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Imagine watching an action flick with adrenaline-fueled car chases, gory gunfights and in-your-face explosions, rated R for its graphic violence and sexual innuendo.

Now pretend that a bootlegged Internet copy of this film contained the graphic sex scenes cut from the studio’s version. Would you change the rating of the official release to NC-17 because of the bootleg or hold the movie studio accountable for the bootlegger’s actions?

Neither would be acceptable, but both have happened in the video game world.

The popular but ever-controversial game “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas” has been the center of unreasonable political attention in the last couple weeks.

The official version of the game is violent and has suggestive encounters with prostitutes. Recently, media watchdog groups discovered that hackers released software to modify the game to include the original sexually explicit content.

Known as the “hot coffee mod,” this code tweaks the game to reveal content programmed into the game that was intentionally blocked.

Under heavy pressure, the Entertainment Software Ratings Board launched an investigation into whether the game’s Mature rating was appropriate.

The M rating is essentially equivalent to an R rating in the movie industry. Nonetheless, some retailers will sell this software to those who are under the approved age.

On July 20, after an outcry from media watchdogs and underinformed members of Congress, the ESRB changed the rating of this video game from M to Adults Only, the equivalent of the movie rating NC-17.

Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., the owners of the subsidiary company that makes “Grand Theft Auto,” has suffered substantially as a result. Many retailers, including Best Buy, Target and Wal-Mart, will not carry games rated AO.

Take-Two also announced that they will cease production of the game until they can fix the problem. The stock value of Take-Two dropped significantly because they had to release revised revenue estimates that forecast a quarterly loss of 35 cents more per share than anticipated.

This is all just another case of our government sticking its nose where it shouldn’t be. Currently, like with movies and TV, getting a game rated is on a voluntary basis.

But in a press conference, Sen. Hillary Clinton announced she would introduce legislation to legally regulate ratings in the video game industry and heavily fine retailers who sell games rated M or AO to minors.

Recall the bootlegged movie. The victim is being blamed for the crime.

In America it is illegal to modify the code of copyright software without permission. Although Take-Two spokesman Jim Ankner announced to the Associated Press that the sexual content is in the official release, this content was never meant to be seen.

You have to download a hack that changes the licensed version to allow you to see it. Just as in film, it is standard practice in the software industry to write more code than will actually be used and then cut out what is unwanted by hiding the relevant code.

Take-Two should not be held responsible for the actions of programmers not working on their behalf, especially when those programmers are posting software that makes unauthorized changes.

Otherwise, Microsoft should be held responsible for every programmer who writes virus code.

Simlar is a fourth-year sociology and anthropology student.