Essay Introduction:

How and why do games like 'GTA V' negatively impact youth audiences?

Grand Theft Auto 5 is one of the fastest selling piece of entertainment ever. Within just 24 hours of its release on September 17th 2013, it made up to $800,000,000 in sales revenue, within three days it reached the $1,000,000,000 mark, breaking records worldwide. So what makes this video game so successful? Why is GTA one of the best selling entertainment franchise to date? Well, GTA is known for its violence, sex, crime and drug style of narrative in its games. Its one of the first video games to have such adult themes in such realistic measures. Its a role playing game which isn't set in medieval times or in a galaxy far far away, its a game that is set in todays world, which makes it unique and much more open and easier for players to escape into this graphical version of their world. It allows players to do what they please with what is given to them in the game, whether that may be mass murdering a bunch of civillians, killing a bunch of cops and gaining a five star wanted level, stealing millions from banks, breaking into and hot wiring supercars, purchasing properties and even taking your dog for a walk (or even being able to let him rip up civillians faces apart). The decision is endless. Although GTA games are certified as a 18+ (M) video game by PEGI (Pan European Games Information) there is still a very high number of children below that age consuming the negative entertainment that GTA V has to offer. During the week of release, a cashier at american video game store Gamestop said that “Last week my store sold over a thousand copies of GTA V, at least a hundred of which were sold to parents for children who could barely even see over my counter.” With more and more youth gamers being able to play video games like GTA V, it can cause a growing threat to the minds of these children.

Essay Plan:

How and why do games like 'GTA V' negatively impact youth audiences?
Introduction:

• Context on gaming, gaming before and now.
• Introduce GTA V
• GTA V Sales
• What the essay will discuss, the affects of gaming.
• Representations, Stereotypes & Moral Panics In Gaming.
• Youth & Gaming

How The Game Is Viewed & Portrayed:

• The Violence In Game, News Reports, Articles
• Amount Of Violence In Games, Sales
• Moral Panic

GTA V Feminism:

• Representations of female.
• Negative stereotypes portrait.
• California reproduction.
• Advertisements, Radio.
• How it can impact youth gamers.

Textual Analysis: By The Book:

• Controversy, terrorism in a game.
• Viewers reception, mostly negative.
• Gamers left uncomfortable.
• Intense Violence.
• Must complete to progress in game.

Other Games:

• Call Of Duty
• Saints Row
• Mortal Kombat
• Gamers may understand but the public may not, combat simulators, train us to kill.

Conclusion:

• Is the game as bad as it is
• Can it damage society
• Can it really affect the youth in a severe way?

Historical Text: Mortal Kombat

How society and the issue you are investigating has changed over the years and how these changes are reflected in different media texts, or - to put it another way...

Over the years the question whether gaming was able to change society probably wasn't even in anyones minds. I don't think anyone would've thought how powerful and massive the gaming industry would've turned out to be now, in 1992. Mortal Kombat was one of the first games that involved violence in gaming, it had graphics of blood and brutal fatalities. It had a great reception, gamers loved it as it was addicting and fun to play, the violence made it more exciting but i don't think gaming like this would've caused motivation for murders and crimes. Now as the gaming industry is so massive, it has a mass audience, and a high number of this audience are children, these kids are still able to access over 18 games and it can damage their mind set.

How popular culture reflects the 'spirit of the age' or Zeitgeist.

The spirit of the age at this time was arcade gaming, games like Mario and Nintendo were in fashion and multi-player games was a method of socialising with friends. Mortal Kombat was a competitor for Street Fighter, which had the same button scheme and controls although Mortal Kombat had more of a violent side to the game.

How is it similar/different to your main text?

This text is very different due to how technology has changed over time, the way graphics and gaming has changed is incredible, gaming has become virtual reality with simulators costing £100,000,000 that allow you to feel the game. A game like Mortal Kombat would cost a couple thousand to make, GTA V cost around £200,000,000 to make.

How does this show how the genre/society/issue has changed?

This shows how the change of technology can change society and can make the youth much different. Now, kids can play with their friends at home on line rather than going out and socialising with them. This can seriously affect the social skills of the youth in today society and can question whether gaming is beneficial or not. Also, now that more and more games are violent it shows how we are becoming more and more desensitised, violence in video games is becoming more and more normal and is the best way games are able to sell and become successful.