I've been playing the GTA series since the original, and so far I've not gone crazy and started confusing the games with reality. I've played GTA4 almost exclusively since I got it last week, and I just have to say that it's fun as hell. I play games to have fun, and for stress relief. I find it to be nearly as effective as time at the range after a rough day at the office. I'll agree it's not a kids game, but that's where responsible adults should be brought in, to judge if their children should play it or not. Since it is a game, I try to take it as such, an escape from the pressures of the real world, so to speak, and not try to mix it with real world issues.
"Grand Theft Auto 3"
- Thread starter Wyldman
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jakeswensonmt
New member
I must say that I am surprised at your reaction, Wyldman. These games have been around fora long time, and the complaints have been nonstop since their inception, but they usually run along the lines of "you can kill cops in GTA" or "carjacking is part of the game" or "too many innocent bystanders are massacred in GTA." I've never heard anyone complain about the games politics before...
PS: I love the soundtrack in GTA3!
GTA 4, released recently, grossed more dollars in its first weekend of sales than any movie, ever (in its first weekend,) $310 million the first day alone, $500 million the first week.
PS: I love the soundtrack in GTA3!
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JuanCarlos
New member
Well, given this:
...it seems the OP is concerned about "children" in general. Of which 17-year-olds specifically (the only minors who should be playing this game) are only a tiny subset. Also, assuming the cousin in question is a minor odds are he also isn't 17 specifically.
Of course, here is where on a more gaming-oriented forum we could have a lively discussion on just how absurd the age cutoff of 17 is for M-rating, given that AO (the "adults only" rating, generally reserved for quasi-pornographic or just plain pornographic games) has a cutoff of 18. Because of course that year is just critical, right?
But yeah, the key to "protecting our children" from videogames is recognizing that the "M" on the front doesn't stand for "monkeys." It's the equivalent of an R rating from the MPAA, and signifies that more than likely if your worried about "protecting your children" then this game isn't appropriate for them. And the reason that I don't think legislation is necessary (like the proposed mandatory ID checks) is that a vast majority of the time, based on my experience handing out games at both retail and rental, the parent is present when the kids get these games. And I'd wager a majority of the rest, the parent knows the kid has the game.
It's not like the average kid is hiding the copy of GTA 4 (or 3, or Vice City, or San Andreas) in a secret compartment in their closet, and only playing it while the parents are gone. More often than not the case is sitting on the kid's shelf, the disc is in the console, and they're playing it while the parents are in the next room (or across the house). The game is clearly labeled as to the content, and six seconds spent browsing the back of the box should be more than enough to convince any concerned parent as to the appropriateness (or rather, lack thereof) for their child. Failing that, four seconds spent on google should erase any doubts.
So yes, by all means do not let your kid buy/play this game. It's not meant for them, and is clearly labeled as such. And I wholeheartedly support your boycott of the game...though again, I find the idea that it's the "omg makin' fun of 'publicans" part that really put you over the top pretty absurd.
Disclaimer: I actually don't particularly dig the GTA series anyway. I think the gameplay is largely crap, and that the series thrives on shock value more than anything. But I haven't played 4 (or much of VC or SA), so maybe that's changed.
Also, it should be noted that Capcom is just the publisher, and that Rockstar is the developer. While it's fair to hold Capcom partially responsible, at that point you should also start looking into what the subsidiaries of some other companies are involved with. An easy example is Disney, and some of the things that get published under studios/labels they own. The only difference is that Capcom doesn't try to hide it.
There are so many responses to my original post that I am not even going to try to answer them all ... I would be here all day, LOL.
To answer one question asked at least twice, my cousin is 32.
Many of you came back with the statement "it's only a game" but I cannot help but notice that almost all (if not ALL) of you who said that admittedly own and PLAY the game. Hmmm. I also noticed that MANY of you who responded were some of the same people praising the liberal agenda and bashing conservatives in another thread ... yet another clue.
I was a Psych major in college and we extensively studied Classical Conditioning and "brainwashing" as well as why and how brainwashing works. The posting of propaganda is a very old and extremely effective technique of brainwashing that dates wayyy back. Liberal America actively and effectively uses this technique to gain followers and therefor power. They plaster their "Propaganda" all over the liberal - controlled media, television shows, movies and even video games. Almost anywhere you look today, you will see liberal propaganda. The cool thing about using propaganda is that those duped by it don't have a clue that they have been the victim of a classic and extremely effective brainwashing technique. They have seen this propaganda so much that it has literally become a "normal" part of their lives. The material that is "force-fed" to these people literally becomes a part of their daily lives and they subconsciously and blindly believe what they are hearing and seeing simply because it is force-fed to them all day, everyday, 365!
This why while we are AT WAR with the terrorist, Muslim world our people are about to elect a Muslim (YES, he was born Muslim and his family is Muslim) to the office of president. A Muslim who refuses to salute our flag, WILL NOT honor our national anthem, refuses to wear an American Flag pin stating that "it sends the wrong message to the world", has met with terrorist leaders on a friendly basis in the past and has numerous connections to subversive Muslim leaders across the nation and the world. It is amazing to me how nobody but Conservative America sees a HUGE problem with all of this. Well, we have Classical Conditioning (Brainwashing) to thank for this! This is why I say this game and others like it are so dangerous!
Now, it is not my intention to rant or bash anyone here. I was asked why I feel the way I do about this game and so I am giving my answer. As I stated earlier, I will not allow myself to be dragged into a pointless argument over this. This is what I believe and know to be true and if you don't like it or disagree then that is absolutely your right. However, I think that if most of you will think about this for a bit before responding and perhaps do some reading on brainwashing techniques and the effectiveness of the posting of propaganda, you will have a better understanding of it.
To answer one question asked at least twice, my cousin is 32.
Many of you came back with the statement "it's only a game" but I cannot help but notice that almost all (if not ALL) of you who said that admittedly own and PLAY the game. Hmmm. I also noticed that MANY of you who responded were some of the same people praising the liberal agenda and bashing conservatives in another thread ... yet another clue.
I was a Psych major in college and we extensively studied Classical Conditioning and "brainwashing" as well as why and how brainwashing works. The posting of propaganda is a very old and extremely effective technique of brainwashing that dates wayyy back. Liberal America actively and effectively uses this technique to gain followers and therefor power. They plaster their "Propaganda" all over the liberal - controlled media, television shows, movies and even video games. Almost anywhere you look today, you will see liberal propaganda. The cool thing about using propaganda is that those duped by it don't have a clue that they have been the victim of a classic and extremely effective brainwashing technique. They have seen this propaganda so much that it has literally become a "normal" part of their lives. The material that is "force-fed" to these people literally becomes a part of their daily lives and they subconsciously and blindly believe what they are hearing and seeing simply because it is force-fed to them all day, everyday, 365!
This why while we are AT WAR with the terrorist, Muslim world our people are about to elect a Muslim (YES, he was born Muslim and his family is Muslim) to the office of president. A Muslim who refuses to salute our flag, WILL NOT honor our national anthem, refuses to wear an American Flag pin stating that "it sends the wrong message to the world", has met with terrorist leaders on a friendly basis in the past and has numerous connections to subversive Muslim leaders across the nation and the world. It is amazing to me how nobody but Conservative America sees a HUGE problem with all of this. Well, we have Classical Conditioning (Brainwashing) to thank for this! This is why I say this game and others like it are so dangerous!
Now, it is not my intention to rant or bash anyone here. I was asked why I feel the way I do about this game and so I am giving my answer. As I stated earlier, I will not allow myself to be dragged into a pointless argument over this. This is what I believe and know to be true and if you don't like it or disagree then that is absolutely your right. However, I think that if most of you will think about this for a bit before responding and perhaps do some reading on brainwashing techniques and the effectiveness of the posting of propaganda, you will have a better understanding of it.
JuanCarlos
New member
So, what I'm hearing here is that Grand Theft Auto 4 is really just part of the vast Liberal conspiracy to brainwash our people and convince them to elect a closet Muslim to office?
LOL, well I wouldn't quite say it that way but that is close. It isn't to specifically elect a Muslim leader but is definitely designed to scare impressionable young people away from the conservative side and bring them to the liberal agenda. I would not and do not consider it "a conspiracy theory", I merely think it is a questionable practice.
I'll tell you what ... some of you are undoubtedly college students. Don't take my word for it ... go ask your Psych professor or a practicing Psychologist about it. They would be happy to explain it to you.
JuanCarlos
New member
Oh, I'm familiar with the technique. Kudos, though, for suggesting [EDIT: or rather, implying] that anybody who doesn't agree that Grand Theft Auto 4 is part of a Liberal conspiracy to brainwash us all must simply be ignorant.
Or, alternately, Conservatives simply don't control enough media outlets to do it effectively.
jakeswensonmt
New member
I don't think that Obama is a muslim, he attends a radical racist-black-supremacist wingnut "christian" church. There's so many well documented good reasons not to vote for Obama, the muslim theory isn't really necessary.
I do NOT want to make this about Obama, Clinton, Bush or McCain. Perhaps using Obama as an example wasn't my best choice. I am merely trying to demonstrate WHY practices and material like this are subversive, not in the spirit of "fair-play" and should not be allowed or condoned by the general public. PLEASE guys, let's not make this another thread bashing our candidates?!
JuanCarlos
New member
Hey, you're the one who brought it up. And you're the one suggesting that anybody willing to vote for a particular candidate is a subversive (no, not in this post, in the other).
But hey, I'll drop it if you will.
For an example of just how willing the conservative (assuming we're simplifying the political spectrum into a single dimension) side is to use propaganda techniques, I say you need look no further than Fox News. Again, I'll suggest that the only difference between Conservative America or Liberal America
barf:, by the way) in this regard is that the former simply doesn't control enough media outlets to effectively use the technique...it's certainly not some ideological opposition to using such underhanded tactics or any moral high road or blah blah blah.And just in case, I'll state that I'm not saying this based on what the Liberal Media tells me about Fox News...I've watched more than my fair share of it, I'm speaking from what I've seen first-hand.
I got news for you, the makers of GTA have one thing on their mind... MONEY. You will not find a more capitalistic driven market than mass produced video games. The hits make fantastic amounts of money, get the creators and their studios recognition and lucrative follow up contracts. Those that fail are on the mark down pile in about two weeks and the creators get to see their office furniture repossessed. Sorry to burst your bubble but their is no huge left wing conspiracy here.
You also chose to throw Obama in here and make the normal paranoid comments about him being a Muslim so don't get all defensive on it. Personally I am more concerned about his partiality to Black Liberation Theology (Christian) and its message of hatred and racism. Even more I am concerned about his lack of experience, poor judgment, and bad policy positions.
FYI, I haven't played any GTA games. I am not a console guy and have pretty much stuck to Call of Duty, Half Life, Silent Hunter and other such games. Wait!!! I played Silent Hunter III a great deal and in it I was a captain of a German U-Boat sinking Allied naval and merchant vessels... I sent hundreds of thousands of tons and countless Allied sailors to a watery grave in the North Atlantic! Oh My God, does this make me a Nazi!?!?
http://library.thinkquest.org/C0111500/whatis.htm
Here is a link to an EXCELLENT article about propaganda. It is worth the read.
Here is a link to an EXCELLENT article about propaganda. It is worth the read.
Agreed but if you will read my second to last post, I ALREADY dropped it and admitted that using Obama as an example WAS NOT my best choice.
There are enough threads about the candidates on here and I don't want this to become another one. This thread is meant to open peoples eyes to the propaganda that is currently being spewed by the Liberal agenda.
Shadi Khalil
New member
Wow, that's really funny. Comments like that lend to the legitmacy of the satire contained in the game.
I for one think the game is great, same goes for the previous ones. We are constanly bombarded with comments like the ones above from our media that games like GTA are a breath of fresh air. Bash me all you want.
Too late, the above qoute was a pointless rant that would lead to a pointless agrument.
The fact is, "people" don't put this stuff in your homes, PARENTS do.
The problem is that parents don't act like parents anymore. They don't control what their children watch. If you don't want them playing video games, get rid of the video games. If you don't want them to watch cable TV, get rid of cable TV.
I've played violent video games my entire life and I've only been in one physical fight in my entire life. Video games don't make people violent, violent parents make people violent. Kids learn their behaviors from their parents.
The problem is that parents don't act like parents anymore. They don't control what their children watch. If you don't want them playing video games, get rid of the video games. If you don't want them to watch cable TV, get rid of cable TV.
I've played violent video games my entire life and I've only been in one physical fight in my entire life. Video games don't make people violent, violent parents make people violent. Kids learn their behaviors from their parents.
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