No, I won’t help you get Grand Theft Auto IV
Posted on May 8th, 2008 by
CrispyGamer has the latest issue of my GamerParenting column and in it I sort of go nuts reacting to the deluge of emails I got over Grand Theft Auto IV. Lots of articulate teens want to play this game, the game is fantastic, but I really think parents need to tread carefully with this one. It’s a very mature game in every sense of the term. It pushes the envelope with the violence, the sexual situations, the storyline, the gambling, drinking, drug use, mayhem, car jacking and . . . oops, sorry, to a teen pining for this one, I bet that stung a bit.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
haha, oh man, I hope you keep this one stickied for the next couple of weeks 😀
I think parents (at least those who care enough to pay attention to game content) need to know that GTAIV is different to the previous games. It has lost that cartoony sheen, the over-the-top vibe that usually gives violent games a pass in my house.
May 9th, 2008 at 6:40 am
That is exactly my sentiment with an even deeper, better (from the story side) and more mature game that I would love to share with my kids some day – The Witcher.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:20 am
The preceding advertisement for “The Witcher” was brought to you by TXA, remember, that’s TXA derailing conversations for more than 40 years now!
Just kidding dude, but seriously. Why come into a thread about GTA and kids just to point out that the Witcher is supposedly “deeper, better, and more mature” (IT SO TOTALLY ISN’T but that’s beside my point)? Lemme me re-rail it….
Gamerdad has hit on the one thing no other parental advocate has talked about -to my knowledge which is limited- and that’s how much it probably does SUCK being a teenage game fan in the face of this game. Not merely cause their parents won’t let ’em play it, not only cause GD won’t help, and not only cause friends will have it and you won’t be able to play multuplayer with them… but because.. the game is a cultural landmark and is really, really, freaking good.
Any teen who can defy authority and get the game won’t be disappointed in the least. I think Rockstar has made every game maker look bad. This is no Halo 3!!!! (or witcher)
:-()
May 9th, 2008 at 10:27 am
Play nice guys.
@Simon
I’m not going to sticky it but I was thinking of adding a small graphic or link to the right bar that links to a GRAND THEFT AUTO IV page that has all these links.
I think talking about GTA IV is going to be my job for a while. This thing is selling like crazy and apparently kids are actually having a hard time finding a place to legally buy it. ( <- that's good but far less meaningful than the mainstream press wants to believe) WhatTheyPlay (I work for them) has a neat article filled with kids quotes about GTA4 and how they plan to get it. One of them sticks out, because it's gotta be completely true: "My doorman will buy a stack and sell them to anyone who wants one" (Some people immediately think the door man is creepy - I see a guy who figured out how to get the best tips at Christmas) I still think door men are creepy though. Present company excepted.
May 9th, 2008 at 11:13 am
Well DormOnkey, you missed my point, but there was no need to be a jerk regardless.
But The Witcher was an example of a way I agree with what GamerDad is saying put into my own context – that of a PC gamer with very little interest in consoles or GTA.
Thing is, there are many rich and deep experiences that are intended for adults and that are not ‘pr0n’ – things like books and movies and TV shows and manga / anime / cartoons / comics … and video games.
Something like Planescape Torment would be lost on most kids, but is perhaps the greatest literary work in all of gaming. Other things like Vampire: Bloodlines are very problematic due to many themes associated with vampires, yet offer a deep and complex and very interesting world and role playing experience to enjoy. But they are not for kids – just as GTA4 isn’t for kids. That was my point.
May 10th, 2008 at 10:31 am
“My doorman will buy a stack and sell them to anyone who wants one”
Man, that is creepy. Sorry, but an adult selling somehting to a kid that their parents don’t want them to have is just kind of unsavory. It may be a good way make tips (though since when do kids tip), but it also seems like a good way to get fired.
“the game is a cultural landmark and is really, really, freaking good.”
Agreed on how good it is, but not on the cultural landmark. My wife is a teacher and hasn’t heard all that much. My guess is that it is more of a landmark to older gamers, but I still have plenty of friends that never play video games.