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Aug 2nd, 2011 at 04:16:22 - Grand Theft Auto - San Andreas (PS2) |
Hello,
This is my second entry regarding Grand Theft Auto San Andreas for the PS2. I played the game on my friends PS2 and his copy of the game with my memory card and saved data. I was actually surprised to find out that the copy of the game that I was using at home and the copy that my friend bought, were not compatible! The saved data on the copy that I used at home would not load with this game. The game I have at home is the Greatest Hits version of the game and the copy my friend owned was not the greatest hits version. Honestly I didn’t know that there were any differences between the two, but I suppose that there are. The game displayed a message saying that the game data on my memory card was not compatible with this version of the game. So the game just started me from the beginning. I thought that this was very interesting and I had never encountered this in a video game before.
I had to play through some of the game over again, but alas I made it to some of the missions that I had not reached in my last play through. CJ does a few more missions including rescuing his brother sweet from a gang ambush. It seems that in this ambush, some of the grove street gang members are shooting at CJ! However, no one mentions anything about the fact that my own “homies” were shooting at CJ and sweet. I was confused as to what was really going on. Was the game glitching out or was that the way things should go?
In another mission CJ must help the Grove Street gang kill off some drug dealers in the neighborhood. The drug dealers are selling drugs to the Grove street gang members. This is considered unacceptable by the grove street gang. CJ and Ryder set out to take out a random dealer and then a group of drug dealers in a drug house. I found it very interesting how the Grove street gang is ok with the unethical implications of robbery and killing but not drug use. I think that they have a very self-preserving moral code that is very deep and unique.
In another mission, CJ goes to a Hispanic neighborhood and customizes a low rider vehicle. This is done so that he can compete in a hydraulics competition. Here a stereotypical association is made between a race/ ethnic group. Most of the Hispanic gang members in the game drive the low rider or Savanna vehicles. Cesar drives a Savanna vehicle. CJ’s sister Kendal is dating a Hispanic man by the name of Cesar who is the leader of the Hispanic Gang Varrios Los Aztecas. At the very beginning of the game Kendal mentions that she was going to see Cesar after she left the funeral. CJ and Kendal’s brother Sweet was very upset about the relationship between his sister and a Hispanic male/ Gang leader. CJ seemed to not mind the relationship as he stated, “I think It’s cool, as long as he treats her right. I don’t see the problem.” However upon meeting Cesar after the hydraulics contest, he seemed to react as negatively as Sweet did initially. But soon grew to like Cesar. This is the first or perhaps second presence of racial tension in the game not including the tension between CJ and the police officers. Is Sweets problem with Cesar about him being Hispanic, a Gang leader or both? It is hard to tell.
So far CJ has been running errands for people left and right. I suppose that he must prove himself. This means he has no choice but to follow orders. He doesn’t seem to be in the mindset of thinking for himself and striking out on his own, as this seems to be much discouraged in the Johnson family. His going to liberty city was the equivalent of walking out on his family and CJ hold himself somewhat responsible for his mother’s death. The family value of staying together is very strong here. I am eager to see how this value gets tested later on in the game.
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Jul 28th, 2011 at 04:05:02 - Grand Theft Auto - San Andreas (PS2) |
Grand Theft Auto San Andreas is loaded with messages that bombard the player represented by the character Carl Johnson, also known as CJ. I start the game watching a scene where CJ returns to Los Santos from liberty city. He is soon afterward confronted by two officers. The game has just begun and it is established that CJ the main character is an African American gang member. This is a stereotype to African American males. CJ is dropped in to enemy gang territory by the officers and left to fend for himself and make his way back to Grove Street. CJ is given a bike to make it to his old home.
The next observation I had was during the funeral scene for CJ’s mother. Some of the other main characters were introduced in this scene including. Carl’s sister Kendall is dressed in a mini-skirt and a tank top shirt. These clothes make her look quite provocative and stereotypically objectified. The game has already shown signs of the objectification of women. Why was it necessary to have his sister dressed in this manner?
The other gang members of the Grove Street gang were also present. They are in much distress because things are not looking so good for the Grove Street gang. The other members of the Grove Street gang are upset with CJ for having left the gang and Grove Street to live in Liberty city for five years. They felt as if CJ walked out on his family and the grove street gang. They speak to CJ in a very brash and upset manner. When doing mission cut scenes when CJ visits the other members, one of them, Ryder, is almost always depicted with a cigarette or weed and this is also stereotypical.
As I progressed through the game I as the player took on several missions. One of the missions I completed started as a simple trip to the local fast food restaurant then Ryder, one of the Grove Street gang members, comes into the store and tries to rob the store for money. Note that the fast food restaurant was very poorly kept up. That is also a bad stereo type regarding the management strength of fast food workers in less luxurious areas. I personally felt that there are many messages made about minorities in the few scenes I saw and played through. I don’t understand why the Grand Theft Auto series when having had a series full of non-African American protagonists treats the subject so stereotypically.
However there is a message of the importance of family and staying true to ones roots within the Grove Street gang and more specifically the Johnson family. As stated earlier CJ is constantly being picked at for leaving Grove Street for Liberty City and thus leaving his family behind. The need to feel a bond is also displayed by the use of gang colors. In one of the earlier missions, CJ's brother Sweet tells CJ to go buy clothes that represent their Gang colors. CJ at this point has already risked his life several times just after getting back to Grove Street yet according to Sweet he has not been representing Grove because he has not been wearing his colors. I still must continue the game and see what other ethical nuggets GTA San Andreas has to offer.
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Jul 28th, 2011 at 13:15:13.
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