PTC Director Lies About Drunk Driving in GTA 4, Rejects Comparison between Games and Film

Parents Television Council public policy director Dan Isett claimed in an interview that Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3, X360) awards points for drunk driving, before confessing that he hadn't played enough of the game to verify it himself.

When questioned by Arizona Daily Star reporter Phil Villarreal, Isett said that he had played the open-world action title, and that the game rewards players for driving drunk.

"I've actually played Grand Theft Auto IV, and it's right in keeping with previous versions. The series continues to lower the bar and this is the first game that has an alcohol content warning. You get points for driving drunk in this game."

When the reporter corrected Isett, the director backpedaled, offering instead that it was a "rewarded activity" which is "necessary for advancement." When pressed further, Isett confessed that he hadn't gotten far enough in the game to experience its drunk driving for himself.

"No, no. I didn't get that far... I rented it at a friend's house. I think that what's important is it's a horrifically violent game and if you want to quibble about extra points being granted, fine. It rewards every antisocial behavior."

The director went on to suggest that the comparison between mature-rated games and R-rated films doesn't hold up due to the nature of the respective mediums.

"I reject the argument that an M-rated game is comparable to an R-rated movie. One, it doesn't require 30 hours of continuous game play to make your way through an R-rated movie," Isett said, noting that a higher degree of immersion in games merits a different perspective than films.