...so did I!
Grand Theft auto is not a game installment that was worth losing sleep over, so I didn't partake in the mass campouts and midnight releases. No, I picked up my copy the day it was released, sometime in the afternoon, like a normal person.
The GTA games are not ones that I usually play. I was in elementary school when the original game made a giant splash in the worlds of video games and yes... PTA. My mom, being the dedicated, loving, over-involved parent that she was (love you mom!) was a huge part of my elementary school's PTA. When the game originally made its appearance, it sent the PTA community into a fury, which caused my mom to forbid me from playing it, before I even knew it existed.
As you can guess, this caused a childish curiosity that lasted for the entirety of my youth; still, being a good, parent-loving, God-fearing, respectful son, I did not play (except for once at a friend's house, shhhh!)
Fast forward to when I was 17+ and had some extra cash to burn (well, at least I thought I had it to burn). Admittedly, I was feeling a little rebellious, so I bought Grand Theft Auto 4. The result?...
...I didn't like the game too much.
For my semi-pure, kind of innocent, Christian raised brain, everything going on was a little hard to swallow. The combination of that, plus the fact that the game honestly kind of sucks did not leave me a GTA fan.
I had no intention of buying GTA V until I saw the online play.
The online play was so appealing to me that I buckled and hopped on the band wagon. The joke was on me though! GTA Online has not been released yet.
Bummer!
I've played through the story a bit at this point. I hate to admit it, but the game is amazing. I've played enough to fall a tad behind on my studies (sorry professors!).
I'm not here to talk about my hours of logged gameplay though.
No, I want to talk about a controversial topic that this game rests at the very heart of:
Do violent video games promote violent behaviors in the children, teens, and adults that play them?
Honestly, I don't think so.
I've played many violent video games in many different formats. These include anything from my personal favorite Gun to Call of Duty. None of these titles have ever caused me to want to do anything out of the ordinary.
Sorry PTA, but just because I play GTA, doesn't mean I want to steal a car, hold up a bank, or beat up the nice, pretty lady standing at the corner.
It's always bugged me that games like GTA are accused of promoting its players to take up a violent lifestyle. Other games that could be said to promote other activities or actions tend to fly under the radar at times. For example, Call of Duty has run into some opposition, but not as much as games like the GTA or Saints Row franchises. Occasionally, it gets thrown in the mix, but not always. There is also not much of an argument for a more positive influence, such as CoD promoting military enlistment. No, violence seems to be the only subject of dispute, and a select few games take most of the flack.
An excuse can be made for any argument for any game. I bet you didn't know that even children's games such as Pokémon take heat for taboo topics. In the case of Pokémon, its animal cruelty.
That's right trainers, when you send your Torchic into battle and then return it to its pokeball, you are going against everything PETA stands for.
I wonder if the above battle would be considered Cock Fighting or Dog Fighting...maybe both?
Gamers, its not hard: have fun, play in moderation, and distinguish what is real and what is fantasy. If we all can do that, then the gaming and real worlds would be a much nicer place. I hope to see you all somewhere in the gamer world, whether in online play or on the leaderboards. Until then...
AFK
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