ThePhoenix

So, I started this debate in class...but the question is...


Is Grand Theft Auto to violent???

I think it is... Pointless killing, stealing cars hookers??? Whats the point....What makes killing someone and taking there money and car fun??? I have played the game, And I didn't really enjoy it at all...


So...lets start....

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The Voodoo Shaman

Due to the massive profits the franchise makes (as well as the spin-offs that the company Rockstar have also made) its fair to say that this game has more than satisfied the market that its aimed at.

Playing the game is very liberating as you sure can get away with a lot of things you cannot in real life. Morally (and its obvious that this thread is going to go that way) I'd rather see people play ultra violence rather than do it for real although there are many backwards retards who actually have the audacity to think that violence in society is caused by TV, films, music lyrics, games, etc. And it gets boring hearing that shit.

All the same with blasting shit out of invading zombies from the very old fashioned 2D games of many a year gone...it's pure fantasy escapism. It's no different from reading it in fiction like horror; to terrify you, etc.

There's no other point to them beyond the entertainment value.

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CodeRed

Haven't you played Metal Gear Solid 2? This is a Government conspiracy to raise de-sensitised soldiers, capable of any atrocity, from children who play such video games!

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All my best thoughts were stolen by the ancients. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sam Winchester

Are you kidding me? How does GTA differ from the thousands of violent movies produced yearly? SAW is the sickest movie franchise I've ever seen, but you don't see people trying to ban it. Every time Rockstar releases a new GTA game, people jump on the bandwagon and start protesting against it. 'Oh, it's too violent. It'll warp our children's minds.' Yeah, that's why there's a 18 rating on it. It's not meant for children. But parents still go out and buy it, because they don't pay enough attention.

Resident Evil 4 was about killing members of a cult who were infected by a parasite. They were more human than zombie. But that's okay with everyone. Metal Gear Solid was about killing other soldiers with a variety of different weapons. That's okay with everyone. But stick ordinary humans into a game where they can be killed, and suddenly everyone protests. It's not like it doesn't happen everywhere in the world.

As the Voodoo Shaman said, it's an escapism. Those people who play GTA and then go and kill someone - well, their minds were already fucked up to begin with. For the most part, we can play a game and not fantasise about doing it in real life.

PS: GTA is not nearly as violent as Manhunt. Now that's a violent game.

Sam.

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JosephB

I tend to agree, although I suppose you could say it's because you are participating.

I think I played Mrs. Packman at around 4-5. That's the extent of my video game experience. Not knocking them, they just don't appeal to me.

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"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
-- Albert Einstein

"I am really only interested in a fiction of miracles."
-- Flannery O'Connor

Sam Winchester

Okay, fair point, Joe. Still, you would think that would help, wouldn't you? I mean, if people see things in a movie, they might be inclined to try them out in real life. With the likes of GTA, you're almost given that freedom to do it in a make-believe world. So, I would say GTA would quell those fantasies. I would probably be wrong. Personally, I've never thought about doing anything I've seen in a movie or game, but I think that stems back to the way I was raised.

Sam.

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Neo

The central appeal of GTA is not the violence - look at Rockstar's promotion of the game - it focuses on the city, not the violence.

GTA is a sardonic stab at contemporary culture and the violence in it is no different or no more necessary than in other games - it's a plot device, nothing more. Try playing GTA: San Andreas, and you'll see that the game is hugely plot- and character-driven, and the violence is little more than a means to an end in missions. As for burglery, hookers, all the other "immoral" imagery - it's all OPTIONAL. You don't need to do any of it if you don't want to, and the only points and rewards come from exploration and mission completion.

People like Clinton and Jack Thompson, who call the game murder simulators full of pointless violence, misunderstand the game at the most basic level. They really should try playing them through first. I love GTA and I'm looking forward to GTA:IV for the city, the graphics and the choice you have - not the violence.

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Malone

I have that arcade game in my basement. The full sized, huge ass arcade unit.


I'm gonna have to play Ox here, because the title of this thread irks the shit out of me every time I click the Debate subsection. On a writers' forum, can we really not distinguish between "too" and "two?"

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Malone's Mind
Everyday Madness Kindle Edition

JosephB

I would have had to be a lot older than that, now that I think about it. No way my four year old could play that, not even close. I remember that my brothers complained it was old news, though. Can't place the year.

Now that's cool. How the heck did you get that? I have a neighbor that has a few of those really, cool, old analog pinball machines.

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"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
-- Albert Einstein

"I am really only interested in a fiction of miracles."
-- Flannery O'Connor

Malone

Someone gave it to me. One of my mom's friends had it at her business, and when she wanted to get rid of it she called me up and asked if I wanted it. I'm not a pacman fan, but who's going to turn down that offer?

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There Is A Policeman Inside All Our Heads: He Must Be Destroyed


Malone's Mind
Everyday Madness Kindle Edition

CroZ

4 days!

Malone

I've got the disc sitting next to me right now. No PS, though.

EDIT: Actually, this is the XBOX360 version now that I look at it. Don't have one of those either. Oh well.

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There Is A Policeman Inside All Our Heads: He Must Be Destroyed


Malone's Mind
Everyday Madness Kindle Edition

JosephB

My neighbor paid out the nose for those pinball machines, so it might be worth something someday.

OT, sorry, folks.

__________________
"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
-- Albert Einstein

"I am really only interested in a fiction of miracles."
-- Flannery O'Connor

Sam Winchester

You have it, Malone? Yeah, I heard about GTA IV being leaked. Still prefer to own the real thing, though, even if I could download from the internet. Less chance of it failing that way. I agree with you on the thread name. Two is a number, Phoenix. To is a preposition. The word you needed was "too".

Hey, Croz, calm, mate. Calm. It's almost here. Tell you what, GTA IV has got to most highly anticipated game ever. San Andreas comes close, but this is next-gen GTA, and there's just something special about it. The amount of stuff you're going to be able to do in this one is unbelievable. I ordered it from Play.com. Does anyone know if I'll be getting it Tuesday, or will I have to wait a couple of days for delivery? Still worth the wait.

Sam.

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playstation60

Thank you. Do we need to start a thread showing the differences between to, too, and two?

As for the topic at hand, no, I don't think the games are too violent. As stated by those before me there is so much more to the games than the violence. It's escapism.

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