12-Year-Old Kids Still Getting Racy 'Maxim' Instead of Gaming Magazine
Come on, Maxim. We tried to warn you. If you're going to surreptitiously exchange a magazine featuring a cover of cleavage for one honoring 'Super Mario,' then moms are going to notice the switch. And they're going to talk about it.
After the canceled Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) sent out its final issue in January, subscribers to the magazine instead began receiving copies of the men's mag Maxim. An attached message notified subscribers that they could reply by snail mail in order to halt the subscription and receive a prorated refund.
Kathleen O'Donnell, a mother of a 12-year-old boy, recently requested the cancellation and refund, only to receive the August issue. She told WBZTV, "I didn't think it was a magazine my son should be looking at." Probably not.
It's definitely surprising that the magazine is still continuing to mail its issues despite insensitive ignorance of female gamers and concerned parents. And it's perhaps even more surprising that a 12-year-old boy actually told his mom. He must have read Maxim's review of 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand. [From: WBZTV.com]
Are These Games Too Sexy?
While recent game titles have attracted media attention for nudity and sexual situations, risque role-playing games have existed since PC gaming first began. Early games, such as 'Sex Games' for the Commodore 64, demanded specific commands, such as "remove pants," and required specific sequential actions to achieve one's nefarious goals. Currently, a plethora of games with bawdy scenes have invaded, or graced, the gaming world and vary in degrees of lewdness. Here are a few significant titles with prevalent or graphic bawdiness:
'God of War I & II:'
Press the right buttons, and gently twirl the thumbstick, to see the climax of mini-games in both God of War I and II for PS2 and PSP
'Grand Theft Auto III (consoles)'
The infamous "don't come a knockin'" prostitute scenes created a stir when GTA 3 was originally released for PS2.
'Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude; Box Office or Bust' (for consoles):
These most recent incarnations continue to follow the exploits of love lorn Larry in versions for both PC and next gen consoles
'Leisure Suit Larry 3: Passionate in Pursuit of the Pulsating Pectorals' (for PC)
Released in 1989 for PCs, this third installment of the groundbreaking franchise of risque role playing preceded GTA 4 by 20 years when the title character shows the full Larry in an infamous shower scene
'Mass Effect:'
The backlash from FoxNews greatly exaggerated the tame innuendo and implied relations between the two sapphic lovers in Xbox's Mass Effect.
'Playboy: The Mansion' (consoles):
Disappointingly demure, perhaps the highlight of this sojourn to the mansion is playing photographer in this release for PC, PS2 and Xbox
'Rapelay:'
Amazon removed listings for this disturbing, yet readily available in Japan, DVD-ROM in which the main character stalks and, to put it mildly, torments young girls.
'The Sims;' nude patch:
Denisons of young gamers were disappointed when learning that unblurred nudity in this game for PCs, consoles, and handhelds required downloading a censor patch
'Soul Calibur' (consoles):
The character Taki from the Soul Calibur franchise continues to titillate thousands of pubescent gamers in versions for every console.
Print publications are hemorrhaging money while online ad revenue has cooled off. In this new environment, where consumers expect content to be provided for free, news outlets are still struggling to find a working, profitable business model that satisfies customers. 
An offshore Web site is encouraging people to upload and share paid magazine content, something the magazine industry is none too happy about.
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