GTA IV Already Slated

[Dark Drakan]

GTA IV Already Slated

Seems Rockstar never shy away from the controversy spotlight and they have already been slated by NYC officials and New York police commissioner Raymond Kelly. New York officials are already voicing their disdain for the game and saying the similarities are only cosmetic. They have said...

The mayor does not support any video game where you earn points for injuring or killing police officers.

It's despicable to glamorize violence in games like these, regardless of how far-fetched the setting may be.

 

[TRA Rotid]

Re: GTA IV Already Slated

Poor policemen are underapreciated everywhere...

 

[Hexadecimal]

Re: GTA IV Already Slated

This is just hilarious to me...

A game based in Liberty City, being *****ed at by officials in a major city in the supposed Land of the Free for exercising their Rights to Free Speech and Expression.

 

[TRA Rotid]

Re: GTA IV Already Slated

This is just hilarious to me...

A game based in Liberty City, being *****ed at by officials in a major city in the supposed Land of the Free for exercising their Rights to Free Speech and Expression.

Good point. Never thought of it that way myself.

 

[Dark Drakan]

Re: GTA IV Already Slated

Just makes me laugh how people seem to take games so seriously at the end of the day ITS A GAME. If people do go out and start killing police in real life then thats not because of a game thats because they are seriously disturbed invididuals who needed locking up anyway and they just use that as an excuse for their actions.

 

[Hexadecimal]

Re: GTA IV Already Slated

The fact of the matter is, these games, while an exaggeration, are still a representation of real socio-economic problems. These games would not have the same impact that they have if it were not a reality that these actions do take place in real life, that there is a glamourization of these types of behaviours.
The answer then is not to just shut people up about the issues. These games, whether seen as simple entertainment, or as statements on the plight of urban centres everywhere, should not just be taken off the shelves and silenced to make people feel better. Making people stop looking at a problem does not make it go away. True, these games may be seen to glorify crime, but the solution to that is to work on the reasons why these crimes are happening, to work with bettering your city by educating people and aleviating poverty... not *****ing about a game because the subject matter hits a little too close to home...

 

[Dark Drakan]

Re: GTA IV Already Slated

The fact of the matter is, these games, while an exaggeration, are still a representation of real socio-economic problems. These games would not have the same impact that they have if it were not a reality that these actions do take place in real life, that there is a glamourization of these types of behaviours.
The answer then is not to just shut people up about the issues. These games, whether seen as simple entertainment, or as statements on the plight of urban centres everywhere, should not just be taken off the shelves and silenced to make people feel better. Making people stop looking at a problem does not make it go away. True, these games may be seen to glorify crime, but the solution to that is to work on the reasons why these crimes are happening, to work with bettering your city by educating people and aleviating poverty... not *****ing about a game because the subject matter hits a little too close to home...

Again i must say that has been perfectly put :thumbsup:

 

[Albion Knight]

Re: GTA IV Already Slated

I whole heartedly support the right to free speech that has been exercised by Michael Bloomberg & Raymond Kelly. I also agree that games where the player is rewarded for killing police officers is disgusting. Yes it is a game, but the content of games has reached a level of realism that warrants serious consideration. We can all think of content, that if put in a game, would be personally revolting. There are movies with such acts produced every year but rarely are those who commit such acts, portrayed as the protagonist. While no one is necessarily going to mimic these acts in real life, it doesn't change the way it can make people feel to hear about such things. Personally being a police officer is one of the last jobs I would ever want to do. Which is why I personally am very appreciative of those who have those jobs. Does anyone here have a mother of father on the police force or is close to someone who is? I wonder who they feel.

 

[Dark Drakan]

Re: GTA IV Already Slated

Does anyone here have a mother of father on the police force or is close to someone who is? I wonder who they feel.

My uncle is a Sargent in the police force and loves GTA games :lol:

I think its all to do with individual perception and those people who see it as just a game and some fun will only ever take everything they do in the game as that. Its the people that put way to much time and effort into thinking about all the moral values of the games that causes the problems in the first place and causes the games to be heard of for all the wrong reasons and so attracts the type of gamer who is likely to be influenced by them.

I mean i will buy GTA IV because it will be fun to do all the stuff that you can do in GTA, yeah i can kill anyone, steal things, sell drugs and do loads of illegal things but its a game and its fun. People who start hearing that games like this are going to be banned and such and are really violent will just attract the people who buy it just for that reason because they want to be able to brutally kill someone or they just want the bragging rights of owning a banned game. If no-one bothered about it and didn't give it such media spotlight then i think less trouble would come out of it. I mean why was 'Thrill Kill' on the playstation such a big hit? At first it was a major flop and didn't sell to well until people heard it was banned almost everywhere because of its sadistic violence and gore levels then it was a massive seller and one of the top imported games.

 

[Albion Knight]

Re: GTA IV Already Slated

So he doesn't feel that is glorifies violence against the police. Good to have that perspective.

 

[Hexadecimal]

Re: GTA IV Already Slated

I don't neccessarily think that killing cops in GTA games is any more morally reprehensible in principle than say, killing the town guards in Fable...

 

[Dark Drakan]

Re: GTA IV Already Slated

So he doesn't feel that is glorifies violence against the police. Good to have that perspective.

Nope not at all, he sees it for what it is... a game and also says that if people spend more time playing GTA beating police officers up and such it gives them less time to do it for real :lol:

I don't neccessarily think that killing cops in GTA games is any more morally reprehensible in principle than say, killing the town guards in Fable...

Yeah id never thought about it like that but id have to agree, or any authority figure in a game for that matter.

 

[Albion Knight]

Re: GTA IV Already Slated

I don't neccessarily think that killing cops in GTA games is any more morally reprehensible in principle than say, killing the town guards in Fable...

That's cool. I think there is a difference as do a lot of others otherwise it wouldn't be an issue.

 

[Tsuyu]

Re: GTA IV Already Slated

"In the laaaand of the FREEEE!".


I share Hex's view on how very... irnoic it is.


Seriously, what's next - Germany sueing everyone because of all the ficitonal German blood being spilled in all the WW II movies/games? Get real, they are FICTIONAL cops. It is not like they have names or anything - just like the German soldiers in the games.

Just like those soldiers, the cops "need" to be in the game for it to be complete because well, both the criminals and cops exist in the real world and for the game to work they need the cops - not as induviduals but as a whole.

 

[Albion Knight]

Re: GTA IV Already Slated

Funny how it's OK for some to make a game but not OK for people to express their dislike for it. That sounds like Freedom if you agree with me but shut up if you don't. I didn't hear about any legal action being taken. Just a denouncing of what they felt was wrong.

 

[Tsuyu]

Re: GTA IV Already Slated

Funny how it's OK for some to make a game but not OK for people to express their dislike for it. That sounds like Freedom if you agree with me but shut up if you don't. I didn't hear about any legal action being taken. Just a denouncing of what they felt was wrong.

Nobody says that they aren't allowed to complain - it is just such a totally stupid thing to complain about, however....

 

[blue crow]

Re: GTA IV Already Slated

Funney thing nwa made a song about the cops. Here you go YouTube - N.W.A **** DA POLICE. Anyway after the video some idiots killed some cops. They blamed the song for the cops deaths. They went to court and nwa still won i think.

 

[Hexadecimal]

Re: GTA IV Already Slated

Funny how it's OK for some to make a game but not OK for people to express their dislike for it. That sounds like Freedom if you agree with me but shut up if you don't. I didn't hear about any legal action being taken. Just a denouncing of what they felt was wrong.

if it were simply a matter of two people, one who had made a game, and one who hated it, I would agree with you...
however, as those denouncing the game are in positions of Political Power, the two groups can not be said to be on equal footing...
when individuals with political power begin making statements on what people should or should not be creating, endorsing or playing, it no longer carries the weight of mere opinion... it begins to take on the unsavoury flavour of Propaganda... especially when those on the opposing side are not treated merely as persons with a differing view on entertainment, but are instead villified in speeches and press releases, and painted as the cause of all the crimes and violence plaguing society simply because those in power do not approve of their game...

 

[KaveX]

Re: GTA IV Already Slated

Another game is gonna get *****ed at for its theme and gameplay... i think something like this happend with GTA San Andreas

 

[Albion Knight]

Re: GTA IV Already Slated

if it were simply a matter of two people, one who had made a game, and one who hated it, I would agree with you...
however, as those denouncing the game are in positions of Political Power, the two groups can not be said to be on equal footing...
when individuals with political power begin making statements on what people should or should not be creating, endorsing or playing, it no longer carries the weight of mere opinion... it begins to take on the unsavoury flavour of Propaganda... especially when those on the opposing side are not treated merely as persons with a differing view on entertainment, but are instead villified in speeches and press releases, and painted as the cause of all the crimes and violence plaguing society simply because those in power do not approve of their game...

That's a good point but can you see them taking any other stance based on their constituency? For all we know someone shoved a mic in their face and asked them how they felt about NY City cops being murdered in video games. I don't think that is what happened. But they would get slammed far worse if the came out and said it was no big deal and that people are overreacting.