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Apr 18th, 2010 at 11:38:09 - Grand Theft Auto - San Andreas (PS2) |
In my last entry of this game i hoped to re-evaluate my day 2 negativity. Alas i really didnt enjoy this game too much. I think that it is funny and in a very immature way an amazing release. To be able to act out safely in a fantasy what we would do if we lived in the "state of nature", that is a violent free for all that is harsh and short-lived.
I did find humor in thinking about the things that make a Rockstar game unique, and that is the ability to tell humorous jokes while acting out serious themes.
It was this day i realized how much i liked the radio commercials and the short spots of social commentary included in them.
One such was a commercial to ban smoking in all places, public or private. This as was running and it discussed how if smoking kills as we are told it does, then we have an eye for an eye right to just blast a smoker point blank if we are caught in their second hand.
This made me think for a quick second on if this was a real eye for an eye retribution or not. Well obviously its not, though i don't smoke cigarettes since i think they smell horrible, i don't exactly consider smoking in front of a person murder or killing.
The idea is funny but... eeek... this game takes ideas and really runs pretty far with them in terms of extremism. I think if i was 10 years younger, stoned and drunk or trippin' on what-evs I would vegetate to this game for hours. Its pretty fun if you ignore the sad realities surrounding it.
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Apr 17th, 2010 at 17:02:59 - Grand Theft Auto - San Andreas (PS2) |
DAY 2 in San Andreas and the life of a Hood Dweller appears to be following exactly what i seen in the movies and follows the attitudes of people who i have encountered in my life that could easily be any character that resides in the Grove!
On this second day I "cleaned up the hood" by beating a crack dealer and busting up the crack den, here instead of helping the crack addicts i simply beat them to death. I assume they were dead since they didn't get up and they bled all over the place!
After which we went for a bite to eat and got into a firefight with a rival gang... we won... now its time for some weapons of my own. After a little target practice i was able to obtain a handgun and be on my way.
My shining moments of playing this game was when before i turned off the game I found the repeated missions boring so i just shot a person and after about 10 people dead the ambulance arrived, a few more corpses and then the cops showed up. I had to kill them to get their car, but I did all this just so i could run a "vigilante" mission. Unfortunately this art imitates reality as i failed the mission when my car blew up, so lesson learned. Don't take matters into your own hands!
The many decisions i made today were related to the fact that this game cures boredom and when i step outside and see half of society working and being respectful but the other half simply rude, selfish, unfriendly, uncaring and if i talked to them i just might get a glimpse of someone who has nothing and cares about no-one. Or at least that is how their culture has taught them to
act when out in public.
Before powering down the game i went on my last little violent splurge and felt better in some sick way. All the times i had been ripped off and jacked up by complete strangers, i.e. my neighbors that leave the dog out (a massive pit/rot animal... not exactly everyman's best friend, who i have had to call the police about regularly) they will just stare me down if i say hello or try to talk to them (this is before i had to resort to calling the police). I feel better and for that i will only play this game for this class and i really don't want to play it tomorrow. Actually its a friendly reminder to leave Calumet City... where my grandpa spent years as a public servant (an alderman, and interim mayor), its beautiful park dedicated to veterans, a memorial park where its dedicated to the WWI vets that volunteered (more per capita than any city in the US at the time), and other signs of a past civilization.
Of course not everyone here in one of my hometowns are bad, and i exaggerate alot, but it sure isn't the same place i remember. And the enjoyment of going on a rampage in San Andreas is a little to good-feeling for me to want to indulge in it. But i do feel for "CJ" he just might get his salvation, its just to bad it makes me too sick to find out.
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Apr 13th, 2010 at 17:30:31 - Grand Theft Auto - San Andreas (PS2) |
To start out there is only a partial map to explore but what the game lacks in immedaite open-ended play, it makes up for in establishing a context of the main charachter. San Andreas is the fictional city environment that mirrors Los Angeles, and other California and Nevada cities of note, and CJ is the hero that navigates this environment.
The loading scenes themsleves perk the interests of a person by adding a comical touch to murderous and life-ruining notions, such as gang violence and prostitution. It starts to appear more comical in nature than violent and the main charachter CJ appears to be a likable person in unfortunate circumstances. A apposed to a stereotypical hardened ill-tempered criminal.
The ability to change the camera to different views is not uncommon in games, but in this game in particular, with the setting of LA, uses the far overhead camera to a certain degree of innovation that is reminiscent of video footage from a helicopter (L.A. race riot footage is emulated).
The first sitauation that arose in the gameplay that sparked my interest was the attempted robbery by CJ's friend in a restaraunt. CJ chooses to halt the robbery and they both flee after the clerk pulls out a shotgun. When leaving CJ decides to assist in the escape by driving the car away from the scene. The choice was made to stop his friend but he chose not to turn him in or make any real case for preventing this from happening again. A utilitarian might say the consequences of CJ's action were correct because he stopped the robbery prevented the arrest of his friend and managed to get them both out of trouble. However when trying to establish a concrete guidline or set of actions I wouls believe that simply stopping the crime before it happened is not enough. It was never certain CJ would convince his friend not to shoot and it is not enough to allow the question to remain if this behaviour will be repeated. Kant would want a solution to the problem that would work every time.
This begs the qustion what should CJ do, according to Kant? Not get involved so as to harm others and call the police, assist in apprehending his friend reagardless of what they have went through, or maybye to not get involved to any degree at that point taking cover and letting events play out? For Kant the action must be concrete. Perhaps letting his friend committ the robbery (in order to prevent accidental injury) and then assisting the police with apprehending his friend. But this game obviously is showing how difficult this particular situation could be for a man who is attempting a better life.
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richard.perez has been with GameLog for 14 years, 7 months, and 8 days |
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