rican woman tied to a post (Strasburger 40). In recent years, Duke Nukem an FPS for a number of consoles has scenes of nude women tied to posts pleading with the gamer, "Kill me. Kill me." At which point the player is refused to proceed without first killing the helpless hostages (Buchanan 2). In last years top selling game Grand Theft Auto 3 (GTA 3) the player is rewarded if he murders a prostitute after having sex with her. Such themes are being further escalated in GTA 3's (Mulin 449-454) sequel Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (GT@ VC) with scenes of drug dealing and more abuse towards women.
             Both GTA 3 and GT@ VC were brilliant successes for the gaming industry. GT@ VC is soon to become one of the best selling games of all time with a record 1.4 million copies sold in its first two days. Gaming industry experts predict that the game will sell 10 million copies grossing almost half a billion dollars (Mulin 450-451) worldwide. Both GT@ VC and its predecessor are great games in terms of graphics, sound and innovation, but due to the increasing themes of violence this game should become a concern (Anderson 353-359) for parents of both young boys and girls. There is currently a very well enforced ratings system for all games on the market, this is known as the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). This board rates games depending upon the level of unsuitable material in the game (Middleton 2-3). The ratings range from E, for everyone, T, for teen, M, for mature, and AO, for adults only.
             Although, a games particular rating is displayed on the box it is most often placed on the back cover, surrounded by bright colored screenshots and rave reviews for the game. Only recently has the industry begun to place the ratings labels on the front cover of the most controversial games on the market (Middleton 5). The ESRB is currently undergoing a series of changes with its rating system due to many growing concerns. It ...