The Grand Theft Auto V mod LSPDFR that allows gamers to roleplay as New South Wales Police has garnered negative media attention from an Australian news station.
Here are the details of the mod from the creators:
“The LSPD First Response Modification (LSPDFR) is a police modification for the PC version of Grand Theft Auto V which transforms the game into a law enforcement simulation, allowing you to conduct traffic stops, engage in high speed pursuits and enforce the law as you see fit.”
Australian 7 News picked up on this 18-month old mod and spoke with NSW Police Minister Troy Grant for his reaction. “The game that I’ve seen where they’ve arrested somebody and then shoot them. That doesn’t happen. That is perverse.” (maybe not in Australia).
7 News describes the mod being made by “underground computer geeks” and states that while retail stores have age restrictions, the “online world is virtually lawless”.
Harkening back to the good ‘ol days of gaming controversy, 7 News even spoke with a Psychologist who claims some individuals may have trouble distinguishing fantasy from reality. While Police Minister Grant uses the old chestnut about life not having a reset button. (Neither does my PS4.)
The NSW Police intend to take action against the mod creators. While they could most likely get any copyrighted logos, names, or color patterns changed from here on out, the already installed mods all around the world will be near impossible to affect. In fact, this story has seen a huge upswell in traffic for the LSPDFR mod, breathing new life into a 2015 mod.