Controversies surrounding Grand Theft Auto V
Grand Theft Auto V is an open world, action-adventure video game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games.
Depiction of torture
[[Image:Grand Theft Auto V torture sequence.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The mission "By the Book" involves a sequence wherein players use torture techniques including [[waterboarding]] to interrogate a man. The sequence ignited debate among journalists, who noted the mission's function as political commentary. Some felt that the use of torture was in poor taste, but others felt that it was necessary for the sequence's purpose.|alt=A man is strapped to an overturned chair with a cloth concealing his face. Player character Trevor stands over him with a canister, about to pour water on his face. A text prompt in the upper left-hand corner reads "Hold [left stick] to pour water."]]
The mission "By the Book" generated controversy from reviewers and commentators for its depiction of torture. In the mission, protagonist Trevor Philips interrogates a man, Mr K., to extract information about an Azerbaijani fugitive who poses a threat to the FIB. Trevor uses torture equipment (such as electricity and pliers) on the restrained man, which players select from a table. Once Mr K provides the FIB with the information, Trevor is asked to kill him, but instead drives him to the airport, providing him an opportunity to escape. While driving Mr K, Trevor monologues about the ineffectiveness of torture, pointing out Mr K's readiness to supply the FIB with the information without being tortured, and expressing that torture is used as a power play "to assert ourselves".[1]
Reviewers echoed that while the mission served as political commentary on
Accusations of misogyny
But is their [critics'] argument that in a game about gangsters and thugs and street life, there are prostitutes and strippers—that that is inappropriate? I don't think we revel in the mistreatment of women at all. I just think in the world we're representing, in Grand Theft Auto, that it's appropriate.
Dan Houser, Rockstar head writer and VP for creative, The New York Times, 9 November 2012[7]
Some reviewers concluded that the game's depiction of women is misogynistic. Similarly, Plante of Polygon felt that the supporting female characters were constructed on stereotypes, and wrote that the game's "treatment of women is a relic from the current generation".[8] Todd Martens of the Los Angeles Times considered the satirical portrayals of women uncreative, and added that violent and sexist themes hurt the game experience.[9] Edge noted that while "every female in the game exists solely to be sneered, leered or laughed at", it treated its all-male lead characters in a similar vein through their stereotyped tendencies towards violence.[10] Dave Cook of VG247 reinforced the sentiment that the female characters were constructed on stereotypes in an editorial: "They're either there to be rescued, shouted at, fucked, to be seen fucking, put up with, killed, heard prattling away like dullards on their mobile phones or shopping".[11] Sam Houser, Rockstar Games co-founder, felt that the development team sometimes overlooked their portrayal of women in Grand Theft Auto games, but that the weight towards male characters "fit with the story we wanted to tell".[12]
In her review, Petit of GameSpot observed misogynistic undertones in the treatment of women as "strippers, prostitutes, long-suffering wives, humourless girlfriends and goofy, new-age feminists", and felt that the satirical representation of misogyny legitimises it.
Legal actions
In October 2013, hip-hop artist
Notes
- ^ The songs are "C-Walk" by Kurupt and "Nothin' But the Cavi Hit" by Mack 10 and Tha Dogg Pound, which were both produced by Dillinger and included in the West Coast Classics station.[23]
- ^ Gravano is the daughter of former Gambino crime family underboss Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano and she featured in the first three seasons of Mob Wives, which follows women whose husbands or fathers have been arrested and imprisoned for Mafia-related crimes.[24]
References
- ^ Rockstar North (17 September 2013). Grand Theft Auto V (PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360) (1.0 ed.). Rockstar Games. Level/area: By the Book.
Trevor: The media and the government would have us believe that torture is some necessary thing. We need it to get information, to assert ourselves. Did we get any information out of you? / Mr K: I would have told you everything. / Trevor: Exactly. Torture's for the torturer. Or the guy giving the orders to the torturer. You torture for the good times – we should admit that. It's useless as a means of getting information!
- ^ CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2013.)
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help - ^ MacDonald, Keza (16 September 2013). "Grand Theft Auto V Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 16 September 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
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suggested) (help) - ^ Bramwell, Tom (16 September 2013). "Is the most disturbing scene in GTA5 justified?". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 18 September 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
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suggested) (help) - ^ Hern, Alex (19 September 2013). "Grand Theft Auto 5 under fire for graphic torture scene". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Archived from the original on 20 September 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
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suggested) (help) - ^ Chick, Tom (21 September 2013). "Is Grand Theft Auto V the most relevant story about torture since Zero Dark Thirty?". Quarter to Three. Archived from the original on 17 March 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
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suggested) (help) - ^ Suellentrop, Chris (9 November 2012). "Americana at Its Most Felonious — Q. and A.: Rockstar's Dan Houser on Grand Theft Auto V". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Archived from the original on 10 November 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
{{cite news}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ Plante, Chris (16 September 2013). "Grand Theft Auto 5 review: golden years". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on 18 September 2014. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
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- ^ Cook, Dave (23 September 2013). "GTA 5: misogyny, teeth-pulling and subjectivity". VG247. Videogaming 247 Ltd. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
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suggested) (help) - ^ Suellentrop, Chris (16 September 2013). "Grand Theft Auto V Is a Return to the Comedy of Violence". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Archived from the original on 25 November 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
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suggested) (help) - Market for Home Computing and Video Games. Intent Media. Archived from the original on 20 September 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2013.)
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suggested) (help - ^ Lewis, Helen (22 September 2013). "Yes, it's misogynistic and violent, but I still admire Grand Theft Auto". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
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suggested) (help) - ^ Hoggins, Tom (4 October 2013). "Grand Theft Auto V is designed deliberately to degrade women". The Daily Telegraph. London: Telegraph Media Group. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
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suggested) (help) - GamesIndustry.biz. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 10 October 2013. Retrieved 9 October 2013.)
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ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help - ^ Bissell, Tom (25 September 2013). "Poison Tree — A letter to Niko Bellic about Grand Theft Auto V". Grantland. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on 21 March 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
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suggested) (help) - ^ Yahoo. Archived from the original on 4 December 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2014.)
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suggested) (help - ^ Makuch, Eddie (3 December 2014). "Grand Theft Auto 5: Target, Kmart pull game off shelves over sexual violence controversy". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 4 December 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
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suggested) (help) - ^ Reilly, Luke (3 December 2014). "Target's GTA 5 Snub is Misinformed and Achieves Nothing". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 4 December 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
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suggested) (help) - ^ Serrels, Mark (4 December 2014). "Target's Grand Theft Auto V Ban Leaves Us With No-One To Blame". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Archived from the original on 4 December 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
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suggested) (help) - ^ Keogh, Brendan (5 December 2014). "Grand Theft Auto: lesson learned the hard way". The Drum. ABC News. Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
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suggested) (help) - ^ Pitchfork Media. 11 October 2013. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2013.)
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suggested) (help - ^ a b Jackson, Mike (27 February 2014). "Mob Wives' Karen Gravano suing Rockstar over GTA V character". Computer and Video Games. Future plc. Archived from the original on 7 July 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2014.
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suggested) (help) - ^ Donahue, Bill (23 April 2014). "Video Game Makers Say Free Speech Bars 'Mob Wives' Suit". Law360. LexisNexis. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 29 April 2014.
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suggested) (help) - ^ "Lindsay Lohan is suing the makers of Grand Theft Auto V". Newsbeat. BBC. 2 July 2014. Archived from the original on 3 July 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
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suggested) (help) - ^ Phillips, Tom (27 August 2014). "Lindsay Lohan sued Rockstar for attention, Grand Theft Auto 5 dev says". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 29 August 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
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{{Grand Theft Auto V |state=expanded}} {{Grand Theft Auto}} {{Rockstar Games}} [[Category:Grand Theft Auto V|Controversy]] [[Category:Criticisms|Grand Theft Auto V]] [[Category:Video game controversies]] [[Category:Criticisms of software and websites]]