|
boarderlinegurl2003's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PC)
|
| [October 6, 2008 01:40:25 PM]
|
I have shockingly played this game a lot more than I had thought. I even got one of my friends that are not into games such as this to even go out and buy GTA 4!! It really is unbelievable how a game that allows you to kill, destroy, and batter characters becomes so engaging. I'm sure there is some psychological explanation to why people enjoy playing these types of games. I can personally say that I do like Grand Theft Auto but some of the messages are supporting strong stereotypes which I do not agree with.
Questions that I continue to ask are why does the key character have to be black and why do the cops have to be white? What statement is this color choice trying to make? Is thinking that every black male will eventually commit these same crimes moral? I know personally that the stereotypes that the game is portraying are not true but how do other people know? The acts of violence are so strong that I’m glad that the gamer rating is mature.
As the player in the game just by walking around the city and observing things I notice gang bangers who want to kill me and hookers that want to get a piece of action. Life in this game to a certain degree is not the real thing. This game applies to the imagination of worst case scenario how everyday life would be and that is not necessarily true. To a certain degree people respect authority, not in this game. It is like the entire city is living by the saying, “do or die.”
Again, I have not mastered this game and controlling my character with the proper key commands is still difficult but it is very clear on the type of audience the game is appealing to and what type of message it is conveying. The racial issues, non the least are again very strong when you stand back to look at the whole picture there is not one thing you can do at this point to get away from the stereotypes in Grand Theft Auto.
add a comment 
|
| [October 6, 2008 01:14:07 PM]
|
While playing this game I have noticed that I get more involved with the game. I find myself getting worried that the cops are after me and I am actually starting to look for people to beat up so I can make some quick money. I realize and understand that this is just a game but what worries me is what kind of message is this game sending to kids and minors who get completely wrapped up in the game.
Upon writing my first log and noticing that racial issues are found every where in the game I can't help but constantly think about them now since even the way the characters in the game speak is without a doubt judgmental. I say judgmental for the fact why do the hookers on the street have to speak with a Hispanic Brooklyn accent? Or why must the people in the cars and on the streets need to be apart of a gang and carry guns? It's amazing how much influence a "fun game" like this has on people and how it portrays people in today's society.
While comparing this game to morality and trying to bring in the definition and the key concepts of moral I find it difficult to steer away from the thought of how this game does not posses one moral value. How is killing people to benefit you moral? How are stealing cars and shooting innocent people moral? The only thing I find entertaining in this game would be living the life of someone else without having to face the penalties of actually performing these actions. But now does that make what I’m doing moral, or is my way of thought moral?
add a comment
|
| [October 4, 2008 10:07:57 PM]
|
This is the first time I have ever played a game like this on my computer and I think the hardest thing was trying to figure out the key commands. In addition this is the first time I have played this game and all I can say is that the first thing I noticed were racial issues. For example, the main character, whose object is to steal cars and rob people, was a black man. That right there creates the assumption that the only type of people who steal cars are people of color. Another racial issue I noticed was that many of the drivers of the cars were either of Hispanic descent and/or black. I think what this game is portraying is in order to be “hood,” who have to be black, steal cars, and beat up people to gain respect.
Intentionally, while playing the game I had fun crashing into things and beating up cops that were chasing me. After a few minutes of destroying my environment I began fulfilling missions and raising my wanted status. Along the way I again started to notice what the object of the game was and what type of person the game wanted me to be. Some of the things I took note of were, in order to gain money I had to fulfill missions that did help the community but I also beat up hookers, gang bangers, and cops. From what I do know about the urban environment, the color purple just as the gang bangers were wearing is actually a gang color.
Morality plays no part in this game thus far. You only look out for yourself and nobody else. A question that does come into mind is, “Is it moral to kill a criminal who has killed one of you gang members in a previous drug exchange?” This game introduces many questions regarding morality and questioning what technically is moral and what isn’t.
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Oct 4th, 2008 at 22:09:34.
add a comment
|
