Rio Hondo College Newspaper

El Paisano

Rio Hondo College Newspaper

El Paisano

Rio Hondo College Newspaper

El Paisano

GTA V: Fun to be bad?

Many people are fascinated by the world of crime; it’s a staple of American culture. Whether you are a viewer of the numerous crime dramas and documentaries available on TV or you have a favorite heist or gangster film, there’s nothing quite like being able to step right into the shoes of a criminal.

Grand Theft Auto 5, the latest entry from Rockstar Games’ legendary controversial series lets you do just that.

For those who aren’t familiar with the franchise, this particular video game offers a nearly photo-realistic recreation of the greater L.A. area, dubbed “Los Santos” which is a completely open world to explore from the very moment you start to play.

Players are offered many enjoyable activities to discover such as engaging in a friendly game of tennis or golf, bike riding, off-road racing  and even dog-walking and riding the rollercoaster at the replication of the Santa Monica pier, however, the game revolves around crime.

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With the single press of a button, the player can threaten any citizen and steal any vehicle in sight, committing grand theft auto (hence the name) but the shameless criminal violence of this game doesn’t end there. Players of the game can commit a plethora of crimes from high end jewelry heists and illegal street racing, down to liquor store robberies and drive-by shootings.

The game has three playable characters with separate but intersecting story-lines that delve into subjects and activities such as bank robbing, gang-affiliation, drug-dealing, crooked police, and even downright psychotic behavior. This type of content is what makes the series and its latest entry in particular highly controversial.

What many people don’t understand is that the game’s universe is very satirical, meaning it’s something of a parody of real life, like a big joke off of real-world issues.

The game has a content rating of M for “mature” as in “not for immature people”.

Still, the game is not for everyone, as some might find the highly detailed visuals quite shocking when violence is occurring on screen; and it is certainly not for kids, as it has incredibly persistent profane language and more than a few sexual themes.

However, for the responsible mature adult who is intrigued by the criminal world, the game offers plenty of thrills in the universe of crime, with a heavy dose of ironic humor, and is good for hours of harmless guilty pleasure, as long as people keep their crimes in the game.

 

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