Duty free shops let gamers get around ban

Matt Kwong

• Last Updated: May 01. 2008 9:47PM UAE / May 1. 2008 5:47PM GMT

Video-game enthusiasts have found ways to get hold of the controversial Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA4), a title banned in the UAE.

A number of GTA4 fans, apparently exploiting a consumer loophole, have bought copies at the Dubai airport duty free shops. All 40 copies of the title at Dubai Duty Free sold on the April 29 release date, a salesman said yesterday. Another shipment of the game, for PlayStation 3 and Xbox360 consoles, has been ordered and is expected to be available in two or three months, he said.

This was treated as great news by Kris Karacinski, a PS3 owner and GTA fanatic who believed he would be forced to order the game online or buy it off the black market.

“It’s nice to hear, for sure,” Mr Karacinski said. “But I still don’t understand why it’s allowed when it’s banned. ”

It was a different story at Abu Dhabi’s airport.

“We can confirm as an airport that the product is not available for sale at this time,” a spokesman for the Abu Dhabi Airports Company, Andrew Chupeau, said yesterday.

Shahzad Aslam, the manager of operations for Sharaf Electronics, which sells electronics products for the Abu Dhabi Duty Free, said the game would not be sold at the store. Video-game industry analysts predicted GTA4 – the first in the series for the “next-generation” entertainment consoles – would sell six million units in its first week, bringing in US$400 million (Dh1.46 billion) in worldwide sales. It was also expected to set media launch records in terms of earnings. The GTA series of video games has been praised for its immersive gameplay, but also vilified for its graphic violence and sexual content.

While the development company Rockstar Games did not return calls for comment, the label’s local distributor, Red Entertainment Distribution, said yesterday it was in contact with the Ministry of Information to discuss the game. “We’ve provided them with a copy of the game, they’re reviewing it and obviously they have to take a lot of things under consideration,” said Nitin Mathew, the marketing manager for Red Entertainment. “I imagine it will be available to other duty free [stores] around the region, but it all boils down to their decision.”

Previously, the Ministry of Information deemed the series too offensive for sale.

In the latest game, players control a small-time Serbian gangster whose missions require him to steal cars and assault civilians in a city modelled on New York City. The protagonist can run down pedestrians and kill police officers.

mkwong@thenational.ae