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dejavuent3ndu's Grand Theft Auto - San Andreas (PS2)
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| [October 6, 2008 02:42:07 AM]
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My last time playing San Andreas tonight was spent continuing in on the missions portion of the game. My missions were now done through Sweet, Carl's brother. He's a reformed gang member who wants the streets cleaned up.
His first mission reflects this as you Carl has to drive around with Sweet and spray over other tags in the area.
This mission is actually a reversal of moral standards for Carl. Carl is doing a positive and cleaning up the area, through non-violent ways. The mission after this continues the same trend, but by using violence. You have to track down a drug dealer, kill him and take his bat. Then, you head to a crack house and beat a rival gang senseless. You return home and collect your reward for killing gang members and drug dealers. Sure, the "bad people" of society are eliminated, but at a violent and immoral cost.
A utilitarian approach would say that if these actions produce happiness amongst a person or group, then these actions would be considered moral. The result of the action is what is important, not the action in itself. Would the drug dealer and the rival gangs lives still being there have made Carl's group less happy? Or does more unhappiness cause from the drug dealers being dead? I'd say more happiness comes from the gang members and drug dealer being dead, but at the cost of ending their lives? I can't really say if it's worth it because I don't believe in ending anyone's life, no matter the cost. I guess under that philosophy, it's not worth it all and should be deemed morally incorrect.
After playing Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas tonight, and examining the game in a moral context, I still don't see the game as anything but a great escape to reality and something that should not be taken too seriously. It's a fantastic satirical look at today's American society and places great examination at a culture centered around race, violence and the American dream.
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| [October 6, 2008 12:49:19 AM]
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note: this is actually my first game log, but i wasn't really sure how to work the site, and this ended up in the opinions section of the game, but this was the first entry written and second posted.
dejavuent3ndu's Grand Theft Auto - San Andreas (PS2)
Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Sunday 5 October, 2008
dejavuent3ndu's opinion and rating for this game
It's been a few years since I've played Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Most recently, all I've touched in the GTA universe is Grand Theft Auto IV for the PlayStation 3. I was pretty shaky with a slight difference of controls but I stole a car and began harrassing pedestrians and fell right back into the groove. My first try with the game was just moving around freely in the universe. I had Carl batter a few passersby. Most would take the beating, and eventually die or pass out. A few would resist, or try and fight back. I'd always steal the money from those that would lose it after getting beat up. After playing the game for only 10 minutes, I had already made a few hundred bucks through violence and brute force. I stole three cars in total. I ditched the first one, and crashed the second and third. The game's sole purpose is to provide entertainment. Yes, the game has a lot of social satire and commentary, but it is not to be taken too seriously. The game uses subject relativism to show that what's right for me, may not be right for you. It may not be right to steal or use aggressive violence to get what you want, but Carl feels the need to survive by any means necessary. He may have no feelings of remorse for what he's doing, but that's okay, because that is what he feels is the right thing.
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| [October 6, 2008 12:47:29 AM]
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On my second run with the game, I decided to play through the storyline mode. I had to restart the game to go through the opening cut scene and play through from the very beginning.
Carl has returned home after being away for 5 years to find out his mother is dead, his money has been confiscated by corrupt cops, and the cops are trying to frame him for another cops murder.
My first mission was to meet up with Big Smoke. We headed to the cemetary and spoke with some of Carl's family members. A rival gang came by and shot up Big Smoke's vehicle and myself, and my posse rode off on bikes towards safer territory.
My next mission involved going to Ryder's house, and buying a haircut and food. While enjoying my pizza meal, Ryder stormed the restaurant and tries to start a raid. The pizza clerk then proceeded to pull out a shotgun and fire back. We eluded after killing the pizza boy and a few customers. I also managed to pick up some extra cash on the deceased.
I see Carl as someone who lives with no morals, at the moment. There is no minimum conception of morality in Carl's actions. His life is based upon impulse or what is right for he or his friends and family, or his gang, and he never looks at the facts on both ends of the situations. An innocent bystander's life is never weighed as being important, rather are you going to give me your money or do I have to shoot you to take it?
I understand and enjoy the thrill's out of living the life of a criminal in a video game escape. I don't think moral issues should be of question when playing it. I don't play grand theft auto: san andreas, so that i can decide whether it would be morally acceptable to rob and kill this pedestrian. I do it because it's not a part of a real life, and it's fun to live the life you know you cannot.
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