Poll: The First "Dumbass" Thing Said About GTA III

[cheeseraven]

http://kotaku.com/5852439/heres-the-first-dumbass-thing-the-mainstream-media-said-about-grand-theft-auto-iii?tag=grandtheftauto

Okay, there's the article. A lot of things said about GTA are not true, this particular quote however I think hits the nail on the head. It's level headed, it doesn't say anything bad about the game (or the game maker), and its all pretty much true. Which is why this entire Kotaku article about why this quote is a "dumbass" thing to say makes me confused.

Plus it seems that the comments are mostly agreeing with the writer.

I'm all for getting upset when games like these are misrepresented or lied about and I'm all for us getting up in arms when people say games make people violent. This though just seems like were getting upset over nothing. If were going to react every time GTA gets mentioned in the media, can we at least think with a little common sense that what they say might not actually be so bad?


Anyways, poll for whether or not you agree with the quote in question. Not the article, but whether or not you agree with the quote the article brings up.

 

[Amethyst Wind]

Slow news day for Kotaku I guess.

 

[emeraldrafael]

waht fun are flight simulators if you cant crash into stuff?

but thats not the point. really... thers not a lot you can say. People in the media need a scape goat, and now its the Video games time. radio had its era, then movies, then TV, and now games.

really, we should feel sorry for music, cause its always a scape goat, and has never seemed to grow out of it.

 

[WolfThomas]

You know, I do have some problem with video games where the intended purpose, you know, is to do bad things. So, for example, right now a very popular game is Grand Theft Auto 3. The purpose of the game is to perpetrate crime. You advance in the game by getting more proficient at crime. Now, that's a game, you know, that I really have a?have problem with and certainly not appropriate for children. -Dr. David Walsh

I don't see this as a "dumb-ass" comment at all "I object to this game and it's definitely not for children", the first part is an opinion and the last bit a fact, GTA is an adult game. It's not like the person lied about whats in the game or made any false statistical claims.

The Kotaku writer goes on to say how that's incorrect because you don't have to kill innocent civillians and he personally never did, neglecting all the missions in which you had to (San Andreas the construction crew is a particulary chilling example). Oh and EVERYTIME YOU HAVE TO KILL A POLICE OFFICER.

I love GTA, but it's a terrible article.

Edit: Also the poll is ambigious, I'm not sure which option to choose.

 

[scnj]

Why is this a surprise? At this point Kotaku has less journalistic integrity than Perez Hilton.

 

[fozzy360]

I fail to see how Dr. Walsh's quote qualifies as a dumbass statement.

The whole point of GTA is to take control of a criminal offender as they move through story committing various criminal acts. The game doesn't necessarily encourage criminal behavior, but it does give the player the tools and the opportunity to commit some crimes throughout the story. You don't get more "proficient at crime" per se, bu you do have to engage in criminal behavior as the game's events begin to escalate. I mean, the damned game is called "Grand Theft Auto." I would expect some level of disregard for established laws, and Dr. Walsh is correct in saying the game is highly inappropriate for children. What's there to be offended about what he said.

Also, Owen Good's quote,

"The goal of Grand Theft Auto III was then, and still is 10 years later, only to complete the game's narrative"

I think the point of all GTA games was to allow the player to do as they pleased in the world presented to them. If anything reeks of ignorance in this article, it's this quote.

 

[Sixcess]

Rockstar could avoid stirring up the inevitable controversy that surrounds every GTA game if they wanted to. They don't want to. Any publicity is good publicity, as they say, and Rockstar intentionally are just controversial enough to get written about but not controversial enough to get censored or banned.

Anyway, that's a terrible article and leaping to the defence of GTA is a complete waste of time and energy because Rockstar invite these reactions and would be disapointed if they didn't get them.

 

[Something Amyss]

Out of context, so I can't tell if "I do have a problem" is an attack or not. Does he ONLY have a problem with them for the later reason of "Not for kids," or is there something else? The framing is poor, bordering on potential quote mining.

 

[Something Amyss]

I think the point of all GTA games was to allow the player to do as they pleased in the world presented to them.

They still emphasise the story by making you play to unlock more of the city.