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alt_eff_four's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PC)
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| [January 21, 2009 10:51:42 AM]
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For the last gaming session, I tried to complete as many missions as possible. For another mission, I had to once again prove to my fellow gang members that I am loyal to them by going to the store to put on some clothes with the appropriate gang colors. It does feel strange for a video game to endorse or even encourage gang culture. Since I’m a pretty rational person, I understand that all of the elements of this game are based on fiction and fantasy. I understand that I can only drive around and kill people to complete missions within the game. It would be immoral and illegal to commit any of these crimes that could be easily committed in the video game. However, there is a great possibility that if a young child growing up in the actual environment of gangs, guns, and violence, they would probably think that all of the video game elements are real, and playing the game could in a way introduce them to gang culture. For another mission, I had to learn how to use my handgun in the back of an alley. Even though an impressionable youth may not learn how to use a gun during this mission, he or she may be under the impression that this is how real life gangsters get their weapons training. During the game, CJ probably doesn’t think that learning how to use a gun is immoral since it would only be a part of the gang life that he chose to live.
The real motive of CJ has not yet been revealed yet till later in the game, but it seems like he is only doing these missions as a favor to his old friends. From all of the game play that I have experienced so far, it seems to me that CJ is faced with many missions that involve him doing something immoral and illegal. For example, I had to chase someone on a motorcycle while someone else is riding with me so he can shoot and kill someone for cheating on his significant other. In real life, you can’t just drive around in the middle of the day with innocent people walking around so you could chase someone and exact your revenge on them. However, CJ is required to complete this mission in order to gain respect and move along in the game. It is interesting that if you are unable to catch the guy being chased, you are deemed a failure, and that you failed the mission by not aiding in killing the culprit.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is not only a video game, it is also a life simulation. The difference between the Grand Theft Auto game series and games that came before it is the fact that GTA introduces realistic gameplay elements, such as damage to cars when they are recklessly driven, penalties and warnings for directly breaking the law (star levels are raised), and weight training. Other elements such as music, language, and attire makes the game more appealing to gamers by making it feel like a simulation rather than just a video game. As mentioned before in previous GameLog entries, I was shocked at some of the things that happened in the game while I was playing. I could never imagine the same things happening in real life.
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| [January 21, 2009 02:37:47 AM]
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I continued from where I left off from the last save. I planned on only playing for the thirty minutes required by the assignment, but continued to play for another 45 minutes after meeting the minimum requirement. My character’s friend, Ryder, told me to get something to eat if I wanted to maintain my energy and health, so we went into the fast food pizza restaurant. As I ate the pizza, a full-motion video clip showed Ryder approaching the front counter with a swagger. Covering his face with what looked like sheer pantyhose, it appeared that he was about to rob the restaurant. The employee being held up already knew that it was Ryder committing the hold-up because he had attempted the same robbery many times before. Carl was shocked that Ryder was attempting a hold-up, so he acted quickly and told Ryder to quickly get out of the restaurant with him. Apparently, Carl had a choice of either being an accomplice to Ryder’s robbery attempt or to just escape the situation with Ryder. Even though Carl is trying to gain respect from his old friends, he is also trying to obey the law, so he decides on doing what is morally right. According to the utilitarian moral ethics theory, Carl realized that Ryder’s robbery attempt would not only endanger his friend and himself, he would also endanger the potential victims that were merely patrons of the pizza restaurant. The innocent employees would have also been victimized by Ryder’s robbery attempt. Therefore, Carl realized that his choice to escape the restaurant with Ryder was the best thing to do for everyone involved in the situation.
As Ryder and I (Carl Johnson) fled the pizza restaurant, the same restaurant employee chased us with a shotgun and began shooting at us. Ironically, as a player of the game, I decided to run over the restaurant employee since I can take his cash and shotgun, which will be needed later for protection and for other missions. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas provides video game players a channel to explore their creativity by doing things in the game that are not allowed in many ways in real life, such as running over people, killing them and stealing their personal belongings. In a way, it makes the player think like the main character that they are playing. For instance, the main playable character, Carl Johnson, is living in a subculture of gang warfare in the early 1990s. He must learn how to make quick decisions in order to survive, no matter what it takes. As mentioned before, I decided to run over the restaurant employee in order to obtain a weapon, which would assist me later in the game. Is this a morally wrong thing to do in the game? Yes, it is. What about in the real world? Again, yes it is wrong. However, in the eyes of a real gang member, would it be wrong to commit a crime in order to protect and save their “family” (other gang members)? These types of questions are raised while playing the game.
While following the missions is quite entertaining, I decided to stray off course and explore the city. Consequently, I ended up wreaking havoc with the police. I aimed a shotgun at a police officer and my star level went up by one. In real life, there isn’t a heads-up display to tell you any of your health, legal, or any other type of statistics. Since I shot the police officer’s head off, and I received another star and had police patrol cars immediately surrounding me. I quickly carjacked a passerby and drove away to avoid being caught. When my star level eventually went back to zero, I witnessed a car full of rival gang members (Ballaz) driving and shooting at a police car that was chasing them. I was actually shocked to see this happen in the game because the artificial intelligence in the game seemed very dynamic and realistic. However, as realistic as it may seem, this scenario would probably never play out in real life since shooting out of a car window at a police car is such a risky and ruthless action to take by gang members, real or not. The artificial intelligence of the police officers appear to be dumbed down because I stole a car only yards away from a police car that was stopped at a red light and I got away with it. After witnessing that scenario, I decided to go back to my house in the game and save the file before quitting the game.
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| [January 21, 2009 02:36:59 AM]
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I already have GTA:San Andreas installed on my PC. Since I haven't played it in a long while, I will be starting a new game. The game begins with a video clip of the main character, Carl Johnson, arriving home, which bears a striking similarity with Los Angeles in the 1990s. After the full-motion video ends, I am introduced to the other non-playable characters. The physical appearance of the other characters remind me very much of well known icons in early 1990s hip-hop and urban culture, such as rappers like Eazy-E and LL Cool J. While driving around in the vehicles, I noticed that the game uses real music that was popular in the 1990s. This aspect of game play makes the game not only more realistic but also more authentic. For the first fifteen minutes of game play, a variety of gang-related themes have been shown. Themes such as street attire, drugs, vulgar language, racism against African Americans and Mexicans, urban slang, and police corruption are all prominent within the beginning of the game. I played two missions for the first 30 minutes of playing the game. The first mission required my character to get a haircut in order to look acceptable to other gang members. While that may not sound significant, looking acceptable to the fellow gang members represents a sense of camaraderie that is prevalent throughout the game.
CJ, the main character, is asked to complete missions that will involve him doing things that he may not feel is morally right, but from the perspective of a gang member trying to survive, bending the rules is necessary. If Immanuel Kant were to live to hear about GTA: San Andreas, he would probably have a heart attack from witnessing all of the immoral acts committed in the game. If this game were in need of an advocate with a philosophical background, Elizabeth Anscombe would be one of the best candidates since she agrees that it is best to be moral, there are times when immoral actions are necessary to benefit the greater good. However, the game represents many different immoral and illegal activities that make it difficult to justify it as beneficial. For instance, driving around in the game doesn’t require you to obey traffic lights, signs, or any of the traffic rules. When I’m running around in the city with people around, I hit them sometimes just to see what happens. Most of the time when I do this, there is a police officer chasing me because of the assault that I have committed. Instead of turning myself in, I simply run away and that solves the problem. In real life, committing the same acts would be considered immoral and unlawful. As the main character, I have to decide not only what is morally right but also what is circumstantially right, in order to win the trust of my fellow gang members. CJ’s morality will be tested throughout the game.
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