Wednesday 23 September, 2009

GTA San Andreas is a classic game that you either love or you hate. The story line follows the main character, CJ, as he comes back to west coast after his mother's death. Shortly after being back, CJ falls back into the gangster lifestyle he once led. First thing I notice is Samuel Jackson's voice. Is there anything that he hasn't been in? Not two minutes into the opening cut scenes and one can tell that this game is definitely intended for a mature audience. Some might argue the language is over the top, however I contend that it contributes to the story's realism. I did not spend money on the game to get the West Side Story's version of the gangster lifestyle. With rating and restriction systems in place today, the only way a child would be able to buy and play this game would be with the consent of a parent. Thus it is up to them to decide whether or not its ethical to let their child be exposed to the excessive language, violence, and racism.

The first thing I do is head over to the barber shop. I guess if you're going to be breaking the law, you might as well look good. However, after several missions I get bored with the story line. Its time for some action. I drive around, running over as many people as possible, in an effort to increase my star rating. I reach four stars before a police cruiser runs me into a wall igniting my car in flames. Instead of getting out and running, I decide to die like a man. I burst into flames as my car explodes.

Even after just a short period of time, one can notice how morally depraved this game is. The whole concept of the Grove Street vs. Ballas story line preaches a very revolting message; we hate them because they are not like us. This idea of blind loyalty to a particular group of individuals is very applicable to our society. The most recent example of this would be segregation.

Why do you say that the game preaches a message? Does portraying something mean that you (its creator) condone it as well?

Perhaps my diction was incorrect given my intent of that statement. In retrospect I should have worded it as such, "The whole concept of the Grove Street vs. Ballas story line displays a revolting ideal; we hate them because they are not like us." In no way do I think GTA's creator condones this ideal just because the game expresses it. I believe the intent was to create a game as realistic as possible. From this, GTA portrays real-world concepts throughout the gameplay.