Grand Theft Auto IV: better or worse?

[bishop]

i dumped my ps2 for a 360 a while ago, but there's been good gta-type games to be had. specifically, saints row and crackdown.. the randomness in saints row isn't as good as gta, but the combat is MUCH better. and with crackdown, being able to go vertical as well as horizontal is a very nifty enhancement to an otherwise stagnant sub-genre.

gta-san andreas started getting a bit boring for me once you moved out to those missions in the boonies - with painfully long stretches of road and slow/poor handling cars to jack. crackdown's got me spoiled with the ability to cut the distance down to a straight line - jumping/climing over buildings rather than taking round-a-bout roads.

[Pooeypants]

I was always disappointed at San Andrea's lack of proper physics (the cars go mental on the freeway, I mean literally...) and the gun combat left a lot to be desired. I hope this 4th addition will remedial that as it's a new game engine and not just a rehash. *fingers crossed*

[Madeline]

I've heard some pretty bad things about this game (violence, sex, cussing, and even nudity). I don't see how they allow for kids to play this game, and kids can get a hold of this game. This has a great influence on them with all the violence, sex, and filthy language. They will grow up to be mean people. What happened to the good games such as Tetris and pac-man?

Love,
Madeline

[Chris the Chees]

Quote by: Madeline I've heard some pretty bad things about this game (violence, sex, cussing, and even nudity). I don't see how they allow for kids to play this game, and kids can get a hold of this game. This has a great influence on them with all the violence, sex, and filthy language. They will grow up to be mean people. What happened to the good games such as Tetris and pac-man? Love, Madeline

You claim that this series of games has a great impact upon children, but it is clear you have never even played the game; so how do you know how it influences children?

Oh and, I can't say for the US, but the GTA series like films in the UK are given age certificates. It is illegal for a person under the age of 18 to purchase San Andreas. As such it is the the responcibility of a parent to decide whether their child should be allowed to play such games.

Personally I have been playing violent computer games sinse I was a child, including the origional games from this series; as did the vast majority of my peers. It is a complete myth that computer games, music and film result in violence and "mean" people. There have always been "mean" people and violent people, long before the rise of the entertainment industry.


Oh and if you wish to see games which non-violence orientated, then there is a massive market for such games. I love flight simulators, management games, point and click adventure games, etc.

[Madeline]

Quote by: Chris the Chees You claim that this series of games has a great impact upon children, but it is clear you have never even played the game; so how do you know how it influences children? Oh and, I can't say for the US, but the GTA series like films in the UK are given age certificates. It is illegal for a person under the age of 18 to purchase San Andreas. As such it is the the responcibility of a parent to decide whether their child should be allowed to play such games. Personally I have been playing violent computer games sinse I was a child, including the origional games from this series; as did the vast majority of my peers. It is a complete myth that computer games, music and film result in violence and "mean" people. There have always been "mean" people and violent people, long before the rise of the entertainment industry. Oh and if you wish to see games which non-violence orientated, then there is a massive market for such games. I love flight simulators, management games, point and click adventure games, etc.

I use to babysit, and the parents would have a 9 and a 11 year old. The 11 year old boy would play this game all the time and you should see the excitement on his face...he would even say **** and shoot people on the game. But it's a good thing that games in the UK are given age certificates. I think that the US is too lenient when it comes to discretion.

Love,
Madeline

[saltinespike]

Quote by: Madeline I use to babysit, and the parents would have a 9 and a 11 year old. The 11 year old boy would play this game all the time and you should see the excitement on his face...he would even say **** and shoot people on the game. But it's a good thing that games in the UK are given age certificates. I think that the US is too lenient when it comes to discretion. Love, Madeline

Bull (don't wanna get an infraction).

First, a child under 17 cannot buy an M-rated game from a proper, legal retailer, unless it had a corruption (which is an illegal sale).

Second, games are more or of an anger reliever than an anger provoker. Let's say I really want my neighbor to die. Go to video games, run someone over and pretend it's my neighbor.

Third, this is slightly off-topic. If you wish to chat about media influence, there is a topic in this forum for that.

Fourth, GTA didn't feature nudity, though there was an unofficial mod that showed characters having sex. In the official game, there is only audio.

I do not mean to seem agressive, but my opinions are very strong on this. We could PM debate this if you want (media influence), but this thread was meant to compare the quality of what has been released of GTA IV and former GTA titles.

[Madeline]

Quote by: saltinespike Bull (don't wanna get an infraction). First, a child under 17 cannot buy an M-rated game from a proper, legal retailer, unless it had a corruption (which is an illegal sale). Second, games are more or of an anger reliever than an anger provoker. Let's say I really want my neighbor to die. Go to video games, run someone over and pretend it's my neighbor. Third, this is slightly off-topic. If you wish to chat about media influence, there is a topic in this forum for that. Fourth, GTA didn't feature nudity, though there was an unofficial mod that showed characters having sex. In the official game, there is only audio. I do not mean to seem agressive, but my opinions are very strong on this. We could PM debate this if you want (media influence), but this thread was meant to compare the quality of what has been released of GTA IV and former GTA titles.

Yes, I understand that a child under 17 cannot buy an M-rated game. He didn't buy it, his father bought it for him, and his father is a video game nut. And I don't wish to discuss the rest with you on this thread any longer nor via PM.

[Epistemologist]

Quote by: Madeline I think that the US is too lenient when it comes to discretion.

And you're too sweet when it comes to discretion.

But really, I think many parents in these countries are quite naive when it comes to what their children already know about and what they've been exposed to. It's unfortunate albeit appropriate to say that an eleven-year-old cursing and liking to shoot up stuff is not abnormal (in those societies at least).