April 21, 2008
A 17-year-old New Zealander is working on a Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas mod which would recreate the US-based crime game in a New Zealand setting complete with recognizable Kiwi landmarks.But, as Stuff.co.nz reports, local police are concerned that Stacy O'Callaghan's GTA mod may violate laws restricting the unauthorized use of police insignia. The mod depicts police cars (left) and substitutes authentic looking New Zealand police uniforms for GTA San Andreas' LAPD look-alike virtual cops.
However, according to O'Callaghan, no disrespect is intended, nor is he trying to profit from the New Zealand mod:
I am not doing this in any way to make money or sell this modification; it was originally for me because I got sick of all this American rubbish and wanted it to be more realistic.
[Actually,] I'd like to join the police. I don't really see myself as a game designer, I want to get into computer forensics... It's really just for fun and a chance to play it as if it was in New Zealand.
Via: gtagaming
Comments
Re: In New Zealand: Investigation of GTA Mod's Depiction of
I like the GTA New Zealand, obviously with a little more graphical work it should be a sweet game to play.
I got sick of the american rubbish too, it was way too stupid in my opinion.
Regards,
Blur.
Anyway, most people are missing the point that this law is only in place to stop people from masquerading as police, either on websites or in uniform (it is hardly ideal for people to dress as police and cover their cars in police decals, as then there would be anarchy and abuse of the system) and pretty much any civilised country has laws like this.
I doubt anything will happen to the mod or the modder, although if the Kiwi government does act, it will set a dangerous precedent, and also just show they're a bunch of paranoid censorcrats.
I've had a very hard time playing GTA with a keyboard.
I'm offended. :(
At least they're not arresting him for some ridiculous charge. Their legal concerns are actually pretty plausible.
My hats off to the O’Callaghan - you gotta love modders who compliment their locale by modding a game to look lke it!
I imagine there will be a quiet investigation, with no fallout other than the police just asking the modder to remove the logo, or at least alter it so that it is not the official logo he is using.
I know apologize to anyone from New Zealand reading this comment.
Actually, this doesn't surprise me. From what I can tell, it's roughly the equivalent of using a trademark without paying royalties. Besides, if he uses actual police insignia, people may think it's official.
It has nothing to do with the game's level of realism - just how that reality is presented. It's not as if he removed the guns or anything.
I think localised versions of GTA would be an awesome idea.
"I think localised versions of GTA would be an awesome idea."
Given Rockstar North are 20 mins walk away. it would be fantastic to have an Edinburgh version. Also it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to have a red light district in Leith and a bunch of violent Neds outside the nightclubs :)
Rockstar North = DMA
I
Luckily, this controversy doesn't have to do with GTA's violence...yet.
On the other hand, it's a free mod, so I think they're overreacting here. Most government copyrights are designed to allow non-commercial use...
@DarknessDeku
So because worse has been said, it makes his 'rubbish' statement suddenly less derriding of American culture and that nobody, even US citizens, should be offended? You're joking, yes?
Much has been said about the UK, Australia, the Middle East, etc. Yet everybody offended because he said America was rubbish? I find it as offending as the black people getting killed in Resident Evil 5.
Yeesh, he's not criticising American culture as rubbish per se... just that he's a bit sick of seeing only American stuff in the games he plays when he's based in New Zealand!
American culture works just fine in America, but when transposed to other places in the world it can feel a bit "rubbish" - what's so hard to grasp about that?
Nobody is deriding American culture - wow, could you take yourselves any more seriously? Lighten up a little!
Not being Japanese, some of the common elements of their games can confuse me (why are the swords so big? Why do I keep thinking the male lead character is a hot chic? What's the hangup with hairdos not really possible?) and grow pretty repetative. That doesn't mean I hate the Japanese, or even all the games in question. I'm sure someone outside the US will see our games in a similar light. I don't fault them for it.
From what I've seen Australia has a pretty active gaming community. It's good they're getting something a bit more tailored to their culture.
"New Zealand... it's not part of Australia"
"New Zealand... Don't expect too much--you will love it"
"New Zealand... Cool!"
"New Zealand... Just like 'Lord of the Rings!'"
"New Zealand... Rocks!"
"New Zealand... Why not?"
Also, there's vikings there.
I believe that there is supposed to be a comma between the words "rubbish" and "and."
E.g., "I am not doing this in any way to make money or sell this modification; it was originally for me because I got sick of all this American rubbish[,] and wanted it [(the game)] to be more realistic." Ergo, the "American rubbish" isn't unrealistic.
"American rubbish" isn't offensive either, because it's a fairly common idiom in many societies to refer to the general common of any single nation as garbage.
You're just making that viking comment up. If there are vikings in New Zealand though I would totally go!
I'm an American. I find the "American rubbish" line about as offensive as the whole racist issue in Resident Evil 5 (pointed out by someone else a few posts back). Quite the contrary actually, I find it pretty humorous and can understand the sentiment. To understand American nuances and culture, and to appreciate it at that, it helps to be an American.
I certainly don't want to be exposed to nothing but Japanese culture in my video games. It'd get boring way too fast.
love the socialistic mentality anything that questions authority is bad.... would rather have them be anal retentive over nudity like in the US >>
Oh, WTF, it's not like we don't have tons of rubbish. Mod the rubbish out, edit the rubbish out, get rid of the rubbish.
Rubbish, rubbish, rubbish.
Who cares? Go, Stacy!
Rubbish - just wanted to say it again.
Rubbish.
I like that word.
Rubbish.
Honestly this is a logo rights issue. If the New Zeland police don't want the logo there then the modder should comply and remove it. Doesn't mean you have to change the coloring on the cars or anything, just the logo.
I'm glad to see they're taking this from the stance that it's not just the fact the mod is for GTA. If someone found this in say... Forza Motorsport it seems you'd get the same response.
Stick it to the man. Its high time NZ got some modder love.
Props to the mad anti-American slurs, he's obviously a true kiwi.
I want to trade mark a color, then I can sell licenses to use said color.
Now that said ... it's moddable! I was afraid they were going to lock it down the way they did post-hotcoffee SA, but it looks like they've opened it back up. Looks like I'll be getting the PC version after all -- for that reason and the fact that GTA typically has many parts that are nearly unplayable with a console controller.
I'm not sure what you've been doing to your controllers, but I found the GTA 3 trilogy very playable on the PS2 with PS2 controllers.
I think what the guy was trying to say is that almost all of the GTA games seem to take place in the USA... except GTA London... and if that's NOT what he meant, then he should know it's Scotsmen that have been making the GTA games. ;)
Our TV stations over here pretty much play every crappy reality tv show you muppets ever made (Rock of Love; WTF, seriously?), so I feel the comment is justified.
Also its nice to see that there are none of the new, butt ugly, Holdens that they've got now.
If he ends up putting in some NZ landmarks I would seriously consider trying to find a PC copy of this game.
Insulted is probably a more accurate word than offended unless you mean in a very mild way. His comments warrant counter insults towards New Zealand if we were so inclined but very little else. Stop acting like we are crying bloody murder (also if you bring up the insane resident evil 5 scandal bad things will happen).
Anyway all the modder has to do is parody the symbol and it should be fine (or maybe not I'm not sure about New Zealand Laws). Anyway the most I see coming out of this is either
a. nothing or
b. a warning and/or a cease and desist letter
No big deal.
Anyway I wonder if he'll mod soccer riots, it sure looks that way.
Why soccer riots?
Protip: most Americans don't watch shitty reality shows, except for 14 yr olds.
Wow. I'm surprised anybody watches that shit at all.
So we're all agreed it's rubbish, then? Wicked.
Yes it is quite "rubbish". Most of our television shows are, because they mostly appeal to teenagers. The only shows I religiously watch nowadays are Conan O'Brien and The Soup.
This all reminds me that I'm going to NZ this summer. I hope they're not as anti-american as some people say they are. But don't worry, I didn't vote Bush.
Its not so much to do with you guys really, its more that the Network Execs think that everyone wants to watch that shit, so they pile it on tv, then all the sheeple watch it cause theres nothing else on... Its a viscious cycle.
As for coming to NZ, most people think American tourists are loud and rude. So if you stay quiet and find a tshirt that says "Fuck the French", you'll be sweet.
> Our TV stations over here pretty much play every crappy reality tv show you muppets ever made
Yeah, and we also made the Muppets.
Thats like saying you managed to set fire to a city, but you also put out one of the buildings on fire. Or maybe the other way around, considering the timeline... nevermind.
I believe a more fitting analogy would be that it's like building a lovely townhouse, tearing it down when it was time for it to go, and then building a Trump condominium building over where it once stood.