Rockstar's GTA a menace to society?

[Zeke Johnson]

As you probably know GTA stands for Grand Theft Auto, one of the most popular games in the world, San Andreas sold 25million+ copies, the game has been called a crime-simulator and promotes violence ( which is debatable ), some questions,

Q1: Why does GTA appeal to so many people?

Q2: Should games hold a greater responsibility?

Q3: Is GTA a menace or a benefit to society?


Zeke Johnson ( Ex-Captain )

 

[Ermine]

I just don't get what attracts people to videogames like that. The reason I never bothered to investigate is because the name of the videogame itself sounds stupid!

 

[farlda]

Q1 - Anyone I've talked to about it seems to enjoy either the elements of violence or freedom the game includes. I don't really see the appeal myself.

Q2 - I don't think games encourage violence in normal people. It's more prone to have the opposite affect, giving a way to relieve the urge without causing any real damage.

Q3 - As to whether it's a benefit or a menace, I don't really think it's either. The game itself probably doesn't have much of an effect at all, as I feel anyone who would 'menace' society after playing the game is likely to be a nuisance no matter what they play.

 

[mm1991]

Honestly, I only played the very first version.
Just 'Grand Theft Auto' when I was about, eh, 8 or 9.

 

[WookieeB]

Q1 - it's a bit innovative in design and the level of freedom that is capable in the game, but it's style doesnt appeal to me. Not my cup of tea. But hey, I guess others like it.

Q2 - Like pretty much most other forms of entertainment, I think they can influence people, both in thoughts and actions. But I would be the last person to suggest that a game caused the ills of society. They may contribute to a particular problem, but so to thousands of other stimuli that we encounter day to day. Provide truthful warnings of the content in the game, and then let people be responsible for themselves.

Q3 - The game itself is probably neither a menace or a benefit. I would say the parent that lets their young children play GTA is more of a menace to society than the game itself.

 

[neomatrixjc]

first of all for you non gamers out there, feel free to criticize what you havent experienced, Games are not Super nintendo or atari or commadore 64 anymore, GTA is a worth game of respect, first of all it has 3 good factors to it

1: gta san andreas is state instead of a city
2: it is 3d you could totally pictures your self their
3: san andreas has about 14 small towns,
4: the game has over 100 different type of cars

Now not to bore you if i have already, but Games dont promote violence and never have if a kid goes out and shoots some one blame the parents not the kids, I know from experience of working in a gamestop, and seeing parents buy their 4 year olds this game,
The average game is intended for 17 - 30 years old, games are not kinder anymore.

If one is wanting to take away videogames, because they think their violent, then you might as well take away movies, tv, music, and everything of art form, but then again we all would not want that, it is the creativity; that of the people who make the games for us to play live with intheir creative world.

in if you wish to to test the fact that games are only for kids go buy you a copy of Splinter Cell chaos theory and give it a try and you will see what makes it good and not for kids.

Now i do wish too make a point here, everybody has the right to think what they want but when they impose on something for not a beneficial cause then it really is a methodiacally stupid thing to do

thanx for reading, and thanx for not holding anything against my oppinion

 

[Cabbo Pearimo]

Regardless of someone playing games, a killer's a killer. Just because they copy the game doesn't mean they wouldn't have done it in the first place.


I though this was pretty strange; the game manhunt was banned in the UK because some kid, who had played the game, bludgeoned hid friend to death with a hammer. First of all, how many people are bludgeoned by hammers, without their death being blamed on a computer game? What was the back-story? Why did the kid attack his friend? The list of questions are endless, and unanswered. It's just plain moronic.

 

[Yozuki]

As you probably know GTA stands for Grand Theft Auto, one of the most popular games in the world, San Andreas sold 25million+ copies, the game has been called a crime-simulator and promotes violence ( which is debatable ), some questions,

Q1: Why does GTA appeal to so many people?

Q2: Should games hold a greater responsibility?

Q3: Is GTA a menace or a benefit to society?


Zeke Johnson ( Ex-Captain )

Q1. Yozuki is a think the Grand Theft Auto a many fun activity to the human mechanical the being for wishful and fantasy. Wishful human is the want experience fantasy real no world consequence or the no real life consequence the human the violence. Yozuki is a want the same thing. Yozuki is non the killer nor is the premeditation. Too much the fun in the unreal Yozuki thinks so.

Q2. Yozuki is a thinking the mind the human mechanical is also the greater responsibility, the game the creation of the responsibility.

Q3. The both, menace and the benefit.

 

[RobdoR]

It's a power simulator. Actually I think most games are power simulators. We love having power. Power over people, things, systems and ideas. GTA lets us pretend that we have enormous power. Who in real life can go around stealing cars, driving recklessly through the city, killing anyone who opposes them or gets in the way?

Sure there is a lot of simulated killing, but people who play the game don't see it as murder. These people are not real, they are pawns in a fantasy realm. The game lets you act however you want, but it's difficult to not run over people as you race down the street trying to meet a deadline. So maybe you are not trying to run over the people it's not that big of a deal and actually appeals to our darker sense of humor.

In missions where you are supposed to kill lots of people and not get busted by the cops, it's really not that much different that playing pac-man and trying to eat the dots while avoiding the ghosts.

Besides, boys have a deep desire to kill, or at least be ready and capable of killing. All men want to be powerful and respected, and if you think about it, what better show of power is there than the ability to kill? Boys train for this when they are young by playing war, fighting, and competing in general. And this is not limited to the physical either. Many boys like mind over matter games more and will use their intelligence to assert their power over others. Add this to the fact that people like to commit evil, and

As for the game itself, I think it's just really fun. Some of the stuff disturbs me a little bit, but no more than the average R rated movie.

So, the games should not be held responsible unless the entire entertainment industry is too.

 

[Wisp]

Yeah, I wanna know where these accusers draw the line on good/bad games/movies/media.

 

[Ermine]

Really, it all depends on how gullible or how responsible people get.

 

[Wisp]

Yeah, stupid people are easily influenced, a sad but true fact.

 

[Cabbo Pearimo]

The anti-gamists draw the line at the draw of blood.

I'd say they 'feel', as they would say, that the person being in control of this deranged, twisted character who goes about shooting 'people' (which is something in itself; it's a MASSIVE leap from virtual pixels to living celled organisms) will be corrupted by the 'graphic and extreme nature' of these 'terrifying and horrible' games.

 

[Wisp]

Yeah. Morons. I'm a long time gamer, and I'm not some sort of mass-murdering freak... Then again, I'm a longtime nintendo fan, so I kinda don't count.

 

[Cabbo Pearimo]

Well, I'm a nintendo fan too, but I got a ps2 instead of a gamecube, and that killed my nintendoid gaming phase. It also got me into manhunt, which was banned over here because some kid who played it killed his friend with a hammer. But I don't feel the urge to kill anyone.

 

[Radioactive_Springtime]

Manhunt was pretty bad in a couple ways, but nothing worse than a couple hours of FOX news

 

[mindovermatter]

Yeah. Morons. I'm a long time gamer, and I'm not some sort of mass-murdering freak... Then again, I'm a longtime nintendo fan, so I kinda don't count.

same here, my favorites are zelda where the antagonists are generally otherworldly creatures, but i also like prince of persia and the like in which there is a bit of bloodletting- has not caused me to develop homicidal tendencies

 

[Anti-socialite]

It's a power simulator. Actually I think most games are power simulators. We love having power. Power over people, things, systems and ideas. GTA lets us pretend that we have enormous power. Who in real life can go around stealing cars, driving recklessly through the city, killing anyone who opposes them or gets in the way?

Sure there is a lot of simulated killing, but people who play the game don't see it as murder. These people are not real, they are pawns in a fantasy realm. The game lets you act however you want, but it's difficult to not run over people as you race down the street trying to meet a deadline. So maybe you are not trying to run over the people it's not that big of a deal and actually appeals to our darker sense of humor.

In missions where you are supposed to kill lots of people and not get busted by the cops, it's really not that much different that playing pac-man and trying to eat the dots while avoiding the ghosts.

Besides, boys have a deep desire to kill, or at least be ready and capable of killing. All men want to be powerful and respected, and if you think about it, what better show of power is there than the ability to kill? Boys train for this when they are young by playing war, fighting, and competing in general. And this is not limited to the physical either. Many boys like mind over matter games more and will use their intelligence to assert their power over others. Add this to the fact that people like to commit evil, and

As for the game itself, I think it's just really fun. Some of the stuff disturbs me a little bit, but no more than the average R rated movie.

So, the games should not be held responsible unless the entire entertainment industry is too.

Yeah. That's why I play SimCity and SimCity Societies. SO much more mentally stimulating than regular SIMS. Although, that's a good title, too.

 

[Jesin]

Yeah. Morons. I'm a long time gamer, and I'm not some sort of mass-murdering freak... Then again, I'm a longtime nintendo fan, so I kinda don't count.

Pokemon promotes cockfighting!

 

[Radioactive_Springtime]

and gangs, and gambling, and through the storyline vigilanteism.

 

[Jesin]

and gangs, and gambling, and through the storyline vigilanteism.

Promotes gangs? No, the gangs are generally the antagonists. The only exception was in Ruby/Sapphire, in which one gang (the antagonists) tried to take over the world and an opposing gang tried to stop them. You got the other two right, though.

Oh, and Mario advocates turtle-stomping.

 

[ShaiGar]

It's a game. It's not a menace to Society.
U.S. Government is a menace to Society though, what with it's desire to lock everyone up that don't follow rules, creating orphans who grow up to despise the US citizenry, using 1984 as a playbook instead of a warning...

 

[Ogion]

I am with everyone else here. That game is not a menace to society. Blaming all violence on that is a simplicity. I sure think, it is bad, that so many people are interested in these simple violent things. I mean, in all media there is a big majority of violent content. In videos, tv series, games (yes, here too), news, and public talk. That is sad to observe. But it is not due to GTA or Doom. These are just symptoms. I suppose, but don't know for certain, it is a more general societal problem. Or perhaps it is something more 'human-biological'. But there are enough persons, who don't have an affection to violence. Like me (or most here). I much rather play Civilizations, SimCity, rpgs (well, pen and paper rpg, where it is up to you how much violence there will be in. Most computerrpgs tend to focus on combat too)...I think violence is so dumb and purely instinctical. Something to overcome, IMO.

Ogion

 

[Decaf]

So by the blame-the-game rationale... the no-necks at the bar that like to drink a lot and start fights are secretly hardcore gamers? Too much Street Fighter maybe? Haven't the classic "nerd/dork/geeks" in our country traditionally been the ones violence is used on? Maybe we should blame THAT for the deaths those kids later cause. Oh wait... that would involve suggesting that the people who are doing the blaming might be part of the problem. Scratch that.

 

[Olba]

Now now, stop all of this mindless babbling, would you?

Tell me, how many times can you recall news about a teenager killing someone and it being blamed on the game in the media?

Now, tell me how many times you recall news about a teenager killing someone and it being blamed on the parents in the media?

Of course, it's easier and kinder for the media to label the game as the source of evil instead of blaming the parents. Heck, if they did, the parents would probably sue the TV station in question for slander. And that's a risk the TV station cannot afford to take. After all, news are rarely if ever investigated thoroughly enough.

And by the way, the phenomena is nothing new. It's been done with movies and books in the past, way before video games. It's just that everyone hates those who are vastly different. A novel where the main character is evil is obviously satanic, a movie where the main character is a killer is obviously promoting violence and a game where you can steal cars is obviously improper.

My personal experience of GTA is quite limited. I've played the original GTA, GTA2, GTA3 and Vice City, but only for a while. The only one that I really got into was GTA2. The only fun thing about the games in my opinion is driving the cars. Unlike in most games with cars, GTA is completely free about it. You're not forced to drive a pre-determined amount and in a pre-determined pattern nor are there many places you cannot go.

 

[Ogion]

(If you meant me too...) I totally agree with you there. What i wanted to say is, that if find it sad that violence gets that much 'consumed'. I am not blaming anyone here, i just would like it better, if people just find other things more interesting. So the user is responsible for what he plays. I personally find shooter games quite boring. So i don't play them. I wouldn'T go and say "Forbid shooter, because they are bad." Probalby i would rather say "Promote innovative and creative games with different content, and if they are intersting enough, the focus on violence-centered games decreases."

BTW, i played GTA2 once, and is was fun to play, but i played it as a car_driving_game. I certainly didn't imagined myself running over 'humans', just because in the game there were some pixels depicting a human from above (very roughly).

The point is, not the game (book, tv, music whatever) makes the violent person. The media is just a symptom of deeper problems...

Ogion

 

[Dissident]

That is true for people with an already formed personality, but we certainly dont want 8 years old kids playing it. Game ratings are there for a reason but are rarely applied, sometimes because of greedy sellers who would sell anything to anyone just because they dont care, or stupid parent who buy whatever the kid asks and dont even check what the hell is it.

 

[Ogion]

Yes ok, that is true. Such games are for adults, and to insure that, educating (by parents and by schools; by the surrounding of the kids) has to become better. (I suppose that is one of the bigger problems around).

Ogion

 

[SafetyInNumbers]

Games for me are an escape from reality that I don't have to mentally picture to achieve. They are the greatest, easiest form of escapism. They have had a great big hold on me for most of my life. I would love to study more but these games are just too much fun and I'm enjoying myself too much to give them up. I think the violence aspect is great as with more realism involved you can get as close to the actual act without feeling horrendously guilty afterward. This is my favourite game, but at the mo I am really into Spore, I love creation type games like that too, oh wait I lovethemall, oh except football games, but I guess thats because I despise football. And whilst we are on the topic, surely this silly sport has promoted more violence than any videogame?