Why Rockstar Is Wrong to Sue the BBC over the GTA Movie

Maybe Rockstar would like the BBC to produce a movie that depicts their version of events, and in an effort to protect their public image, they wanted to be involved in the project somehow. But the BBC certainly has a right to be critical about Rockstar and attorney Jack Thompson if they so desire, in the same way that Rockstar can make video games that involve committing all sorts of criminal acts.

Just think about it, if our culture was any less tolerant, would Rockstar be allowed to sell video games in which players can steal cars, run over pedestrians, shoot police officers, rob banks, consume drugs, torture people and even abduct strangers and sell them to a religious sect? Clearly not. But still, even games like GTA V have been banned from retail stores in countries like Australia, due to their extremely violent nature.

In the end though, it is hypocritical of Rockstar to sue the BBC just because they want to make a movie related to their video games, in the same way that Jack Thompson was wrong to blame the GTA games for the crimes that certain players of the game committed. This is all about free speech in the end, as the relationship between real life violence and video game violence is at best a tenuous one. Also it is clear that many people are looking forward to seeing Game Changer, and here’s hoping that it turns out to be a great movie that leaves Rockstar satisfied and can be enjoyed by the millions of people who love playing the GTA games.