no.43 - Grand Theft Auto IV

Unsurprisingly, the latest Grand Theft Auto game has generated controversy, backlash, back-backlash and, in just a few short bloggy hours, back-back-backlash, as if backlash were a form of ping pong.

Susannah Breslin, on her blog rails against feminists railing against the game, suggesting that what men really want is a hooker they can f*ck and run over.

Really? I can tell you that one thing this man wants is for Susannah Breslin to learn how to create a paragraph break on her blog.

Breslin's larger point — that men have always had, and always will have twisted fantasies about sex — may be true. But her acceptance of it? What ever happened to hope for our better selves? Have we really given up? And then to attack feminists for not giving in? It's enough to make a man write incomplete sentences.

I haven't played Grand Theft Auto IV so I can't speak to the content or context of the game. I am conflicted because I want to play — not to kill hookers and run them over, but because the game's story and acting have been given high marks, the environment is immersive and, especially, the characters are reported to be interesting and well written.

If I understand correctly, you don't have to kill hookers, right?

I am not so troubled by the reality that many video games are violent. The reason games tend towards violence actually has less to do with our bass selves and society and more to do with what is easy to program, write and design.

What I am bothered by is that the depictions of women appear uniform, unlayered and depressing. If I am going to be depressed I'd just assume visit my local art house theater and at least be challenged in something other than my on-screen driving skills.

Let's be honest here. GTA would come with a vial of crack if Rock Star Games thought it would boost sales and not shut them down. Their only concern is with how many units they sell, leaving the question of why men (or boys) would buy a game where they can pretend to screw and kill a hooker.

The answer is not that men - most men, want to do these things in real life. The answer is that they want to try something shocking and boast to their friends about how cool it was. And it is here that the game fails them, because at this point, is it really shocking?

No, I think that shock will return as the technology improves and GTA VII: Chinatown presents you with a scenario where that hooker you banged and killed turns out to be a character based on an instantaneous scan of your mother... your sister... your mother... your sister... your mother... your sister... your mother... your sister