A popular computer game has been withdrawn from sale in Australia after a US grandmother discovered hidden sex scenes. Christians should remain concerned about the graphic adult themes in games targeted at young people, writes DAVID C SIMON.

Eighty-five year-old Florence Cohen is suing Rockstar Games and Take Two Interactive over hidden sex scenes which her 14-year-old grandson was exposed to in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Her argument is that the game contains material which she was not aware of, and which would have dissuaded her from making the purchase. In Australia the game has been withdrawn from sale.

It is inevitable that games will contain "hidden' elements " it is part of their appeal " and the more complex the game, the greater the capacity for innovation. The most complex "sandbox' games, where the player has incredible freedom, feed off the player's imagination and ability to entertain themselves. But they also allow players to act out their personal fantasies in a world devoid of consequences. Meanwhile Christians are called on to operate in a world of consequences, mindful of the fact that everything we do has the potential to harm others and impact on our relationship with God.

The most unpredictable factor in games is that of user-created "mods'. This means that users with the right tools and knowledge have modified aspects of the game. Rather than discouraging such activity, many developers deliberately make their products easier to mod as it can make a game much more marketable.

These mods create a grey area where nobody, not even the people who made the game, can give absolute assurances in terms of what content a player will experience. This makes it difficult for parents to protect their children, but also for mature Christians struggling to deal with sin in their own lives " new doors to temptation may be unlocked on a daily basis.

Some parents seem to consider games as having less of an impact on children than movies or television. However, this view is not supported by various studies which point out that the interactive nature of games make the player a willing participant, and indeed the perpetrator of horrific violence.

Parents and players need to consider whether a game will encourage them to think about whatever is "true, noble, right, pure, lovely, excellent admirable or praiseworthy' (Philippians 4:8) or will it focus their minds on the opposite.

The added problem of modifiable content means that it is possible to download content for a PG-rated game which should change its rating to MA 15+. So are the ratings useless? Theoretically, if every game were to be rated based upon what mods could be made, then every game would be Refused Classification (there is no R 18+ rating for games in Australia).

This view has been likened by the gaming community to preventing a book from being published for fear of what someone might write in its margins. On this argument it seems only practical that a game be rated based upon its state at the point of release, which makes the change of rating for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas highly contentious.

The good news is that these mods can't install themselves onto your computer " they are opt-in. This means that a parent who chooses to sit with their child and play the game together, or at least take an active interest in discussing the game, should be able to make sure that no illicit material finds its way into the home.

Interactive entertainment does introduce new risks, but it also offers us unprecedented opportunities for new and exciting forms of story-telling. At the moment most games are designed for adults but marketed to children. Let's pray for something to change so that this medium can start to shine.

David C. Simon is a member of Kingswood Anglican Church and wastes too many hours playing games.