Violent thoughtsFalcon6Posted: 05/02/2008
You know, it never astounds me just how incredibly moronic some people can be.
Grand Theft Auto IV has been out for almost four days now. It's gotten so much money since then and it's pretty much a success. I even hear it's broken Halo 3's record-breaking first day sales. A congrats to Rockstar for their job well done on that note, by the way.
Unfortunately, what would a Grand Theft Auto game be without controversy? Prostitution, violence, theft, sex, and what-not. And considering San Andreas, which brought people into terms with the phrase "hot coffee," I suppose looking at GTA IV with a wary eye is understandable. Still, some of these attempts at giving the game a darker look than it already has are borderline pathetic.
Now, I'm not going to go over a huge essay over how these crackpots have absolutely no idea what they're talking about. I'm not going to continue pressing my opinion over how much of an idiot a certain anti-gaming lawyer is. I'm not even going to mention him. I think I, as a gamer, have made my point clear on this matter which side I stand on.
All I'm going to say is three things: I'm 19 years old. My friend is also 19. Many of my users are teenagers who love video games. I've come across many gamers ever since I got on the Internet and grew better inside seeing the different viewpoints of the world. Not once have I felt like any of these people were "desensitized" to violence because they've played games like that. And I most certainly am not desensitized to it ever since I played Resident Evil 4, Dead Rising, and the Halo series, to name a few particular ones. And I don't see myself as becoming desensitized because I'll be playing Grand Theft Auto IV by the end of this weekend.
Also, enough of this crap about the game getting into the hands of minors. Nobody is saying "Hey, Grand Theft Auto should be played by kids." The only people who say that are gamers who already can't get it because of the age limit. Any sensible person can tell you that GTA shouldn't be played by a kid that young. Will these kids still get it? Yeah, if they try. Same with pornography and underage drinking. If they want it bad enough, they'll find a way to get it, no matter how many walls you put in their way. And banning the game outright is still, and forever will be, a violation of free speech. This is America, maaan. [no offense to my Canadian viewers, buddeh.]
And a final note: Stop saying games are the cause of violence. No, it doesn't cause it. No one is going to be killing someone because a game told them to. The person who actually does do this is already mentally unstable. Games don't cause violence. Gamers don't cause violence.
No, it's people that cause violence. A gamer doesn't shoot a pedestrian for their money. A person shoots a pedestrian for their money. A gamer doesn't kill prostitutes for money. A person kills prostitutes for money. A gamer doesn't carjack a truck. A person carjacks a truck.
Grand Theft Auto is not the ill that causes a dystopia in our society. It's not even the people who play the game. It's people. Period. End of discussion.
-Falcon
---------------------------------
PS: Though I must admit, watching some people make fools of themselves and seeing some people call them out over these views is fantastic.
Also, obligatory Daily Show over Grand Theft Auto.=)
Kealning the KartFalcon6Posted: 04/29/2008
So, two games are coming out this week. One a big deal and the other just plain fun. One has you stealing cars and the other just gets hit by shells a lot.
First off, Grand Theft Auto IV. Yes, the video game world's lovely little attention getter. Despite previous installments being completely unattractive to me, this one actually seems very interesting to me. Not so much the fact that this is the first GTA game that is on a console I can play, but it's also the first one to seem engaging to me. It really does seem like they're conveying the fact that the game isn't all about crime and such, but also about a story...and the main character seems very interesting to me.
Next up, Mario Kart Wii.
...
It's Mario Kart Wii. Come on, what can't you like about it? Very fun. The Wii Wheel, though....very hard to get used to. Luckily, I can always use the GCN controller.
Also, I love the implemention of the Miis in the levels and as a playable racer. Simply because I can now race as Dr. Zoidberg...which is incredible.
I'm probably going to be looking into a new schedule for updating the comics, as my current schedule isn't working very well. I'll inform you guys when and if I do that.
