curgirl

So I've been away for ages.

But here is a general discussion point- I am really curious about: what do people think about the video game Grand Theft Auto? I got into a sort of discussion today with two friends (both male) as they described updates to the latest version of the game. In short, in my opinion, the game; which is already based on having your character do reprehensible things to other people and is now more detailed and enables to player to do even sicker things to the other people in the game, is a horrid and very effective tool to reeinforce some of the worst aspects of human interaction, particularly the objectification and subjugation of women.

Now, I am not a kneejerk reactionary who blanches at the sight of Bugs Bunny hitting Elmer Fudd. I fully admit to playing a totlally silly car crash game [Burnout] (video of course!) and finding it fun. But to me, the car crash thing is so outside the realm of reality- in fact what makes it most a 'harmless' game is that the actions of the player are largely self-contained. Though you are a 'car' in the game, humans and casualties are not at all depicted. Not even implied. You drive, you crash, you start over. Now, I know that people could, farily, question the value of investing one's mind's time in the repeated virutal destruction of property. I admit to that. But I think the translation into behavior patterns would be slow to be realized as the relationship between the player's actions in the game and 'real' interaction with objects is so qalitiatively different.

But I am deeply disturbed by the depiction of human depravity in GTA. Most especially the depcition of women. To my knowlege (I have only seen the game played, not played myself) women are protrayed as simple, studpid, short-skirted, big titted hookers. they are completely expendible. They are commodities, like the 'loot' and the vehicles that are similarly used and discarted in the game. Also, the protaganist is is a white, middle-aged male. In this case, it seems that the kind of prejudices practiced in the game, as a human character interacting with other humans, would more redily transferr into actual human interactions. Not extremely; I don not suggest that the player will rush out and kill and steal. But that, especially for the avargae male in a still patriarchal society, the continued extreme reeinforcement of a postion of power and explotiation of women via the game will ground itself in the player's mind. If the player, of either gender, is willing- even desirous- of having their character use and/or kill a prostitute in the game, the player exhibits a certain level of acceptance and even comfort with that behavior of a male (and remember, he's white) to a female. When that same crime is presented to the player in the a 'real' context; say a newspaper report of a crime in a city far away, will the player have a significantly different reaction to the actual crime than would a person who had not reeinforced those reprehensible actions via a game?


This is very unappatizing food for thought.