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tstewa10's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PC)
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| [April 24, 2013 04:44:57 PM]
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For my final (for class at least) day of playing GTA: San Andreas, I decided to set aside missions. I felt the time had come for me to do what all GTA players eventually do. I had to go on a rampage. No game of GTA is complete without at least one rampage.
Just before my rampage, I got arrested. All my guns were taken away, and rather than reacquire them, I decided to just use cheats. With my newfound weapons in hand, I began my spree. Driving became bowling for pedestrians. Every street was a shooting gallery. Police pursuit was simply a minor obstacle to be obliterated with a rocket launcher.
My rampage was cut short when I tried to enter a cheat to lower my wanted level in an alley. I was holding a grenade in my hand and facing one wall, and the code required the "fire" button to be pressed. I saw CJ throw, but didn't react in time. Kaboom. Its just as well that way; at least I got some comeuppance for my crime spree.
It was really very satisfying. Going into my rampage, I had some pent-up aggression, as I was having a bad day. When I finally stepped away from my computer, I felt very relaxed. I was surprised how much better I felt. People who say that this game causes violence in people have the wrong idea, I think. If anything, this game let me take out my anger and aggression in a healthy and harmless way. I still know everything I did was wrong, but I would never do anything like that in real life. If nothing else, this game should at least be recognized as a outlet for ethical experimentation, and a way of focusing frustration toward something harmless.
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Apr 24th, 2013 at 16:46:20.
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| [April 24, 2013 12:52:17 AM]
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As I have continued playing through GTA: San Andreas, I have been noticing a heavy sense of violence as the only means to aquire power. It even reinforces this as a solid course of action by making killing easy, and almost entirely free of consequence. This tone continued as my friend explained to me how many of my former gang members were now dead. I couldn't help but be shocked by how brutal the world they showed was.
Our talk was interrupted by a drive-by shooting. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but our car was destroyed. Normally, one would assume that the police would eventually show up after an explosion in the middle of a city, but as has been made clear in my play so far, the police in this town don't show up for anything. Once I noticed this, I realized that all I had to do if I wanted to stay safe was keep an eye out for cop cars.
With this taken into account, I was able to elude capture for quite some time. I felt extremely cynical for abusing the game's mechanics this way, but the more I think about it, the more I think that this was intended. The game offers a way for youths who feel powerless to temporarily live out power fantasies in a stylized, exciting world. In some ways, police pursuit makes GTA more fun, as it forces the player to change their plans on the fly. Better they live out their power fantasies in a way that doesn't hurt others.
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| [April 22, 2013 11:38:06 PM]
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I was looking forward to playing this game for myself. I have played other GTA games, but never San Andreas. Game ratings were enforced fairly rigidly in my house when I was young, but I had seen the game played at friends houses.
Based on my experiences seeing the game played (which largely consisted of crime sprees with late-game equipment), I was expecting a less interesting story to be set up as the game began, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that this was not the case. The first scene sets up the idea that the protagonist's world had changed significantly since he left, and takes away any advantage he might have brought with him. It also sets a tone by introducing us to a group of abusive police officers who essentially rob CJ before throwing him from their car in a dangerous neighborhood. I found myself being genuinely interested in CJ, and the trials he faces.
I recall hearing a lot about this game and its racial depictions since its release, but upon playing it, I did not find them offensive. They are clearly intended to be hyper stylized, based more on hip-hop culture than on racial identity. That said, I also found it interesting that the game presented, with a relatively straight face, an image of a depressingly violent and brutal lifestyle.
I soon found myself needing to resort to violence to continue progressing through the game. Having played other GTA games, I knew this was inevitable, but I had been trying to avoid it. In a way though, it adds value to the narrative. The GTA: San Andreas presents a reality in which violence and crime are the only avenues available to the protagonist. For some people, this is a harsh truth that they must deal with, and the game provides an interesting avenue for people from all walks of life to experience this.
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