Thursday 24 September, 2009

All aspects of this game seem to push the moral limits one may have. Even the radio is morally messed up. When I was playing I heard a woman talking about her son getting killed while she was driving. She sorrowfully describes him as her husband interrupts and corrects her. She then says “oh yeah that’s right, well that’s the plus of adoption” or something along those lines. This is of course a horrible thing to say. Is throwing in this sick humor morally acceptable. To be honest I would take most of what this game says and portrays with a grain of salt. As I have continued through it (not so much missions though) I see how stereotypical the game is. Every black persons car is blasting rap, and blazing with gunfire. All in all I think that this is just like any other GTA. It shouldn’t be taken the wrong way because in the end the game is about being as morally wrong as you can be. Every time I go on I end up just free roaming and that is the one beauty about this game. It gives any citizen the power to go against all law and order. In this game you can be a merciless criminal and feel no guilt. I would say that all of the things in this game are ethically challenged, along with every other GTA game.

Quite a strong statement, but then again what is not challenged by ethics? You give someone on the street some change, is that the right thing to do? You look at an attractive girl crossing the street, is that the right thing to do? You lock your car doors when driving in a bad neighbor hood, is that the right thing to do? So I think ethics is every where and is in every game. Just the fact that you are playing a game is an ethical choice all by itself.

I dont think GTA is about being as morally wrong as possible, I think what GTA likes to do is take stereo-types and shake them violently and that's why its controversial. In your example, the stereo-type of adopting children is a good thing right? But GTA turns it upside down and makes it almost seem like adopting a child is bad because the women is happy her son got killed cuz then she was able to adopt. Its funny because they make a good thing like adoption seem like a bad thing.

The stereo-type that all black people blast music and have guns-a-blazing... is that true? Yes? No? Not sure? Well in GTA, they just implement that stereo-type right into the game that all black people actually ARE blasting music and blazing guns... its kind of ridiculous which plays in the fact that, hey, if this is ridiculous, then maybe the stereotype that all black people blast music and blaze guns is false, which is what GTA maybe pointing out.

Would you say there is law and order in the game's world at all? What happens when you get busted?