|
worldconq777's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (360)
|
| [October 5, 2008 07:06:40 PM]
|
In my last session of GTA: San Andreas I took a closer look at the characters. Throughout my experience playing the game I found many of the characters to be very interesting and somewhat deep. They felt more like actual people that really mattered instead of just plot pieces to move the story along. However, what was interesting was how they all conformed to worldly stereotypes. The vast majority of the gang members are black or hispanic, which conforms to most people's idea of gangs. And with the exception of Officer Tenpenny, there are many cops and government agents that are white. This seems to reflect how American society still views different ethnic groups.
San Andreas also does this with women. They are viewed more as possessions or sexual conquests of gang members then as actual people that matter. CJ has many sexual encounters with women and he doesn't actually care about a lot of those women. Many of them are just there for sex. I believe this too reflects our society's beliefs. While we acknowledge that women are people and not just toys, some guys do just use them for their own pleasure.
add a comment 
|
| [October 5, 2008 06:33:19 PM]
|
After playing through GTA: San Andreas some more, another thing I have found interesting is Rockstar has woven health and physical fitness into the game. In almost all other video games a player does not have to worry about keeping their character fit. All they have to worry about is making sure that their character survives and level up. Not so with San Andreas. CJ (the main character) will deteriorate if not taken care of properly. A combination of eating just enough food, walking instead of riding, and going to the gym keep him from becoming obese and being able to do less on missions.
I find this neat because I believe it says something about our health conscious society. It is not just enough for people to be concerned with their own health; now they have to be careful even in their video games. I think it encourages kids who play to take some of this health knowledge they gain and apply it in their own lives. What makes this even more intriguing is that Rockstar Games, a company hardly known for making ethical games, chose to put into their controversial franchise a lesson on health. I guess that no matter what you think about letting players kill cops and innocent civilians, everyone agrees that you should at least be healthy while doing it.
read comments (1)  -
add a comment
|
| [October 4, 2008 02:02:38 PM]
|
One of the things that struck me as I was playing Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is its dependance on police corruption. This theme starts from the beginning when the main character is confronted by two corrupt cops named Frank Tenpenny and Eddie Pulaski, who threaten to frame him with murder. As the game progresses, police corruption becomes increasingly rampant as the player must kill many people who are a threat to Tenpenny.
I believe this showing of bad cops is a view of the current American society's beliefs. To many Americans the police are no longer seen as their friends and protectors. They have been put into a category of an annoyance, if not a downright threat to ordinary people. The honor of the job of policeman has been buried under a pile of arrogant police stories and corruption scandals. While not as bad as most cases in real life, GTA's story does reflect this tendancy to believe that sometimes cops are no better than the criminals they are supposed to be fighting against.
read comments (1) -
add a comment
|
