Grand Theft Auto 5 is the most up to date instalment from the top selling video game franchise. Rockstar games have always been the centre of attention when it comes to controversy in the media entertainment industry. This is because Grand Theft Auto is a one of a kind open world adult game which features a ton of violence, drugs, sex, money and swearing more than any other video game created. Each addition in the block buster franchise has always had a scene / mission that catches a lot of attention in the media. For example, one of the other most successful GTA's: San Andreas, it featured a fully animated game play scenario which allowed players to have sex within the game. The creators removed the scene from the game before release, but a group of hackers still managed to publish the locked codes. The reason why it was removed was because Rockstar didn't want San Andreas to be a 18 rated game, thinking it would affect sales as many younger consumers enjoyed their game. As the game then had to be changed to a 18 after the hackers exposed rockstar, it didn't affect sales, and it still became one of the most high selling pieces of entertainment to date.
September 17, 2013. GTA V was released to the public after years of anticipation. After just three days, the game reached a sales revenue of $1,000,000,000. It broke a number of records and still hasn't been beaten for the fastest / highest grossing entertainment product in history. So what did Rockstar decide to add into this version of the franchise that could cause a stir? The 25th mission of the storyline "By The Book". Heres what people that own the game had to say about this mission:
This scene in the game was able to start another debate in media, something GTA is very likely to do when releasing another game. It seems to indicate how games are evolving more and more and that video games may actually be becoming even more violent than ever before. Although kids shouldn't be playing GTA V, theres still a vast amount of under 18s that consume the poison like entertainment that this game offers. The game REQUIRES that you torture this innocent man for no reason, thats what made it so controversial. GTA has always been an open world game, meaning that the player can act how they want to, evil or bad. It came down to players decisions on how brutal they want to act, but now for the first time, every player must direct this torture which is constructed to be very realistic and gruesome. I reckon that when video games were first developing to be able to produce open world games, a scene like this wouldn't be regulated, but it goes to show how censorship and regulation in the gaming industry has evolved for this to be acceptable.
Lets take a deeper look into how Rockstar have created this mission as a whole. Firstly, the main character behind this interrogation is Trevor Phillips. When first being introduced to this character within the game, he kills someone with the bottom of his foot for no reason. He's the first character in GTA that allows players to go murder crazy and not feel guilty for it, because its something Trevor would do. But things like Trevor casually stamping someone to death is something us as players of this game wouldn't react to, its normal for us to see this in a GTA game. In the mission "By The Book" Trevor and the other protagonists (Michael & Franklin) are called out by the FIB (GTA version of the FBI) to extract information from a alleged captive MR K, who is entirely innocent. Mr K is tied up to a chair in a dark, abandoned, rusty garage. The room already looks like its been a place thats been used to torture people before. Next to this tied up innocent man is a table with enough instruments to create an orchestra of pain. Pliers, Car battery with clamps, a massive wrench and a gallon of water. As you're playing as trevor, you already know whats about to happen. When choosing the clamps, you clip them to Mr K's nipples and taze the man to un consciousness. You could also kick his chair to the floor, cover his face with a cloth and suffocate him with a gallon of water. You can also fix a plier to his molars and wiggle the analogue stick until he has no teeth. Also, if you torture him too much for him to pass out or almost die, you can just stab him with a syringe of adrenaline to wake him up and continue the brutality.
The thing is, this mission doesn't even play a major part to the plot of the game, rockstar just inserted this pointless mission into the game because they can and because they know it will cause a debate within the media. Bad news is good news. Despite what the media say they will still gain even more acknowledgement for the game they have created.
In GTA V, we finally have some main characters to the plot which are female. That being; Amanda De Santa & Tracey De Santa. The wife and daughter of 1/3 protagonists Michael De Santa. The first time we ever come across these two in the game we see them arguing. The daughter Tracey is arguing with her mother, Amanda about how she's not allowed to invite boys over to her house. We then see Michael enter his pool garden, trying to relax by attempting to ignore the nagging and annoying voice of her Daughter. Throughout the game, the creators of the game have scripted these two characters to become more and more slutty and skanky as possible as you progress through the game. Tracey aspires to become a successful pornstar and Amanda cheats on Michael many times with the families tennis coach and yoga instructor. Tracey is also represented to be extremely dumb and dopey, she enforces the stereotype of the rich blonde daughters of California. Lets not forget the fact that rockstar also stuck a tattoo on her back which writes: "Skank".
There is also a set of missions in the game that are designed to be played with Franklin. In these missions you buddy up with a paparazzi and you scout through Los Santos trying to capture as much negative footage of local celebrities as you can. In the mission above, you sneak into a teen actresses mansion and catch her in the act. The paparazzi goes on to say how she's represented to be a local sweetheart and that she's such a blessing and a cutie. But behind the cameras she's actually a "skank" as what rockstar would say.
This mission enforces how cruel GTA is towards females and how the sandbox of Los Santos is constructed to hate on women. The in game radio presenters constantly make harsh jokes on girls and are always hating on them. Lets not forget that the in game world of advertising has a fragrance targeted for females which has the slogan 'Smell Like A Bitch". This GTA is also the first one which has more than one playable character, and not one is female.
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