Posts by Vic 2.0

59

Is it wrong to play GTA 5?

by Brother Mike in

is it okay to play as a jehovah's witness?

or is it just a conscience thing?.

Vic 2.0

The torture thing is actually a storyline mission you have to take part in hands-on. I would apologize for spoiling something, but it's probably best you're prepared for it.

I agree with everything else you're saying. I don't mind "sexiness" in a video game. It is usually harmless, and not the focal point of the gameplay itself. Even nudity in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing. It's when the sex/violence gets up close and personal, I worry that the appeal shifts from "This is a fun game to play" to "I love seeing this sort of stuff". GTA fans have long been thrown into the same group, people who play games in which they commit crimes for fun. But it's a matter of why it's fun for them, that is worth addressing. Most of us like the high-speed action, whether it's gunplay or out-running the cops, etc. because everything is happening so fast there's no time to dwell on it. But it would seem certain other activities that have been included are targeting fans who (also) want to make the suffering of a victim of violent crime or the lustful nature of a naked NPC the focal point of attention and mental stimulation. As odd as it sounds, as video games are concerned, I've more interest in mowing down 100 pedestrians on the sidewalk than spinning my wheels on one of them to watch blood spray a la mud from beneath my tires (which, of course, is also something you can do in GTA 5). It's considered one of the impressive details they added in the game, saw it on a video on IGN.

59

Is it wrong to play GTA 5?

by Brother Mike in

is it okay to play as a jehovah's witness?

or is it just a conscience thing?.

Vic 2.0

"Vic, you CAN do those things in GTA V, whether you choose to do so is up to you..."

With the exception of the torture scene, sure. But you're still supporting those who put that junk in the game in the first place, even if you only buy the game to use as a coaster (I'm not arguing from the standpoint that it might turn you into a pervert or torturer). And by buying that specific game no less, you're pretty much telling the world you think it's OK. I don't. I don't consider it OK from a moral standpoint or as a gamer. I think they could've done - should've done much better in both ways.

59

Is it wrong to play GTA 5?

by Brother Mike in

is it okay to play as a jehovah's witness?

or is it just a conscience thing?.

Vic 2.0

"Personally it's not appealing to me regardless of intent, but I'm not sure if the design choices accomplish what they're supposed to or not."

I don't think so either.

"I think the argument is that things like the torture scene are intended to "make you think" by making the player uncomfortable having to carry out the same sort of things he normally watches passively in movies,"

Make you think about what, though? I know that people like to point to Trevor's little speech that follows afterward in their defending of this. It's supposed to be a disclaimer, but he says that torture is not an effective way to get information. Well, this may fool little kids (who shouldn't be playing it anyway) who don't know any better. But full-grown adults are likely to know that torture is used effectively to get information. So this is only going to discourage people who are not big enough to set up a torture scenario anyway... Not that I think it matters either way; I don't think anyone is actually going to torture someone because they saw it in a video game. But the point is, the disclaimer is absolutely useless, except maybe to serve as an "apology" from developers for what just transpired... which of course should mean they know they shouldn't have put it in there to begin with.

"and mechanics like the stripper groping are intended to be over-the-top humorous."

Ehh, I grew tired of the whole "Naked lady on the screen! That's..... comical! Yeah- yeah! That's what it is... Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go to the restroom for a sex- sec!" pitiful defense of needless nudity/sex in movies and games a looooong time ago. It's a lie. I think it was when they were making Porky's that I realized, "You know what, flashing your breasts at the camera may be a lot of things... But it's not funny?" And if you were speaking only of the dialogue, how do we then explain the voiceovers when the player hires a prostitute? That stuff sounds like it was literally taken straight from a porno, with no apparent attempts at humor in sight.

(For anyone curious, I looked it up online because I was trying to make sure there wasn't any nudity before buying it. This was before I saw the nudity in the strip club scenes. No nudity in the prostitution as far as I can tell, but it wasn't any better! I borrowed the game instead, hoping the gameplay would serve as a redeeming value for all the trash... It didn't, so I didn't buy.)

"One could also argue that they're just desperately trying to top themselves."

In terms of shock value, I agree. But they should've spent more time working on the actual gameplay! That's what really bugs me. They made it all look good, threw in a bunch of filth for any perverts out there, and made absolutely no improvements on things that people like me actually buy video games for - how much fun it is to actually PLAY it and not just look at it.

59

Is it wrong to play GTA 5?

by Brother Mike in

is it okay to play as a jehovah's witness?

or is it just a conscience thing?.

Vic 2.0

You do what you think is right (We both know you're going to anyway). I cannot in good conscience give money to the people who made this game. I'm glad to have borrowed it instead of rented/bought it. I've enjoyed GTA games in the past, but this one crosses the line for me in many ways, making it impossible for me to deny how perverted and mentally disturbed they are. Here are three examples:

1. Hiring a prostitute starts a voiceover that is overly explicit, meaning you hear things you could swear were stole straight from a pornographic film. As bad as the "F" word is, the terms used in this voiceover make even it sound quite tame.

2. There is a mission where you have to (have to) torture an innocent person to progress the story. Options include things like slowly pulling their teeth out with pliers while they cry. You have to do this, there is no way to opt out of it.

3. Not only do you see naked strippers close up in the strip club in GTA 5, you are given incentive to cross the line physically and grope them without the bouncer seeing you. If you harass her "correctly", she will agree to go home with you and reward you with sex.

It's when video games make the violence/sex up close and personal, I turn it off. This kind of stuff has more to do with wanting to see these things (i.e., reason to suspect you're losing your moral compass) and less to do with enjoying a game for its gameplay, which is the only value the developers should be concerned about. And it's clear they spent more time on the graphics and coming up with "shock value" than thinking of ways to improve or build upon its gameplay, because even from a gamer's standpoint, this game SUCKS! It's beautiful to look at and nice to walk around amongst all the nifty little details they added to inch it closer to "realism", but I quickly got bored with the mundane activities that were made available. I couldn't even go on rampages and enjoy it, as the cop/wanted level system is severely broken (You get caught/get stars too easily, lose your wanted level too slowly, and get killed too quickly). There's a lot more reasons this game is bad in both ways, but this has already become a novel so I'll just end it here.

BTW, one alternative if you don't want to play an amoral, despicable human being or see nudity in your video games is to give Sleeping Dogs a try. It does have some gory violence and a lot of profanity (including some sexual). But the plot and message are better for you, and IMO the gameplay is more enjoyable as well. Plus it's a lot cheaper.

Or, if you don't want any "bad stuff", look up Lego City Undercover. It's a game "like" GTA that is safe for even kids to play.