Since the release of Grand Theft Auto V last month, my news feeds have been dominated once again with commentary about video-game immorality. Parents, activists, and others are using the latest installment of the crime-drama driving game to try to direct the nation’s moral compass, complaining that the violence, sexism, and vulgar language in video games is corrupting our youth. In response, gamers defend their right to play games like GTA V, saying its violence and sex is no worse than what you see in Hollywood movies. It’s a good argument. And yet, reading the gamer arguments, it’s clear they’re coming from an entirely different universe. Literally.
If I played GTA V right now, I would play it as it’s intended to be played—shooting innocent people, having sex with hookers, and eliminating rivals. I would glory in the gangster life—poppin’ bitches and pimpin’ hos. That’s because morals are quickly swept aside once you’re inside a game. You play to win, meaning you play by the game’s rules. That is the nature of gaming. Video games take place in fantasy worlds with abstract systems and rules, often resulting in moral codes different from our society’s. Most games, even ones no one would consider immoral, have killing in their game mechanics. Super Mario Bros., one of the most beloved games of all time, includes mass murder (how many koopas have you killed?). This is why, if you truly want to objectively gauge the morality of a game, you can’t do it from inside the game.
Before jumping into the driver’s seat, you should expose yourself to the game from the passenger side. You should research it beyond the promo video and head to YouTube, where you can find an infinite number of gameplay videos. By watching gameplay as a spectator, you’ll be able to form a more objective opinion of the game and its morals or lack thereof. Here, long before you’re pressing buttons on a controller, is where the real moral choice in gaming is made.
I did this with Grand Theft Auto V, and it helped me decide whether I wanted to be one of the 15 million people who have bought the game. I had previously watched the promo video, and was impressed. Rockstar has been working on this game for years, and it shows. The sheer amount of detail is mind-blowing, not to mention the fact that you can interact and adventure all over SoCal. And you can do more than explore the entire world; you can also play mini-games. You can go freakin’ scuba diving if you want! That’s right, Rockstar even created an underwater world for you. Sweet!
Intrigued, I watched gameplay videos uploaded to YouTube by proud gamers. It started OK. I watched a player blast through cops, screaming all the expletives you would expect, but nothing was really all that alarming to me at that point. No, I don’t believe that you should kill cops. But these cops are after your character, and like any other game, you have to stop the people who might prevent your successful completion of the game. And by stop, I mean blast them with a military-grade weapon.
Fast forward. The player goes into a gun shop to buy new weapons. Realizing that he can’t shoot people in the gun range or rob the store, he leaves the store frustrated, declaring, “Somebody is going to catch one of these!” as his character punches the air. He turns to see a woman standing on the street corner. He approaches her, punches her in the head, she stumbles and puts her hands up in defense. Then he shoots her point blank in the head. I was shocked.
Why? I knew what I was watching, a game where you kill prostitutes to get your money back. But watching it as a spectator stirred up a lot of negative feelings. I watched a few more videos for good measure, and finally couldn’t handle it any longer. Morally, I could never bring myself to play this game. Even though I know it’s a fantasy world, it was too real and glorifying too many things I stand against. As a gamer, I made the moral choice not to enter that world.
So I propose to other gamers: Before entering a game, educate yourself. You might decide that the awesome mechanics outweigh whatever questionable material is present. That is fine. But I suspect that if more players stopped to think about what they’re playing before they play, they might choose fewer games like GTA V. Maybe then there would be more games that reward you for creativity and abstract thinking (Project Spark, anyone?), and not for killing women after paying them for sex.
geeklyreport@seattleweekly.com
