Quote Originally Posted by portnoyd View Post
This is total bullshit. It is victimless.

For one thing, if companies raise prices of new games, it sure as hell won't be because of this lawsuit or any other. It'll be because of rising development and marketing costs.
Sure, rising costs of development is one part of the puzzle. But I'm sure that each and every developer has a budget set aside just for lawyers and as cases like this mount, that budget will only increase. Who bears the cost of said increases, the end users. You can argue that it only cuts into the profits of the developer and on the surface, that's the immediate result. But it's naive to think that they are going to just laugh and write off the millions they lost due to this. It may not be made up on GTA IV, but it will be made up elsewhere. That elsewhere can only come from the end users, either in the form of increased prices directly or future product developed with a smaller budget. How can I be sure of this? Because the only way they make money is by selling product to gamers. That's the bottom line.

Quote Originally Posted by portnoyd View Post
Since when was a poorly done, only available by hacking mini-game "taking risks in what they develop"? Last I checked, hiding the mini-game is not taking a risk. It was a mistake not removing it from the game entirely. Also, the lawsuit was about sex, not violence. If you want the bar pushed on violence, it most definitely still is and no one gives a shit.

There is no cost. Consider it a freebie from our pussified society. Take your check, cash it and call it a fucking day.
There is always a cost. Money doesn't just fall from the sky. I do agree with you that this is just another example of people whining until they get what they feel entitled to (re, the pussification of America). The whole lawsuit was pointless and a waste of resources as people that didn't like the content could just ignore it. Hell, they had to be an active participant utilizing illegal methods to even get to the content. But the costs of the defense as well as the costs of the settlement will eventually make it down to the end user. The more people that jump on the bandwagon, the more it costs everybody else.