NEW YORK (AP) -- A woman upset that she bought the video game "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" for her 14-year-old grandson without knowing it contained hidden, sexually explicit scenes sued the manufacturer Wednesday on behalf of consumers nationwide.

Florence Cohen, 85, of New York, said in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan that the game's manufacturer, Rockstar Games, and its parent company, New York-based Take Two Interactive Software Inc., engaged in false, misleading and deceptive practices.

She sought unspecified damages on behalf of herself and all consumers nationwide, saying the company should give up its profits from the game for what amounted to false advertising, consumer deception and unfair business practices.

Cohen said in the suit that she bought the game in late 2004 for her grandson when it was rated "M" for mature, for players 17 and older. According to the suit, she directed that it be taken away from her grandson, which was done.

The game was released in October with an "M" rating. After a storm of negative publicity about the hidden scenes, the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, an industry group responsible for rating games, changed the rating to "AO" for adults only.

Laurence D. Paskowitz, the lawyer who filed the lawsuit on behalf of Cohen, said no parent would knowingly buy an adult-only video game for their children.

"They should really make sure this doesn't happen again," he said. "The least this company can do is offer refunds."

Hidden areas in video games that can be unlocked with special codes or modifications are not uncommon.

Take Two Interactive initially said the scenes were not part of the retail version of the game but later admitted they were.

A message left for a company spokesman was not immediately returned. On Tuesday, Take-Two announced that it had been notified by the Federal Trade Commission's Division of Advertising Practices that it was conducting an inquiry into the game's advertising claims.

The company said it planned to cooperate fully with the probe.

"Rockstar Games and Take Two Interactive regret that consumers may have been exposed to content that was not intended to be accessible in the playable version of 'Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'," it said in a statement.

The company said it had halted production of the game in the controversial form and was working on a version of the game without the hidden sexual content.

"Going forward, the company will refine the process by which it edits games and will enhance the protection of its game code to prevent such future modifications," it said.

Earlier this week, the House voted 355-21 for a resolution asking the FTC to investigate the company. Last week, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-New York, asked the FTC to investigate Rockstar, saying the company had "gamed the ratings system" by concealing sex scenes in the game that can be unlocked by computer programs available on the Internet.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Target Corp., Best Buy Co. and Circuit City Stores Inc. have pulled the game -- last year's top-seller among console games -- from their shelves following the rating change.

Source

Um hey DUMBASS GRANDMA! how old is your kid? Wat does M mean huh? MATURE! how old you have to be to be consider MATURE? hmm i think 18. so then this MATURE game will be fine for my Teen grandson. Wats this? Pixels Tiities and hookers walking around with dildos in their hand? OH MY GOD WHO MADE THIS! IT SHOULD BE RATED FOR ADULTS ONLY! dumass grandma...

^ I hear that, sounds like granny's gone senile. Its rated M for a reason. For god's sake, he's fourteen, What're ya thinking? Oh, and noticed she only complained about the sex scene, not about shootign hookers or plowing old people off the sidewalk with a dirt bike.

lol, maybe she sohuld have to pay rockstar for the waste of time shes puttign them trough, with this garbage of a case, im pretty sure this woudl fall under a frivolous case catagory, and therefore shoudl be dismissed immediately.

Its like those two guys who sued mcdonalds because they said it made them fat! NO ONE TOLD YOU TO EAT IT! ONCE YOU PURCHASE THE FOOD ITS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY!

wow and here i thought that this would be a dead topic lol.. but yeah she should have executed better judgement before she bought the damn thing.. she is an idiot.. :angry:

she is very dumb "hum im going to get is game thats says 17 and up for my 14yr grandson...IT HAS BAD CONTEN Y WASET I WRARED IT SHOUD BE ONLY 4 PEPULL 17 AND UP" dumass lady blah blah blah

jesus tapdancing christ......hilary needs to watch this

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/23213619/

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(btw can any see my avter?)

no

:angry: THIS IS WHAT I MOSTLY HATE ABOUT PART OF AMERICA. WHEN A KID MURDERS SOMEONE THEY BLAME IT ON A VIOLENT GAME THAT HAVE THESE M RATINGS ON THEM. ITS LIKE AS IF THE ESRB HAS TO MAKE THE RATINGS LARGE ENOUGH FOR US PEOPLE TO SEE. *calming down* Now that im calmed down I can get back to the 1990's. Games like Mortal Kombat and others made a person say

"If you guys dont do something about this we will" this made companies like SEGA Midway and others to come up with a rating system in a week and what is now called The ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Boards)

some of us americans are some what idiots even though i am american myself but im not like them IM ACTUALLY SMART. I play Violent video games but i dont do them in real-life (UNLESS) I have too.

parents are willing to blame anything and/or anyone to make up for their screw-ups as parents.. think about it.. it is a hell of a lot easier to blame a videogame, if your child turns out to be a delinquent or a sociopath, then it is to own up to the fact that you were a bad parent.. thats the way it has been and thats the way it always will be.. :)

its time people tried some accountability, if its their fault, then they have to own up to it and it makes me angry that they keep trying to pass the blame.

i agree vz, but wtf is damages? i could under stand if it were a car accident.. but she purchased a damn game.. it is a parents responsibility to understand the ratings, and what they mean..

people nowadays are screaming damages for everything, its pathetic, sometimes i want to go to these people and say "big F**kin deal, crap happens so deal with it and stop blaming everyone else for your mistakes."
but i doubt it would help.

I play Grand Theft Auto and my dad says nothing. Some lady sues Rockstar because of something stupid then hey I'd cuss her out too!

the ratings are there for 2 key reasons..

1. so that the buyers have some idea of the games content
2. so that they can not be held liable...

its kinda like the "wet floor" sign in the supermarket.. the supermarket staff did their job by telling you that the floor was wet.. so they cannot not be held liable as to whether or not you chose to heed that warning... the same principle applies here. She either chose to ingnore the rating on the game, or didnt read up on the meaning behind the rating, and/or the games content. either way, she should not have won that case.