Atari Under Pressure, Again

Yesterday, the Graffiti Tracker, Timothy Kephart  (a consultant who works with law enforcement on issues ranging from gang violence to graffiti) claims that the game is a disgrace.

"The idea that the main character in this game is some sort of hero is simply Atari's ridiculous way to try to put a positive spin on a game that is about destroying property," says Kephart. Graffiti vandalism is a crime that decreases the quality of life in communities and breeds violence. "This game glorifies an action that costs cities throughout the world billions of dollars each year and sometimes people's lives. In the Los Angeles area there have been multiple incidents where people were shot for removing graffiti."

Today, two more groups lashed out against the game: Keep America Beautiful (KAB), the country's largest community improvement program, and the National Council to Prevent Delinquency (NCPD), a national nonprofit providing support to local anti-graffiti programs. The groups are calling for the ESRB to assign an AO rating to the game.

"The promotion clearly attempts to make criminal and dangerous behavior enticing to children, and the chat room traffic on the Atari site indicates that current graffiti vandals anticipate a growth in their numbers with the game's release," says Keep America Beautiful President, Ray Empson. "We know from our research and experience the extensive costs of graffiti vandalism - both societal and in taxpayer dollars spent on cleaning up. We can't stop Atari, but we can warn local governments to what may be coming."

These complaints follow last month's attack from Peter Vallone Jr., a New York City councilman who had similar criticisms of the product.