Wednesday 27 July, 2011

Throughout my playtime so far, I have noticed that one character in particular has stood out as an antagonist to CJ, although not explicitly stated. Ryder has been a friend to CJ at this time, but the player can see that his immoral behavior is more extreme than the others. He is constantly shown to be smoking marijuana, but that is more of a stereotype than a moral issue. I am referring to how he treats CJ. During his missions, CJ ventures with Ryder to steal from various sources. This thievery involves a home burglary, a train full of explosives, and equipment from an army depot. Ryder claims that this weaponry is needed for the Grove’s gang wars. However, I do not remember these supplies being used in any future mission. During these missions, Ryder used CJ to perform jobs he could not do himself, he lied to CJ, and he kept the ammunition and guns for himself. On top of that, Ryder is always ridiculing CJ about his driving ability and has not forgiven CJ for leaving Grove Street.

[SPOILER ALERT] Through my playthroughs, I also remember that CJ kills Ryder during a second island mission. In my opinion, the game developers included Ryder as a character to highlight a point. To a gang member, many actions that are illegal are not exactly immoral. But actions such as betrayal or deception to fellow gang members are among the most illegal activities as far as the gang is concerned. Ryder is killed because he was corrupted by greed and fame, and betrayed the friends he has been so close to for all these years.

-C Weir

Good point. In a sense, when you can't trust the law (in the game's narrative it's not like the cops are just and fair), all you can trust are those close to you. So it's the betrayal of that trust which is the most serious offense someone can do in the context that the game's characters live in.