Grand Theft Auto
1997 saw the first game in Rockstar’s popular Grand Theft Auto series. The game was a top down, open world game in which players were encouraged to commit crimes and evade police. The criminal storylines and ability to kill police and civilians upset many in the media and was condemned by many. The graphics are 2D and incomparable to the graphical fidelity we see in games, today yet it was extremely popular. Several expansions of the game followed, including a London iteration, before the second GTA was released using a similar top down style with updated graphics. The game was released to mixed reviews with some seeing only a minor update, though this was probably due to it releasing in 1998, just a year after the first.
In 2001 GTA III was released to widespread critical acclaim. Considered by many to be one of the most influential games of its time, Rockstar decided to opt for 3D models and a third person perspective. Liberty City was the fictional setting which provided users with an open world to be explored. The violent and sexual nature was widely criticized although it didn’t hinder the game’s title as best-selling game of 2001. In fact the game has now sold over 17 million copies and is still available to buy even a decade later. The game’s success has been influential in the overall success of the series and was a huge influence on later games.
Gamespy gave it the ‘game of the year’ award as well as ‘most offensive game of the year,’ suggesting that ‘this is a game about causing mayhem. It’s a game that rewards you for killing innocent people by the dozen.’
The following year saw GTA: Vice City which was based on Miami and 1980’s culture and saw users play as Tommy Vercetti, a mafia hitman just released from prison. Vice City saw a continuation of style similar to the third which included a soundtrack filled with popular music and its use of famous actors as voice artists. In fact Tommy Vercetti was voiced by Ray Liotta and the game also included well-known actors such as Tom Sizemore and Danny Hopper. Success and critical acclaim followed with Vice City much like the preceding game although the controversy that Rockstar courted was not far behind.
Several lawsuits were aimed at the game and Rockstar Games as criticism surrounded the games release. Devin Moore, who was only 17, shot and killed three police officers in a horrific event which was eventually blamed on the game. Jack Thompson, Moore’s attorney, claimed it was the horrific nature of the game along with the constant playing of the game which contributed to the mental breakdown and subsequent attack. Thompson again was involved in a lawsuit directed at the game in 2006 after Cody Posey played the game obsessively and then murdered his family. The suit alleged that were it not for his obsessive playing of Vice City, the murders would not have taken place.
San Andreas was the next stop as users were encouraged to explore the fictional setting based on California and Nevada. The game used real events from the area including the Bloods and Crips gang conflicts, the 1980’s crack epidemic, and the 1992 race riots. The parody of real life events and people has become a well-known feature in the Grand Theft Auto series and is one of the most successful games to do it. The game remains the best-selling PS2 game of all time and has sold over 27 million copies, a staggering amount.
Jack Thompson, a critical opponent of violent video games called the game a ‘cop killer simulator.’ Others called it the ‘best game in the series’ and ‘the ultimate expression of freedom.’ The game was also controversial due to the ‘hot coffee’ mod which when triggered allowed players to play a crude sex mini game which led for calls from politicians for the game to be recalled. The game was also criticized for alleged racism although the game has also been defended as parody rather than racial stereotypes.
Released in 2008 GTA IV saw a return to Liberty City, the fictional depiction of New York City audiences saw in GTA III. It was widely considered to be game of the year and within 24 hours of its release had sold 631,000 copies in the United Kingdom alone and 3.6 million copies worldwide. The player controlled Niko Bellic, an Eastern European attempting to live ‘the American dream’ and like the previous entries in the series was criticized for its graphic violence and sexual content. New criticisms were levelled at the game for allowing the player to drive under the influence of alcohol. There were also reports of violence breaking out due to the games release but these reports have been widely dismissed as ‘media panic.’
The games improvements in graphics was widely applauded and the return to Liberty City was virtually unrecognizable to the version we saw in GTA III. The game also included a new online multiplayer element and two episodes or expansions which allowed players to play as new characters in the same story.
2013 saw the long awaited GTA V, the most recent game in the series and widely considered one of the best games on the last generation of consoles (Xbox 360 and PS3). Players controlled three different characters across the city and were treated to stunning graphics and an immersive world. Like the preceding games GTA V was universally loved by critics and fans alike, and was the source of much controversy. Within 24 hours of its release the game sold over 11 million copies, smashing the record of its predecessor.
The game was particularly controversial due to a torture mission which encouraged players to use a variety of tools and weapons to torture a character to receive information. The game was widely condemned for this mission, although defenders suggested it was a political commentary of the United States involvement in torture tactics. This argument perhaps true there is no doubt the mission was in poor taste. The game was also criticized for its misogynistic content and lack of positive female characters, a fair criticism although the lack of positive male characters perhaps alludes to the criminal storyline.