The thing that is most striking about San Andreas is it's ties to gang life. This was the first game in which you played as an African American character, only he wasn't connected to the mob or any other high organized crime group. He is a gangster who has just been released from jail. The game synopsis reads thusly, "...it's the early 90s. Carl's got to go home. His mother has been murdered, his family has fallen apart and his childhood friends are all heading towards disaster.
On his return to the neighborhood, a couple of corrupt cops frame him for homicide. CJ is forced on a journey that takes him across the entire state of San Andreas, to save his family and to take control of the streets" This is a game of revenge which probably attributes largely to its popularity. Stories of revenge have been wildly popular all throughout history. Going as far back as Hamlet and even further into the Greeks. Movies like Kill Bill and the Godfather always garb our attention and they are praised for their cinematic and theatrical mastery. Revenge, however, is something that is all too real. I was watching a documentary on street gangs in Oakland California a few days ago. Every killing triggered another killing. Gang members were all too happy to brandish their weapons and threaten anyone who was trying to invade their territory. What is happening in San Andreas is a real situation happening all over the country, especially in the 1990's in Southern California, where the game begins. I suppose it is fair to say that San Andreas is a fictional game. The things you can do in no way mirror real life. People, however, are killed on the streets everyday as a result of gang violence. The situation in which the game takes place is all too real, and for whatever reason, the people of America love being a small part of the action.
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