I agree totally 65_289, the first game that came to mind when I read the opening thread was Vice City. Just about every race and sexual orientation on the planet could complain about false misrepresentation, ethnical stereotyping, etc. Vice City is loaded with them. Haitians and Cubans living in ghettos, latin and blacks constituting 99.99% of the gangs, a red neck who lives in a trailor, has long hair, and is an alcoholic. While we're at it, let's call up any femanist self interest group and see what they think about the hookers. The list goes on and on.

How does a game like this make it into mainstream society?, a so called 'politically correct' society? a society where you can tune to any major political channel and watch cops getting blasted for racial profiling? People losing their jobs because they said something that 'may' have indicated some kind of sexual enuendo? I've even seen a legal battle over the word 'dynamic' used in a classified ad because it's 'male-oriented' or so they say.

So why can a game like Vice City be so successful? The answer is in the question. it's a game.
Does it justify Vice City and what it stereotypes? no. it's not supposed to, it's a game.
Does it justify killing people for no reason? no. it's a game.
so what does that mean? It's killing and stereotyping without consequence. It's taking taboo and making it possible to save it on an 8mg memory card.
In fact, what bothers me...is that there is so much controversy over the game, yet it sells.

I think the inherent attraction to violence is the root of all this. Whether we like it or not, we can make a thousand rules and amendments and civil liberties..yet underneath it all, this shroud we call civilized society, I think...we are still driven by age old instincts.(imo)