Rockstar CEO Defends Grand Theft Auto Series

Talking in a rare interview with U.S. consumer game magazine Computer Games, Rockstar CEO Terry Donovan has commented in detail on Grand Theft Auto's position as one of the video games most consistently targeted by politicians, litigators and social critics for its violent nature. The normally taciturn Donovan defended the multi-million selling, Rockstar North-developed series against multiple legal and state-based legislative threats, commenting of the series' detractors: "Generally speaking, people who misrepresent a specific title's content probably haven't played the game. They admit as much themselves, so we shouldn't be surprised when they don't share our enjoyment of the game." Donovan continued by commenting what Rockstar has learned from the recent controversy: "For our part, we're talking to more community and political leaders. We learned that for a lot of politicians, critics [of violent/adult gaming] are their only source of information. That's not just bad for us, it's bad for the industry." The Rockstar CEO ended by suggesting reasons why Grand Theft Auto, as a video game, has been such a touchstone of controversy in recent years compared to similarly gritty films, suggesting: "I think it all goes back to a lack of awareness and fear of the unknown. History is littered with shifts in entertainment taste that freaked the shit out of the establishment because they didn't understand what was going on." The full interview with Donovan is now available in the June 2005 issue of Computer Games Magazine, currently available on North American newsstands and via subscription.