The first of two expansion packs for Grand Theft Auto IV was released recently, and with it came an interesting twist on the controversy that often surrounds new releases of the series. In GTA IV: The Lost and Damned, players leave behind the story of Niko Bellic and instead control Johnny Klebitz, playing out his role as the leader of a biker gang. The add-on has been described as darker and more gritty than its predecessor but it's not the brutal scenes (a sledge hammer to the face being most prominent) which are generating the news. Instead what jolted bloggers and online game journalists into action was something deemed far worse, something far more likely to bring society to its knees; the inclusion of a penis.

A penis being in a game rated for 18s and over should really not shock anyone, especially when it is flaccid and is only shown for seconds during a non-sexual sauna scene. Yes, it is the first time a modern, fully 3D game had done this but if anything shouldn’t we be asking why it has taken so long? Apparently not, if the majority of game journalists are anything to go by. Some simply used it as a way of making puns and jokes, whilst others appeared intent on hyping up the predicted reaction of the mainstream media. Irresponsible as it may be, anyone who can remember the “Hot Coffee” incident of 2004 will no doubt be aware of how many extra hits gaming sites received as the story played out. Add to that the attention/paycheques given to some journalists who were hired as “experts” by prime-time news shows across America and you can see why they seem so keen to cause a fuss.

It is interesting to note, then, that at the time of writing this article there have been no major reactions from newspapers or the television networks on the subject. Anyone not familiar with the American media may see this as normal, it is only a penis after all, but you only have to look back to the Mass Effect vs. Fox News fiasco to see how something so small can cause an over-blown reaction. Mass Effect, which included an implied sex-scene consisting of two people kissing and the side of a breast, was deemed as “full digital nudity” by the news program and condemned by a psychologist who later revealed she had never seen the scene in question. The reaction that followed however may be one reason it's all quiet on the GTA front. After the news report many gamers began to boycott Fox News, and the book authored by the so-called expert they had hired was hounded by negative user-reviews on popular sites such as Amazon.

Another factor that may be influencing the media is the rising popularity of gaming. The Wii and the DS have played a huge part in bringing gaming to different generations that had previously feared them. Even the American President has mentioned gaming in a positive light, and it is widely known that a Nintendo Wii resides in his household. Could the time have come when the world has finally decided to see games as more than just a children’s plaything?

We can only hope the that media is slowly learning its lesson and has realised that it can no longer market games as the newest corrupting evil to an audience which plays them. Perhaps this story simply slipped under the radar whilst the world worried about the economy and how to make things right, but if things really have started to change and games are no longer public enemy number one then I can only feel pity for whatever new medium they turn on next.