Blogging the experience of gameplayhttps://www.gamelog.cl/gamers/GamerPage.php?idgamer=1280https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4312I finally completed the game and it definitely ended differently than I expected it to. I chose the option to commit suicide instead of continuing on rampaging the school and thought that it was over from there but instead I watched a five minute montage of the massacre and what had happened in real life. The pictures of the two killers after they had committed suicide was intense but I thought it was vital in the sense that it stressed how tragic this event really was. I didn't really understand why the creators added in the parts about 9/11 though. I understand that both were tragic events but I really don't think you can compare the two together. Then I had to play as Dylan in hell and attack a bunch of demons and creatures and I think this was made to show how unstable and crazy that the boys were suffering through mentally. They went through a lot of hardships in their lives and ultimately they chose violence as a way to cope with it rather than some other form of reconciliation. The most important aspect of the game though is the dialogue because that is where you really learn why the creators made this game. They describe the boys' situation and although they seem to show a bit of sympathy for them, in the end they really stress that what these boys did was completely wrong and that there could have been other ways to deal with their problems. In that sense I think it is ethical to create a game like this but it must be played by mature enough players. Kids playing this game aren't going to focus on the story or the the dialogue and might take what is going on in the game out of context.Mon, 09 Aug 2010 12:02:47 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4312&iddiary=8024https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4312The second time I played the game my objective was to sneak through the halls and into the cafeteria and then plant a bomb underneath one of the school lunch tables but I found it very frustrating and annoying because I kept getting caught by the security cameras a number of times and was forced to start over. I finally planted the bomb and then left the cafeteria. The dialogue between Dylan and Eric about all the guns that they had seems a bit scary to me because high school kids should not have access to weapons of that caliber, or at least as easily as they were able to acquire them. Once the bombs didn't go off like they were supposed to the characters decided just to walk into the school and start shooting people. The graphics were very mediocre and were comparable to those off of SNES but what really got to me was that this entire game was designed after something that happened in real life and every time I shot somebody it just felt very weird and I didn't enjoy it at all. I've played a number of violent games and enjoy just shooting random people to rack up points and body kills but this game I felt myself thinking about every person that I was killing rather than just running and gunning like I normally would in any other game. Just the fact that people would design a game after such a tragic event seems extremely immoral to me and I can guarantee that I will not be playing this game more than the three times that I have to for class.Sun, 08 Aug 2010 18:25:30 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4312&iddiary=8016https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4309I started playing this game and one of the things I first noticed were the various items lying around the house that the player can equip to boost his stats, the Marilyn Manson cd and the Doom video game. This obviously refers to the idea that the cause of the Columbine massacre was related to the boys' use of popular culture. I thin the creators of the game do not feel that these played a vital role in the whole dilemma because of how Eric blatantly says that everyone is going to blame Marilyn Manson for everything that is about to occur. They could have had a slight affect on the situation but I think the real reasons behind the massacre are how the boys were treated at school. The way that the two boys talk to each other definitely highlighted the fact that they felt like outcasts in their school and that it was their motivating reason to plan the whole massacre in the first place. I feel like it sympathizes with the boys to a certain extent because of how it shows that they were truly psychologically messed up by the constant teasing and bullying they received in school. Ethically the game hasn't done anything that I would consider immoral so far but I'm interested to see where the game takes the player as I progress further into the game.Sat, 07 Aug 2010 21:50:56 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4309&iddiary=8009https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4293My third time playing this game I decided to just run around and explore the city instead of focusing on the missions. After walking around I realized that the stereotypes that the game likes to use can be seen in even smaller details than in just the major characters that you encounter. I discovered a fast food restaurant selling fried chicken and run by a black person which is linked to the stereotype that all black people love fried chicken. I also came across a tattoo parlor and it too plays into the stereotype that poor, lower class people like to get a lot of tattoos. After playing on three seperate occasions and looking back on my experiences, I've come to realize that you literally cannot progress in the game or do pretty much anything without partaking in some sort of illegal activities. Whether it's beating up a hooker for money for robbing someone, either way you have to participate in violent acts in order to do anything. I think it's unethical for the game developers to create the game in a way that you are forced to do this but at the end of the day the consumer does have the final decision on whether or not the want to play it and based on the popularity of the Grand Theft Auto series I would have to say that the mass majority of people do not have a problem with the game and its ideals. The game is centered around violence, stereotypes, and racism but I think it really comes down to the type of person who is playing the game as to whether or not it has a negative effect on the player.Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:08:05 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4293&iddiary=7989https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4286My second time playing this game I decided to continue with the in game missions and although I find the game entertaining I'm surprised at how much violence is such a pivotal point to the game. Literally everything you do in the game is geared towards violence and you can't even continue on to the next mission without being forced to partake in at least some sort of illegal activity. In order to get money for new weapons and clothes I have to run around and kill innocent civilians and you quickly become desensitized to the violence in the game since you participate in it so much. People who play this game will either enjoy it alot and think it's fun to be able to perform illegal acts that they normally wouldn't be able to get away with in real life or they will just be disgusted at the idea that violence really is the number one aspect of the game. Towards the end of my experience I just decided to put in some game cheats in order to stock up on all the best weapons and ammunition and went back to seeing how long I could last before the cops killed me. I find it funny that in other video games I don't usually express myself so violently but I find myself in this game trying to kill as many people as possible and in the most extreme ways. This game really makes the player become creative in the way they go about killing people and at the end of the day I find it very entertaining.Sun, 25 Jul 2010 23:03:06 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4286&iddiary=7980https://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4286Although I’ve played a number of different Grand Theft Auto games, this was my first time to play the San Andreas title. I decided to just start out by playing the storyline missions and I feel that the characters in the game are so stereotypical that it’s detrimental to the story line because you cannot honestly believe any of the characters. Having played a few other Grand Theft Auto games I was not surprised at all at the stereotypical characters that the developers decided to put in the game. The main character, CJ, just learned that his mother has died and comes back home and finds himself pressured into joining his former game. All the African-American people in this game are portrayed as thugs and smoke weed, carry guns, and involve themselves in a life of crime, filling almost every aspect of the stereotypical black man. Even the way they talk to each other is pretty ridiculous. I also think the way that the cop pulls over CJ at the beginning of the story and racially profiles CJ is a bit extreme, although I do think that there are times where things like that happen depending on where you are or what environment you live in. As far as game play goes, I enjoy the style of Grand Theft Auto. Being able to run around and do virtually anything you want is enjoyable and I have a lot of fun trying to see how many violent crimes I can commit until the police kill me. I decided to play a little free play with some of my friends and we had a great time seeing who could last the longest and kill and blow up as many things before we died. I do not really feel like the violence in the video game could make people really want to go out and try to do these things in real life but I could see it perhaps making younger kids become more violent in their lifestyles, maybe making them punch, kick, and scream more so than they normally would. The violence is almost unrealistic and really should not be considered a problem for the vast majority of the people playing the game. Sat, 24 Jul 2010 17:20:17 CSThttps://www.gamelog.cl/logs/LogPage.php?Log_Id=4286&iddiary=7971