New York authorities are fuming after the developers of video game Grand Theft Auto, in which players rob and kill their way to the next level, set the latest version of the game in the city.
While the previous version of the game, Grand Theft Auto III, was set in a fictional Liberty City, loosely based on New York, the fourth version openly features landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building.
Other editions of the game have been loosely set in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami and London.
”The mayor does not support any video game where you earn points for injuring or killing police officers,” mayor Michael Bloomberg’s office said in a statement, pointing out that car theft during his tenure had, in fact, fallen.
Grand Theft Auto IV is due to be released in October. — Sapa-AFP