Gaming: GTA4

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You said and I quote "I will never let the likes of you take other peoples freedoms away." That sounds pretty offensive and provocative to me. What exactly are "the likes of you?" Do you care to elaborate? And what freedoms are you referring to? I believe you may realize that many people on here would find such a game offensive. Me personally I dont have a problem with them as such. And if you are comparing wasting your life playing video games to reading, I’d much rather waste my time reading.
 
Before i was a chrisitan i did play GTA even tho i liked it the story mode was to hard for me anyway. I dont plan on buying GTA4 because of the story line and other stuff. But i play sports games more then shooters any way for me.
 
I just got a copy of GTA4 for the 360. Pretty game. The story is quite good, but it’s not mindless violence. I would compare it to a classic mob movie, maybe like Goodfellas, or one of the “good” Godfather films. There is some offensive material in it, particularly in the cutscenes, but I just close my eyes and hit the button to skip it.

I think it would start to be a problem if you started playing GTA4, say, instead of doing your daily rosary or prayers.
 
I picked it up partially because I am in the industry working on an Open World game so GTA really sets the standard – and man, is it setting the standard – it may turn out to be the highest rated game of all time – tons of 10 out of 10’s and 100% in reviews.

There are some things in the game that make me think twice. But part of me thinks the problem is mostly because it is so realistically depicted on the graphics level with the powerful hardware of the next gen consoles. Part of me thinks that what it really is is the old game of “Cops and Robbers” depicted in a game and you are playing as the robber.

Also, to be fair, many controversial items are handled in a way that leave it up to the player to decide: like the drunk driving that is all over the news. Players CAN actually be “responsible” when playing their character and take a taxi – but of course that’s not what is going to get the focus. I may just be biased anyway.

On the other hand, there is no “good” boy way to play the game since you are in fact a “robber”. And on this side of the argument I think of the Pope’s comment for the media about glamorizing sex and violence and the game does do this.

However, like with all media (movies and TV included) I think it is up to the individual user to decide what is an occasion of sin and all that. There is no nudity in the game (which many if not most movies contain). There is definitely violence that is realistic with blood but still not as gory and graphic and detailed as so many movies and even TV shows these days.

It is definitely not for kids, but then it is M rated for Mature so no kids should be playing it.
 
Newbie2 said:
Sure, it’s only a game. :rolleyes: And Pornstars are only actors…

A game that’ll never see my house either.
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False analogy. Porn actors are real people. Strippers in videogames are just polygons on screen. Plus, who masturabates to videogames? It’s not like I go all primal when I play videogames. I mean, what would be the point of Pornography if not a masturbation aid?

Naked people, whether real or virtual, aren’t evil in themselves, unless people use them to lead themselves to sin.

Think about it. Everyone says how wonderful the characters in Romeo and Juleit are, but the fact is that they are just as fictious as the characters in Grand Theft Auto.

Why do people cry over non-existant characters in fictional books yet find it replusive to sympathize with characters in videogames.

It’s hypocracy. If GTA IV was a book, a lot of people would be approving of it.
 
Bresinain said:
You said and I quote "I will never let the likes of you take other peoples freedoms away." That sounds pretty offensive and provocative to me. What exactly are "the likes of you?" Do you care to elaborate? And what freedoms are you referring to? I believe you may realize that many people on here would find such a game offensive. Me personally I dont have a problem with them as such. And if you are comparing wasting your life playing video games to reading, I’d much rather waste my time reading.
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By “the likes of you” I mean people who want to ban things int eh name of serving the common good. The Soviets did the same thing in my country. They forbid the national anthem. They confiscated questionable creative works. They locked up people that were "Corrupting the public morality,’ et cetera, et cetera.

You see band Grand Theft Auto IV now and they might ban the Bible next for it being “Offensive.” You won’t find it moral and just and good when the government starts labeling Christian Speech as hate speech or some other bogus charge.

Remember, “Romeo and Juliet” was considered immoral and banned by the Church at one point too as well as the Heliocentric Theory.
 
Is it better than the original Deus Ex. I think BioShock would be a great game if you love the work from the Cato Institute.
 
lubczyk said:
False analogy. Porn actors are real people. Strippers in videogames are just polygons on screen. Plus, who masturabates to videogames? It’s not like I go all primal when I play videogames. I mean, what would be the point of Pornography if not a masturbation aid?

Naked people, whether real or virtual, aren’t evil in themselves, unless people use them to lead themselves to sin.
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I bet people will soon become aroused if one can video games displayed with volumetry projections. I wonder if we will see that technology developed.
 
lub << I’ve been playing Grand Theft Auto IV since Tuesday, and I’ve got to say, it’s amazing - The best game I’ve played in the last ten years. >>

Since Tuesday? Today is early Saturday so that means 96 hours straight. Just kidding.

If I had an Xbox 360 or PS3 I’d probably buy it, but I’m only interested in the graphics/game play/technology since I like to try to make these games.

I’m thinking a traditionalist Catholic version:

Grand Theft Pope: The Sedevacantist Game

Phil P
 
PhilVaz said:
lub << I’ve been playing Grand Theft Auto IV since Tuesday, and I’ve got to say, it’s amazing - The best game I’ve played in the last ten years. >>

Since Tuesday? Today is early Saturday so that means 96 hours straight. Just kidding.

If I had an Xbox 360 or PS3 I’d probably buy it, but I’m only interested in the graphics/game play/technology since I like to try to make these games.

I’m thinking a traditionalist Catholic version:

Grand Theft Pope: The Sedevacantist Game

Phil P
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Sorry, my mistake. I bought the game on Tuesday, not been playing it non-stop since Tuesday. I’ve played the game for about 8 hours total so far.

Sorrry for not making it clear.
 
Not a problem. When I finally bought a PS2 (early 2003, I’m a little slow, I’ll probably have my Xbox 360 and PS3 by 2010) and GTA: Vice City the same day, I played the game about 996 hours straight. I’ve only gotten through about 5% of the game however. I’m no good at these games, but I like to try to design them and see how they are made. Been fascinated with making them since Asteroids (1980). 🙂

Phil P
 
I played every GTA game made except this recent one. There ain’t no two ways about it. It is the glorification of criminal violence and I just can’t have that clunking around in my head any more.
 
It is just too funny how people freak out over violent games. Because I like to blow people’s heads off in GTA (too bad they didn’t include this feature in IV) and drive cars into innocent bystanders does not mean that I am a immoral or evil person. I go to church every weekend and I find it fun to kill people in videogames. How? Reality and virtual reality. They are totally different. If anyone actually believes or imitates video games, they are psycho (probably worse actually)
 
My main objection is the ability to hurt and kill law enforcement figures in the games. My dad and FIL were both cops for 25 years, my DH was one for about a year civilian and five years military, and my brother is a corrections officer. Nothing that glorifies cop killing is coming in my house. Including movies, gangsta rap, or anything else.

I don’t think it should be banned, because I am against censorship. But I choose to ban it from my home because of the reason I stated above. Personal choice.

I just bought my husband and sons a bargain copy of the original Call of Duty, so obviously I don’t object to all violent games.
 
lubczyk said:
Plus, who masturabates to videogames?
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Are you seriously asking that? I know multiple people, sadly.
It’s hypocracy. If GTA IV was a book, a lot of people would be approving of it.
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That’s terribly immaterial to the present discussion. There are times that I get terribly emotion over video games, but I still don’t want to play GTA.
lubczyk said:
banned by the Church at one point too as well as the Heliocentric Theory.
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Sigh That’s not true at all. All that was banned was Galileo demanding that the Church interpret Scripture in such a way in order to make heliocentrism an infallible Truth of the faith.

Sam, the Neon Orange Knight
 
You have to remember though that video games are a form of art and to have the talent to create them is a gift from God. We should appreciate video games for what it is, art. But, then again I think GTA does bring it a step too far.
 
duskyjewel said:
My main objection is the ability to hurt and kill law enforcement figures in the games. My dad and FIL were both cops for 25 years, my DH was one for about a year civilian and five years military, and my brother is a corrections officer. Nothing that glorifies cop killing is coming in my house. Including movies, gangsta rap, or anything else.

I don’t think it should be banned, because I am against censorship. But I choose to ban it from my home because of the reason I stated above. Personal choice.

I just bought my husband and sons a bargain copy of the original Call of Duty, so obviously I don’t object to all violent games.
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We are killing polygons of law enforcement figures, obviously not actual law enforcement figures. The game doesn’t promote or condone the killing of anyone – it is just the nature of such a game. To say it glorifies cop killing is to say that playing FIFA 2008 glorifies soccer. I actually hate soccer. I hate harming other human beings as well.
 
gmags2003 said:
We are killing polygons of law enforcement figures, obviously not actual law enforcement figures. The game doesn’t promote or condone the killing of anyone – it is just the nature of such a game. To say it glorifies cop killing is to say that playing FIFA 2008 glorifies soccer.
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Signs and symbols are signifcant and meaningful-they often carry more meaning than words alone-just look around at Mass next time you attend. The representations of police officers in a game obviously communicate more meaning than you’re willing to admit, otherwise the game creators could have put random images in their place without affecting their overall vision for the game. People generally understand they are not killing actual people in these games, but the experiences and representations in the game still carry meaning-and for some people that meaning is offensive and immoral.
 
lubczyk said:
Fascist!!! I had enough of things being banned in Communist Poland. I’ll never let the likes of you take other people’s freedoms away.
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Allow me to clarify. The game lets players enter strip clubs, does it not? In real life minors are banned from entering them and so the game should have received an AO rating - as it stands, plenty of minors are playing the game this very moment.

As us gamers know, an AO rating will not be picked up by Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo, and the game is effectively banned.

Now should strip clubs be banned? Should child pornography be banned? Where do we draw the line?
 
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