Last week, the GTA IV trailer broke more than just the internet; it broke the hearts of New York City politicians, too. In case you still haven't seen the trailer, the action takes place in Liberty City, which just so happens to have a Statue of Liberty, a bridge that looks an awful lot like one that'll take you to Brooklyn, and a roller coaster that's a dead ringer for the Cyclone at Coney Island.
Hardly the first time such copying has taken place--I seem to recall driving a sanity-challenged taxi around the streets of San Francisco--so what's the big deal? Peter Vallone, chairman of the Council's Public Safety Committee explained it this way:
People, we need a Halo mod, stat! I find it interesting that none of these folks had thing one to say about San Andreas, but perhaps "glamorizing violence," as Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly put it, is ok as long as you're doing it in someone else's virtual back yard. Also, if they're dismayed about the fictional representation of crime in their super-safe city, why aren't they trying to get half the cop shows on TV cancelled?
Pols rage as vid game takes shot at city [NY Daily News, via Game Politics]
