This Tuesday, September 17th, might have been an ordinary day for everyone, but it was made special by a event. The official release of Grand Theft Auto V, the newest member of the sixteen year old GTA series. Looking back at the first GTA game release over a decade ago we can still remember the controversies it has brought up with its extreme contents. Today with the culture of violence come to be more accepted by the rising youth, who are under excessive amount of social pressure, these criticisms has become weak and pale. Just as Chris Sullentrop, in his article, describes the controversies surrounding the GTA games to be “sepia-toned oddities from another age”.
As the pressure from our daily life builds higher and heavier on our shoulders, everyone sought ways to relieve ourselves of some pressure. To those who found their way in videogames, the news of the release of “Grand Theft Auto V” this Tuesday would have been a blessing. Thanks to the efforts of the game designers and the continuing development of technologies; the improvements in both storylines and 3D graphics of GTA series makes players more readily implant themselves into the game characters. Like the game character Michael said in the game “I’ve got an imbalance, one minute I’m one person, and the next minute I’m another person”. Player become a group of totally different people while engaged in the world of Grand Theft Auto; the other person that Michael states he become is not the players themselves, but a third person created unconsciously in response to the weight of everyday life.
Through the channel of game characters the players are able to unleash their suppressed personality in a series of violent actions that does not hurt the world around them. There are controversies as to how GTA series could lead players to violence, but people sometimes fail to see from another perspective to how many players may end up releasing their violence into the real world had the fictitious world of GTA not taken its place. Of course video games will always be a beautiful lie to the players that can almost certainly never become real, but don’t we all wish that we get a good dream that we could fall back into after a hard day in life?
Bibliography:
Suellentrop, Chris. “Grand Theft Auto V Is a Return to the Comedy of Violence.” New York Times 16 Sep 2013, n. pag. Web. 20 Sep. 2013
I’m sorry but I will have to whole-heartedly disagree. I still think that games like these are a problem, sure, maybe not to those who play them, but to just about everyone else that knows they exist. It’s not the fact that GTA players will go on to be serial-killers, that is not at all what I’m trying to say. What I am trying to convey is that the manufacturing of games such as these, the society we live in is subconsciously becoming more accepting of the actions portrayed in that game. I feel that many people are being close minded to the problem that is violent video games and passing it off as something comedic or fun. The realism of these games just make it even worse.When people are playing, they are associating violence with a good time and its that connection that is just perpetuating the problem of gun-violence and other heinous acts. But, that’s just my opinion.
I agree with your post because I also believe that video games can’t directly cause people to engage in violent activity. To be honest, I don’t understand why people think video games can lead to violence; if someone wants to be violent, he/she will do it regardless of what a video game features. I don’t really agree with the idea that if GTA wasn’t invented, people would release their violence into the real world. I don’t see how playing a video game could substitute violence in the real world; I think it’s just a hobby people enjoy.
I also think many people play video games to relieve stress. Playing video games is supposed to be a fun recreational activity to help people get their minds off of the real world and into an adventurous mode. Video games let people do things that they normally wouldn’t be able do in real life.
I don’t know for sure whether or not the violence in videogames actually has any influence on the players. But based on my own observations, I can agree with you that videogames like GTA cannot be the immediate cause for players to exercise outright abuse. I’ve seen kids as young as 5 years of age, who do not exhibit any sign of violence, play games involving guns and the slaughtering of other characters. There’s a possibility that players may not even understand the implications of the game. I believe that people play GTA simply because it is amusing and fun. Though I’m sure there are some players who may be violent outside of the game, most players enjoy GTA for its entertaining qualities.
I also agree that video games such as GTA does not attribute to violence. Being exposed to virtual violence in a video game is much different than being exposed to violence in real life. With the game restriction (17+) that GTA has imposed, people who play it are expected to understand that it is merely just a game and that the characters are not our role models. As you said, GTA is a source of entertainment that relieves the pressure and stress teenagers and young adults face in their every day lives.
However, I disagree with you on that video games can help displace violence from the real world. Once again, I believe that violent video games and real world violence are separate entities of their own.
Because of its prevalence, violence in the media is now commonly accepted in society. People are constantly exposed to violence whether it be through movies, television, or music. And yet, these forms of media don’t stir up as much controversy as video games do. There aren’t many inherent differences between these modes. After all, video games are also fictitious pieces of work so violent video games really shouldn’t be any more shocking than a movie in the Saw series.
I think people exaggerate when violence in the real world is caused (or at least partly caused) by video games. It takes a very certain mindset to be able to kill and harm others out of intent. Most people who play video games are too young to understand or gain a hold of that mindset.
So I agree that video games do a great job in helping people manage stress. They allow people to just sit back and enjoy themselves in a fantasy world where they can do anything they want without consequence. That’s what makes violent video games fun: we are able to do things that we normally would never dare to do in real life.
Overall, I think the arguments about violence in videos games, like Grand Theft Auto, can be very provoking. As Suellentrop states in his article and as my peers have discussed, the impact such games can have on the sexualization of woman and violence is debated upon with varying degrees of qualification. The article certainly does a great job at looking at the issue from multiple angles. However, I was more interested in how GTA V is portrayed politically. Suellentrop says that GTA is “in many ways quite liberal” but that “the substantive policy targets lean conservatives.” That small paragraph within the article opened the issue of GTA to a much broader scale that I hadn’t considered before. It made me wonder if anyone has ever rejected the video game series out of political motivations. I also thought Suellentrop was very articulate in his approach about discussing the premise of the game. He didn’t stir any flames but instead called it “one of the most beautiful, seductive lies.” That particular phrase caught my attention because it could mean so many things and adapt to many different perspectives of the game (either negative or positive). And although it’s easy to see that Suellentrop pens the new addition in a positive light, I could easily see that quote being taken out of context and distorted.
After reading your opinion in the last paragraph, I agree with the fact that violent games such as Grand Theft Auto may be a medium that channels energy and frustration out of a person. It acts as an alternate reality for players to do things that they would not dare do in real life. I feel that this kind of “experimenting” is dangerous for underage teenagers who can be influenced negatively. However, with the right age group, violent games do not have as much of an impact, as by then the audience who play them have set moral and ethical values. Violence exists in many forms besides in video games, such as in the news, in movies, in pictures, and even in books. Is it fair to say that these media examples are also to blame for a increase in violence?
Cheng, I have to disagree with your categorization of GTA V as a means of an outpouring of violent feelings that people have repressed. I hope that I’m not misunderstanding your writing, but when you write “how many players may end up releasing their violence into the real world had the fictitious world of GTA not taken its place,” it makes it seem like there are thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of teens ready to run over people in their cars and shoot at the police. To answer the question I quoted from you, very few players. Video games are a means of entertainment, and GTA V, despite its violent content, is no exception. A psychiatric ward is a place for those with the compulsion to violently murder others to get out their repressed feelings.
I find it interesting that you say that this game causes one to unleash their suppressed personality. Don’t you think that maybe GTA V has caused this “suppressed personality” to come alive into the real world? With all of the current sky rocketing crime, I can’t help but think that GTA (and video games in general) has had to contribute in some way to the rapid increase. In my opinion, I think too many people get too consumed by the thrill and rush of racing through the streets of the game that they actually start to do it in real life. I personally believe that if one plays too much of these games, they will eventually not be able to discern reality from their fantasies.
Otherwise, I think you had a nice review. I think its quite interesting how with every new version of “Grand Theft Auto”, the concept and visuals are all pretty much the same, yet they keep attracting more and more gamers (like me! Just kidding, all my friends play it though!)
I’d have to say that I agree with you Cheng, and take the side that believes that video games such as GTA don’t have a significant contribution to the development of violent tendencies in people. Besides, would it be right to impose on our rights to play such games if we want to? I think that, upon coming home after a long day of work, we should be able to invest our hard earned money on things we enjoy. If that includes simulation of violence, then so be it. Violence, sexuality and drug references can be found everywhere in media and in real life. I believe we should be honest with children about it, and if a parent is concerned, he/she can regulate the gameplay of their own children or just have a talk about how such behavior is not actually okay.