Take Two Interactive Software publishes the Grand Theft Auto
(GTA) games, which are designed by an Edinburgh-based team. Violent
content has made it one of the most controversial series of games
ever.
The suit accuses the Chicago Transit Authority of withdrawing
adverts for the game without explanation. The adverts were due to
appear for six weeks on the sides of buses and in display areas
throughout the transport system. The first ads appeared on 22
April.
Take Two had signed a $300,000 deal with the Transit Authority
for the display of the adverts and is seeking at least that sum in
monetary damages as well as a court order forcing the Authority to
run the ads, news agency Reuters said.
US television news station Fox News had run stories asking why
the Authority had allowed the ads to run when there had been a
number of violent crimes in the Chicago area.
The GTA games centre on car crime, organised crime, beatings and
prostitution, with the player taking over the character of a low
level player in organised crime.
Though controversial and the subject of calls for bans because
of their supposed immorality by a number of critics, the games have
also been praised widely for their sophistication and the aesthetic
and technical virtuosity behind their creation.
The latest version of GTA, GTA 4, was released last week. It is
one of the most popular computer games in the world and some
analysts expect its sales in its first week to beat the record for
first week sales set last year by Halo 3, which earned $300 million
in a week.
