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Sim Sin City - Thoughts On Grand Theft Auto
Torill writes "Gonzalo Frasca has some thoughts on Grand Theft Auto in the new issue of Game Studies. He particularly notes: 'When designers create a simulation that encourages experimentation, they are taking a huge authorial risk: trusting their players'. He also weighs in on the controversy over GTA's content, arguing, devil's advocate style, that the Bible, Mein Kampf and Das Kapital have caused millions of deaths, while it is still hard to prove that computer games really have caused deaths at all: 'Do the math. There is actually proof that books are extremely dangerous. They should be considered weapons of mass destruction. If you are really concerned about media effects, forget videogames: you should start burning libraries right now'." Coincidentally, the name of the article ties in with the alleged name of the GTA sequel, again claimed to be 'Grand Theft Auto IV: Sin City', even after (coincidental?) April Fool's jokes and other confusion.
There is actually proof that books are extremely dangerous. They should be considered weapons of mass destruction.
Heh. Farenheit 451 is coming true.
and my only comment is (Eric Cartman Voice) "What's the big fucking deal, bitch?" GTA is violent, offensive, and crude. They even make spelling/usage mistakes ("Alright, we're gonna hit the pay role van"). But it's no more violent than "Boyz in The Hood", or "Goodfellas", or most any other "R"-rated movie. People complain that the game is disturbing children. What's disturbing children is a complete lack of responsibility on the part of their parents. If you are the type of person who would buy a game called "Grand Theft Auto" for your children, the problem isn't with the game, it is with the total abscence of parenting skills you're displaying.
And as for the "Kill all the Haitians" controversy - Vice City has been on the market for a year, maybe more for the PS2. I know I got sick of those 80's themed commercials a long time ago. As far as I've noticed in the media, there is no wholesale slaughter of Haitians on America's streets. In fact, it was the hubbub that made me go out and buy the game! I bet executives at Rockstar and Take Two Interactive go home at night and roll naked in piles of cash screaming "Thank you for all the free advertising, Haitian Videogame Activists! It's going to be a Happy New Year after all!"
It's always the same. Whether it's Eminem, GTA, NWA, professional wrestling, or whatever, there will always be some lazy ass parent who would rather trample all over my right as an adult to read the books I want, listen to the music I want, watch the movies I want, and play the video games I want, rather than actually expend the effort to see what their children are reading, listening to, watching, and playing.
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Now, there are some games are long enough where replay value really doesn't make a difference (Chrono Chross?) because it is physically impossible to play them through more than twice in your lifetime, but for shorter games it's almost a must to avoid complaints of the game being far too short. From what I've heard, GTA3/Vice City offer enough to do to allow a person to spend almost a little too much time in its environment.
Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.
-- Dr. Spock, stardate 2822-3.
I think this is a very interesting point. I know he talks about this as an improvement over the NPC's (Non Playable Characters), but if the same strength of non-verbal communication has to be translated into a networked version of the games with Playable/Playing Characters - would the lack of verbal communication succeed there ? What would other alternatives for communication be in this world?
To see a world in a grain of sand, and then to step back and see the beach where the sand lies
The Bible doesn't cause millions of deaths, religious fanatics do.
Mein Kampf doesn't cause millions of deaths, Nazis do.
Das Kapital doesn't cause millions of deaths, armed dictators do.
It's always the same story. You have a dangerously insane person, weapons, and a violent or provocative book, movie, or video game. Which is it that the authorities always try to remove from society?
"Proudly Posting Without Reading The Article"
When society uses law and force as the ultimate methods of control it should come as no surprise that individuals also use such methods within their micro-societies.
Play is the freedom to act with reduced consequence. Should we proscribe playing 'cops and robbers' because it causes crime?
What about 'hunt the WMD'?
There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
Burn churches and political institutions.
Just like mentioning hookers, if you have to question where the next GTA will be based you haven't played the first two.
GTA2 had THREE cities. Liberty City, Vice City and San Andreas City.
I thought GTA 4 was Vice City . . . the next would be 5.
Nope, just like GTA: London 1969 (the expansion to GTA) was not GTA2.
And I don't think that GTA4 will be called 'Sin City', as in the first GTA there was three cities: Liberty City (New York, the world of GTA3); Vice City (Miami, the world of GTA:VC); and San Andreas City (LA, and the only city they haven't made 3D yet).
He seriously weakens his point by asserting that any books have caused any deaths. The Bible and Mein Kampf have killed no one. People use books to kill, or encourage others to kill. The book itself causes nothing.
And in this sense, he is mostly attacking a straw man: the most serious detractors of violent video games rarely assert the games cause violence, only that they encourage violent tendencies, etc.