Is GTA unethical and sexist?
Grand Theft Auto (GTA) is one of multiple video games which have spread in the past two decades among the youth worldwide. These video games were mostly first released in the west and gradually exported worldwide. The interesting thing is the fact that most of these games were cross-platform, thus you had chance to access the games not only from PCs or Laptops but also from the new video game consoles like the PlayStation or X-BOX. One of the common things between GTA and other well-known video games like Call of Duty is the fact that all of those emphasize violence and the use of weapons which has raised multiple questions on the ethical side to the point of questioning whether these video games should be subject to any sort of censorship or banning.
GTA is one of the most successful video games in the entire history. It is estimated that more than 250 million units have been shipped worldwide. The open world design lets players freely roam San Andreas’ open countryside and the fictional city of Los Santos, based on Los Angeles. The player can use melee attacks, firearms and explosives to fight enemies, and may run, jump, swim or use vehicles to navigate the world (Orland,2011). GTA is admired by video-gamers worldwide for the extensive work they have achieved in terms of graphics and reality, on the counterpart it was judged by an extensive number of researchers for being violent and explicit to the point where several studies claimed that teens who play GTA are twice more likely to smoke or drink than a teenager who does not.
GTA has been judged in multiple ways for the use of heavy machinery and guns on regular basis, but on the counter-part some claim that the game actually makes teen-agers well-aware of the rules and the consequences on violating them, an example to this is that you are followed by a police force after bumping a car, or killing someone.
Moreover, this game specifically has been very stereotypical in its representation of women as they only appear as strippers or prostitutes. Adding to that also the fact that the main characters in the games have always been males completing missions and it was never possible for the player to switch the male character into a female character.
According to research done, the content of video games especially those played in the first of point of view have a way larger effect on the brains of teen than movies or films. In the movie you are only watching content that is being provided for your brain, however in the video game you are using this brain to think of possible ways and scenarios of finishing the missions. This itself is very controversial as sometimes the missions do ask you to kill people or citizens and you are approving it.
In defense of the creators, they claim that they are only providing the platform, thus the game. However, the way the gamer uses it is his option, he can be a good character only completing missions, but he can also be an evil character killing people and raping women. After all, it just like any other tool in the world, it is the users’ choices in deciding what they are doing with it.
In my own opinion no banning on any certain video game should occur in any country across the world. However, stricter regulations and rules on the sales of such games should be applied to give access only to adults rather than teens who are more likely to be influenced with the content of the game. Beyond that parents should be well-aware which games their kids are using and playing whether in their own homes or in other places. Below is the chart that most parents should be aware of before buying any video game their kids ask for.
Finally, the creators have been developing violent games for decades, and they have every right and all the freedom to develop any idea that comes to their mind. But shouldn’t we already see a divergence in the way taken by developers? Isn’t it really a much-needed time to educate the new generations rather than teaching them war? Shouldn’t games promote doing good in life and focus on a productive zone that can raise future generations?
