Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV (commonly known as Grand Theft Auto 4 or GTA IV or GTA 4) is an action-adventure video game that marks the fourth installment in the GTA series. It is developed by United Kingdom based Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games, and is available on 3 different platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and the Windows operating system. Like Grand Theft Auto 3, GTA 4 also utilizes 3D graphics to enhance the realism of the game. The GTA series has been known to generate many controversial issues since its very first installment due to the violent and sexual content in the game. Grand Theft Auto IV continues to bring up more controversial topics with regard to some of the new features that has been brought into the game.
Contents
Gameplay
Like its predecessors, Grand Theft Auto IV features gameplay where the protagonist, Eastern European war veteran Niko Bellic, can freely explore and walk around an open space. The character is capable of jumping, running, driving and swimming. Different weapons such as knives, pistols, shotguns, rifles, and grenades are available for the protagonist to choose from. He also has the ability to conduct illegal activities such as killing, stealing and car hijacking. One of the new features in GTA 4 is the ability to consume alcohol and drive, in succession. The game attempts to simulate a more realistic driving experience, as the more alcohol the protagonist ingests, the harder it is for the player to control the vehicle. Automobiles are not the only transportation that are available in GTA 4, helicopters, motorcycles and boats are also options for the protagonist to make use of.
Story
Coming "fresh off the boat" from Eastern Europe, protagonist Niko Bellic hopes to pursue the American dream that his cousin Roman has been describing to him in the emails. He envisioned a perfect life in America, however it turns out to be a complete disappointment as Roman has been deceiving Niko the entire time in the emails. As Niko realizes the unfortunate situation that Roman is in, together they slowly enter the criminal underworld, where unlawful activities begin to take place.
Setting
GTA 4 takes place in a fictional city names Liberty City, which is primarily based off New York City (NYC). Liberty City is divided into 5 different areas, 4 of which represent the 4 boroughs in NYC (Brooklyn is Broker, Manhattan is Algonquin, Queens is Dukes, The Bronx is Bohan) while the fifth one (Alderney) represents NYC's adjacent state New Jersey.
Ethical Issues in Grand Theft Auto IV
General
The Grand Theft Auto series has always been a success when it comes to the number of sales. Immediately after its release, Grand Theft Auto IV reached the top of the bill board, becoming the “fastest selling game ever on Play.com (a UK online game store) and breaking the record previously held by GTA San Andreas,” according to Luzio of play.com. GTA 4 acquired the labels of "PS3 Greatest Hits" and "Xbox 360 Platinum Hits" and it went out of stock very quickly. Since this game is rated "M", which means for ages seventeen and up, teenagers can legally get hold of the game with ease. Likewise, the Grand Theft Auto series is an inherently very violent game. The "open world" gameplay style allows the player to roam Liberty City with the ability to do anything. Players can steal cars, mug and kill bystanders, and even attack law enforcement. As the player commits crimes however, law enforcement pursues more heavily. Makers of the game included a cheat, which when used, stops police pursuit. Players can use this cheat to to break the law with no repercussions. This feature of the GTA games has caused many parents to refuse to let their children play.
GTA 4 banned in Thailand
On August 2008, 4 months after GTA 4 was released, a 18-year-old high school student in Thailand was accused of stealing a taxi and stabbing the taxi driver to death in attempt to reenact a scene in GTA 4. The police claimed that the 18-year-old student confessed to the stealing and murdering of the 54 year-old taxi driver. The teenager said that he "wanted to find out if it was as easy in real life to rob a taxi as it was in the game." His other reasoning for committing this crime was that he wanted money to play the game, but his parents did not have enough money. After this incident, Thailand banned this game in attempt to prevent any other similar incidents from happening in the future.
Drink and Drive
As mentioned in the gameplay above, a new feature in GTA 4 is that the protagonist can drive drunk. As he consumes more and more alcohol, it becomes increasingly harder for the player to drive. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), a non-profit organization that seeks to stop drunk driving, insists GTA 4's rating to be changed from "M" (17+) to "AO" (Adults Only) due to the in-game drunk driving. MADD states that "drunk driving is not a game and is certainly not a joke. Drunk driving is not only a choice, but it is also a violent crime and is also 100 percent preventable." MADD believes that GTA 4's inclusion of drunk driving is irresponsible and disrespectful to the victims of accidents caused by drunk driving.
Appalled New York Officials
Since Grand Theft Auto IV was set to take place in Liberty City, a fictional city that is heavily based on New York City, New York officials were "appalled" to find out that their own city has become the inspiration for the game's setting. They strongly believe that the crime level depicted in GTA 4 misrepresents the actual crime level in NYC.
Desensitization
There have been various studies conducted by many institutions which have attempted to reveal the correlation between playing violent video games and desensitization to violence. Most of these studies have one group of participants who play a non-violent video game, and another group who play a violent video game such as Grand Theft Auto. After a designated amount of playing time, the study conductors measure the reactions of the participants when viewing violent and non-violent images. Most studies have proven that the participants who played the violent video game had less brain activity when viewing violent images, while those who played the non-violent game had more of a reaction to the violent images.
