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Sunday 22 January, 2012
The second day of playing this game proved to be fairly similar to the first day. There was a lot of cussing, killing and gangster related activities occurring through the protagonist narrative. Through this second day of playing, I drew similar conclusions to my previous journal entry. Beyond the stereotypical gangster life that the player lives: murder, drugs and eating fried chicken, the overarching theme is that although the player is asked/ forced to do unethical actions, the justification for doing thus actions is to earn “respect.” Throughout the game thus far, it is clear that the player should do these actions not because they are the morally right thing to do on a global or even community scale, but they are the right thing to do on a gang related/ personal level.
What I mean by this is that the player’s gang members continually request unethical actions not because they benefit the player’s community, but they benefit the gang that the protagonist is trying to become more acquainted with. The thing that makes it apparent of the intentions of the developers is the fact that the protagonist never comes to question his own actions. He willfully submits to achieve higher statues, to acquire more money and to become a top gang member. There is no doubt, at least at this point of the game’s narrative, that the actions the protagonist makes are justified according to the game. So when I previously asked if this game was ethical as compared to the actions within the game, it would seem to make this game further pointed to unethical with clear unethical actions within the game.
How can a game be ethical that doesn’t question the protagonist’s unethical actions? In first person shooters such as Call of Duty, we can at least say that the protagonist must kill the enemy so that he can protect his country; our country. But San Andreas does no such thing to justify itself except by saying respect and money is all you need. This game deliberately challenges the ethical standpoints of modern society by saying it is all in the fun of it. So now, it is up the player to decide if this game is ethical without the help of the game challenging itself. Essentially, this game creates an environment where both drive by shootings and killing gang members is acceptable. This game grants the user power beyond what they can achieve in real society. It allows for the player to be unethical within the game with very few repercussions.
To conclude, I would like to point out that one of the game’s major points so far is that trust is earned through respectable actions. Respectable actions are not on a basis if the actions are ethical or not; they are solely based on personal gain. And because the game itself never questions the actions the player chooses, it is up to the player to decide if what they are doing is justified (outside of gameplay). San Andreas clearly points to fun over moral boundaries, respect by any means necessary.
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