will seek this game in its factory seal and will spend top dollar on it. One may find sightings of the game for over the US$50 manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP). Certain pirated or illegally distributed versions of the original game may also be made available on the Internet or from illegal retail outlets. Downgraders are also available to unpatch and revert the game version and support the Hot Coffee minigame again.

[edit] Federal and legal action

In December 2005, Senators Hillary Clinton, Joe Lieberman and Evan Bayh introduced the Family Entertainment Protection Act, which calls for a federal mandate enforcement of the ESRB ratings system in order to protect children from inappropriate content.

On January 26, 2006, the city of Los Angeles filed a lawsuit against Take-Two Interactive, the game's publisher, accusing the company of failing to disclose the game's sexual content.^{[citation needed]}

Rockstar has allegedly vowed legal action against any subsequent sources that reveal how to access this part of the game, mainly cheat device code sites (although the Hot Coffee mod and GTA:SA Censor Remover remain freely available).^{[citation needed]}

On June 8, 2006, Rockstar, Take-Two and the FTC settled. They are required to "clearly and prominently disclose on product packaging and in any promotion or advertisement for electronic games, content relevant to the rating, unless that content had been disclosed sufficiently in prior submissions to the rating authority." Should the companies violate the settlement they are liable for $11,000 in civil penalties.^[16]

[edit] Hot Coffee references and spoofs

• Jak X: Combat Racing features an unlockable extra dubbed "Hot Coffee" that stars Daxter and his girlfriend Tess. Instead of having sex, however, they are seen drinking coffee, ending with Daxter looking at the camera and saying "What?".

• Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (2005), the next installment of the Grand Theft Auto series following San Andreas, features the character Maria asking Toni Cipriani, the game's protagonist, if he wants to "come up for a...uh...coffee or something?" to which Toni replies "I'll pass", alluding to the controversy surrounding the Hot Coffee minigame in San Andreas.

• In November 11, 2005, an episode of the FOX television program Killer Instinct focused on a popular online video game with explicit violence, in which teenagers playing the game are depicted with the ability to unlock sexually explicit scenes and mini-games.

• Steambot Chronicles features a dating side quest where Vanilla Bean, the protagonist, can be invited to his girlfriend's home for Hot Cocoa (revealed to be an actual invitation for hot chocolate, and not sex).

• On the September 27, 2006 episode of The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert advertised his fictional game "World of Colbertcraft" (a play on World of Warcraft's name). At the end of the episode, he warned parents about a secret "adult-only" minigame that could be unlocked using a special code.

• A cutscene from the Family Guy video game depicts Brian reading the following from a video game magazine: "Hidden pornographic scene viewable by pressing 'up','up','down','down','left' [the first five keys to the Konami Code]." He looks around for a while then resumes reading, adding: "Horny gamers believe anything."

• When interacting with a pedestrian during the "London Tourist" mode of Gangs of London, the pedestrian would mention a fake cheat code (pressing the "up" button thirteen times) that activates the "'Hot Tea' mod."

• In the multiplayer mode of Red Dead Revolver, a weapon dubbed "Hot Coffee" is unlockable.^{[verification needed]} Red Dead Revolver was developed by Rockstar San Diego and released on May 2004, months before San Andreas.

• In "Hot Coffee", the fourth short from the GTA-based machinima series PEDS, Danny invites some friends over to see "Hot Coffee", and is arrested for modifying the game. The short spoofs the "Wazzup" Budweiser commercials, and was a featured selection at the 2006 DC Independent Film Festival.^[17]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• PatrickW's Website (creator of original mod)
• Hot Coffee download
• PS2 Save Tools (home to GTA:SA Censor Remover)
• GTA: San Andreas's Hot Coffee guide at StrategyWiki
• New York Times article about Hot Coffee Mod controversy
• Igniq.com article on the code's existence in the PS2 version
• IGN: Rockstar Responds to GTA: SA's AO Rating

v • d • e Video game controversy
Computer and video game law	Family Entertainment Protection Act - Truth in Video Game Rating Act - Video Game Decency Act
Organizations	Entertainment Software Rating Board - Pan European Game Information - Computer Entertainment Ratings Organization - Office of Film and Literature Classification - National Coalition Against Censorship - Videogame Rating Council (defunct) - Recreational Software Advisory Council (defunct) - 3DO Rating System (defunct)
People	Evan Bayh - Julia Boseman - Sam Brownback - Hillary Rodham Clinton - Herb Kohl - Joe Lieberman - Devin Moore - Cody Posey - Rick Santorum - Jack Thompson - Fred Upton
Games	Death Race - Doom - Grand Theft Auto series / Hot Coffee mod - Lethal Enforcers - Mortal Kombat series - Night Trap

v • d • e Topics related to the Grand Theft Auto series

Games • Characters • Gangs • Soundtracks • Locations • Others