p2pnet.net News:- New Zealand banned Rockstar / Take-Two production Manhunt because of its extreme violence, and another Rockstar / Take-Two production - Grand Theft Auto III - apparently inspired two brutal murders in California.

But state legislators there seem to think there’s not much wrong with violent video games - even for children.

Two bills designed to restrict the access of minors to violent video games have failed to clear a committee of California’s state Assembly, “killing them for 2004 unless the committee changes its mind,” says a Reuters story here, continuing:.

“One bill, which would expand the definition of ‘harmful matter to children’ to include certain types of violent games, received a favorable 5-4 vote, while the second, regulating how some games are displayed in stores, was voted down 4-3. Both needed 7 votes in favor to be approved by the Assembly’s committee on arts, entertainment, sports, tourism and Internet media.”

The news will delight Rockstar executives Sam Houser and Leslie Benzies.

Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is the subject of a lawsuit. As Christopher Byron wrote in the New York Post, in the game, “You can kill a cop, steal his gun, and then use it to shoot someone else. Or you can pick up a prostitute and have sex with her in the back of your stolen car, then beat her to death - or shoot her, bludgeon her, whatever you want.”

Lots of fun.

The next in the five-part (so far) series, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, will ‘debut’ on Sony’s PlayStation 2 - on which Manhunt first appeared - in October.

“This time around, users will encounter rival gangs like the Chinatown Triads, Mexican mobs, hippies, Hare Krishnas and many more,” says an MTV.com story here.

That’ll be nice. A Haitian group is already suing Take-Two because Vice City tells players to “kill the Haitians” and awards points for each kill.

“We are starting to become very proud of what we have achieved and we can’t wait to get the game into players’ hands,” brags Rockstar president Houser in this USA TODAY story here.

And, “We are extremely humbled by the success of the Grand Theft Auto series and it has made us push ourselves further than ever to create a title in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas that will hopefully redefine the Grand Theft Auto series and revolutionize open-ended gameplay and video game production values,” says Benzies in a press statement.

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