Deadline Hollywood Daily has posted detailed comments about GTA IV from video game IP expert Keith Boesky, who sees the game as a cultural milestone:GTA is violent, but like the movies, the violence is a reflection of our time... The game is a fantasy, it is ok to pretend...
Games are constantly being attacked for sex and violence - even though we have none of the first, and strictly control the second. Politicians, media, parents and crazy lawyers all attack the industry with a broad brush, sweeping kids together with adults... The industry is diverse enough to accommodate Mario and [Metal Gear Solid's] Snake Plisken but the media and politicians still portray our market as one for children...
I am not delusional. I know there are ultra violent games out there. I played the snuff film called Manhunt and saw the... scene from Postal where the player lights someone on fire and pees on them, but these games just don't sell in volume... Like any other media, violence alone will not sell games. The game must be good...
Comments
Well put.
Yeah, but admit it, Snake Pliskin is cooler. Even when he successfully escapes from both New York and LA and pilots boats under the assumed name Captain Ron he's sweet.
Agreed, he was still damned cool.
They didn't even mention 25 to Life[does anyone even remember it now?], all that kept it out of the bargain bin was the controversy.
But that aside, I agree with the basic premise - the industry is big enough for my kids to have played Jump Start games years ago and Super Smash Bros and Metroid Prime now, while I play stuff ranging from Chessmaster to Postal 2 to Blade of Darkness and more.
Man the only thing I remember from that game is the amount of bad scores it got. Now that I think about it that was a pretty terrible looking game.
Precisely my point, it would have just gone away had the alarmists just shut up about it.
Cue R.E.M.'s"It's The End of The World As We Know It".
They are making a Saw video game. I wonder if it will get any attention?
Snake's real name is David, same as his voice actor.