GTA 5 Thread

Completely agree with that. I don't understand why some people would be squeamish about GTA for whatever reasons.

It's not really about being sqeamish. It's more like what GhanBuriGhan last wrote, it's the role you play. But for me it's also too close to home… meaning it's too close to reality, at least for me.

When I run around killing monsters and thugs in Gothic 1, there is definatley a disconnect from my actual reality compared with the 'reality' of the Gothic 1 game world. And this distinction I find important for me personally.

GTA games hit close to home in the reality department. A Contemporary world where you are shooting and killing both thugs and innocents alike - whether intentionally or via 'friendly fire.' And for me, the behaviors you engage in with the GTA games don't end with just the killing aspect. The game revolves around a contemporary underworld and all the ugliness of that kind of reality. I just don't like that for me personally. I'm uncomfortable with it and I'm uncomfortable with a game like that being in my house with my young boys.

But again, I can't stress this enough, if you like GTA and play it, I'd be the last person on Earth to judge you for it. I've watched movies myself far worse than anything depicted in GTA. But at least with movies, I'm not playing the part. That's my half-baked hugely flawed argument.
 
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I find your reason perfectly acceptable, but it leads me to a question. When you say it's a little too close to home, does that mean you also wouldn't play the modern Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, or Battlefield games? Those are even more realistic in mimicking things that happen in today's world.

On the other hand, I'd probably think more like you if I had kids. :)
 
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Well, to me it's all a fantasy and as long as I can identify with what's happening - I don't really confuse it with reality. However, I generally need to immerse myself in a role - so if I'm going to kill people, it needs to make sense in terms of my character and the world being displayed.

As for San Andreas - I just find the culture displayed very unappealing and silly. It's not something I can identify with. For similar reasons, I almost never play games with a female protagonist. I can't identify with the female gender, no matter how hard I try.
 
Thanks for posting these links. The game is sounding very promising.

I love the GTA games, from the originals back in the day to GTA 3 and onward. I don't mind the violence or debauchery in GTA games, at all. I've always been fascinated by the violent underworld. I grew up watching mob flicks like Goodfellas and Scarface and have always been attracted to that sort of thing. Playing a game like GTA puts you in a role where you're connected with that world. It's no different than playing Skyrim and slaying dragons, or playing any other game really that puts you in a role of some fantasy.

But hey, if you don't want to play it because it's violent or whatever, then by all means don't play it. :) Can't say I'm exactly surprised that there's people who don't play those types of games.
 
With regards to GTA, the realism of the setting is certainly a factor too. And while you are certainly right in saying that one dosn't have to go on a killing spree, it likewise seems pretty clear that that is exactly what considerable parts of the audience find the most "cool" or "thrilling" about it (judging from youtube, e.g.) which again I find vaguely off-putting.
With other games I mentioned which may be less realistic, it's really more that I don't like the Assassin role - I prefer an honest open fight :) Or if sneaky, then the non-violent path.
But as I said it's more a personal preference than a moral judgement.
 
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GTA games hit close to home in the reality department. A Contemporary world where you are shooting and killing both thugs and innocents alike - whether intentionally or via 'friendly fire.'

I know what you mean with this and that bothered me about the most recent iteration, but the game engine used in Vice City and San Andreas wasn't capable of anything more than cartoon-ish stick character models, so the NPC's were little more than cardboard cutouts.

The more realistic the imagery becomes, the more I'm taking issue with over-the-top violence in video games. For example does anyone remember the FPS Rise of the Triad (ROTT)? Quite violent, and NPC's would beg for their lives, etc? I loved it! But a modern version is being developed and with a modern engine, that sort of graphic violence just turns me off. Too much detail.
 
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I find your reason perfectly acceptable, but it leads me to a question. When you say it's a little too close to home, does that mean you also wouldn't play the modern Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, or Battlefield games? Those are even more realistic in mimicking things that happen in today's world.

The only reason I don't play FPS 'war' games is because I just don't get into them. And I also, ahem, suck really badly at them too. I'm just not 'twitchy' enough to be able to compete with other people.

That said, I don't have a problem playing these kinds of games in general because (and I can't speak for every FPS 'war' game since I only know of a few I don't follow these games much...) you are fighting for a 'good' cause (at least the few I've played... early medal of honor and call of duty ... like the very first or second iterations of those games) that has an historical perspective from the country in which I live.

I probably wouldn't buy a 'war' game from the perspetive of middle eastern terrorsits though.

This is all very subjective, and quite messy to explain. My reasoning stems from a lot of world views that we all hold. It's also quite very possible you like mint chocolate chip ice cream. I hate it. But I don't hold it against you if you happen to like it.
 
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I was just curious. That's more or less what I expected you to say, and I don't mean that in a negative way.

Personally, I don't think killing people because you're at war for your government is a "good cause". That's simply what many people are led to believe. There may have been exceptions in the past, but there hasn't been a war (imo) since WWII where we can objectively say that we were the "good guys" and that killing was justified.

That's why I think it's a little ironic that some people have issues with games like GTA, but almost no one seems to have a problem with killing as long as we're wearing a uniform.
 
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That's why I think it's a little ironic that some people have issues with games like GTA, but almost no one seems to have a problem with killing as long as we're wearing a uniform.

From what I remember, the first (or second) iteration of medal of honor and call of duty were based in WW2 era? That's what I remember though not sure because even though I played both games, I only spent a couple of hours in each at most. I do hold a personal view that America's involvement in WW2 was an honorable one. At the same time, I'd rather capture a spider in a jar and gently place it outside rather than just squash it. I'm getting squishy in my old(er) age.

But yeah, I think this stuff gets way too complicated to explain and come to any remote semblence of a 'meeting of the minds' in a gaming message forum.

Might have been simpler to just say, 'I don't like the GTA games.'
 
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Anyone who passed up San Andreas because you play a black character (let's be honest, that is why people objected) missed out on a great GTA. SA is a lot more than just "in the hood". There is the countryside, Las Vegas, San Francisco, etc.

It's funny how me, as a black gamer, can adjust to having to play mostly white main characters all the time. But as soon as a rare game comes along with a black protaganist, people want to change the avatar ASAP.
 
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San Andreas was fantastic. If I recall that was the first GTA game that introduced "wilderness" or outskirt area to explore. That mission where you get dropped off in the middle of nowhere was truly memorable.

I didn't even remember that San Andreas' main character was black. Shows how much I care about color. :)
 
I have no problem admitting that I didn't like the appearance of the PC in San Andreas, but I think people who automatically assume that's due to some kind of racism are being ignorant.

I don't like having to play as a female either, and I also wouldn't want to play as an Asian character. Why?... Because I'm not female nor am I Asian. Similar to how DArtagnan stated above, I don't identify with those characters, and that impacts my immersion into the game. Obviously, I also understand that applies to most people, and I sympathize with those who are forced to play as a caucasian male if that's not what they are.
 
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I really liked SA and had no problems playing a black guy. The vegas part of the game was shit though. Lost interest there quickly and didn't finish the main storyline.

Usually when I have a choice though I play a white male. Cause that's what I am. I loved playing a nord in Skyrim cause it felt vaguely true to my swedish background. It made me all the more immersed in the game. I don't think there is anything racist about it, it's just how well you identify with the character you are playing.
 
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I've never had a problem playing a character that is different than I am. About half of the time, when given a choice, I will make character that is different (black, lizard, Orc etc).

I can really get into these characters. For example, when playing San Andreas, I would find myself thinking with CJ's voice (was that his name?). The same thing also happens with books when the narrator has a specifically different style than I do.
 
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Rockstar still hasn't made any decisions to bring the game to other platforms but of course they are still considering it. Of course the Wii U and the PC don't exist right?

"Everything else is up for consideration. That's all I can give you," Rockstar vice president Dan Houser responded when asked regarding potential PC and Wii U GTA 5 ports.

"The main thing is we are not… we are a third-party publisher. We're not Nintendo, we're not Sony, we're not Microsoft. We love all of them in different ways. But we can do what we want wherever there's the appropriate business opportunity and chance to find a market. "If that's on Apple we put something on Apple," Houser added. "Wherever it might be. I think that's the fun in what we do. We see ourselves as a content company that uses technology. We don't make it; we use it to make the most fun stuff."
Just release the damn thing on any platform to begin with. Oh and a PC version would be welcome indeed. The sooner, the better.
 
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GTA was born on the PC, they really should stay true to their roots! I would also be pretty happy if they released Red Dead Redemption on PC too. That game was awesome!
 
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The evasive speech regarding business opportunities say everything to me. PC edition would be nice but I really think they have gone the way of EA and the PC is dead to them. They released GTA4 like 6 months after the console release so sales were probably weak on PC just because most bought on console in the meantime. Add on piracy and they probably really don't think of PC as a first class citizen anymore.
 
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They released GTA4 like 6 months after the console release so sales were probably weak on PC just because most bought on console in the meantime. Add on piracy and they probably really don't think of PC as a first class citizen anymore.

Yeah AND it was a crappy port, which was a slap in the face. They did patch it into some sort of shape over time though I guess which is better than nothing.
 
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