Saturday 4 October, 2008

The next time I played GTA 3, I felt that certain aspects of the game, specifically the violence, elicited a reaction of anger from me. I am not sure whether of not this was the intention of the makers of the game.

Playing this game was upsetting to me because the game connected you to one particular character’s struggle, and they picked stereotypical characters so you already know how you feel about them at the beginning and that is connected to a strong emotional reaction.

My main objection was the unnecessary violence. Obviously, as I said in my previous entry, perhaps this violence serves a point and can’t be too realistic But it’s a little hard to watch. Not just the mandatory violence that is built into the game, but optional violence your character can partake in for no reason; not because he is being attacked or to accomplish a mission, but because it’s entertainment to kill hookers, old people, passerby walking down the street. I have a hard time with that. Not to mention a drive-by every 15 seconds. I felt that it was very clever and a little unfair to play with gamers feelings and opinions in such a way. I don’t understand the possible pleasure one could get from watching even an animated drive by and hearing screams of women and children.

Perhaps this is a suggestion of what would happen in an “everyone does what they want” kind of society, but I think if we lived like that, we’d be a more peaceful civilization (than the world of GTA), and I think situations like the one in GTA3 happen when a few people decide to do whatever they want and everyone else abides by society’s rules.

If it makes you so angry to see unnecesary violence, why'd you do it? Also, there aren't any children in any of the games, so you couldn't have possibly killed any of them.