Prostitutes Call for a Ban on GTA

[dakidski]

No, it is the player that engages in simulated activity that we deem as immoral. GTA doesn't have a moral universe, it's a videogame.

I am no defender of morality or the like, but it seems to me the game encourages and rewards prostitution and violence.

you completely missed the point of the GTA games. They're overthetop characterizations of American society at different time periods as portrayed in popular culture.

Sure, that the spin they want you to believe when they try to sell their game; 'it's satire'. Again, I don't want to be the judge of that, but fact is alot of people play it for the enjoyment of hitting other game-characters with a baseball-bat. I did however enjoy it's social commentary to the 80's in Vice City, which was a brilliant game.

I would still love to conduct racial violence or raid a mosque in the next GTA, all as a part of the satire naturally.

[Diff-chan]

GTA doesn't have a moral universe, it's a videogame.

Games certainly CAN have a moral universe, Ultima IV anyone? One of the first things I noticed about Max Payne is that you never ever shoot a cop. Almost certainly intentional.

[g0zen]

Games certainly CAN have a moral universe, Ultima IV anyone? One of the first things I noticed about Max Payne is that you never ever shoot a cop. Almost certainly intentional.

Got me there, but I would still say that GTA tries to remain morally objective. I mean, if the game's intention was to steer you into being as morally reprehensible as possible, why would it let you do rather mundane things like drive a cab or a semi-truck, and even things considered by many to be heroic such as firefighting or EMS?

At no point, that I can think of, does the game force your hand into making the morally bankrupt decision. Certainly, by taking on the attitudes of the characters portrayed you get a lot more out of the game following its mission tree, but no where are you forced to do so.

I am no defender of morality or the like, but it seems to me the game encourages and rewards prostitution and violence.

The same way it rewards compassion and hard work, as I outlined in the example above.

Sure, that the spin they want you to believe when they try to sell their game; 'it's satire'.

It's not spin, it's the truth. When Postal 2 says it's all just 'satire' that's spin, because the intention is to shock and offend, which it does pretty well.

Again, I don't want to be the judge of that, but fact is alot of people play it for the enjoyment of hitting other game-characters with a baseball-bat.

That says more about the people playing than the game.

I would still love to conduct racial violence or raid a mosque in the next GTA, all as a part of the satire naturally.

Again, that says more about you and (presumably) your sense of humor than the game.

[Scourge]

According to its Web site, SWOP USA is an organization dedicated to improving the lives of sex-industry workers and to the promotion of a safe working environment for the industry.

I wonder if they're HoSHA certified.

[Yoshi]

[Drewbacca]

You know you have a serious image problem when members of the pornography industry want nothing to do with you.

-Dippy

It's this kind of image that's made them cool with their fan base.

[AaronChance]

Games certainly CAN have a moral universe, Ultima IV anyone? One of the first things I noticed about Max Payne is that you never ever shoot a cop. Almost certainly intentional.

That's not a moral universe. That's imposing a fixed set of morals on the player than can never be disobyed. It's like a universe where no Christian ever broke the ten commandments.

[rezo]

Besides killing the whores and taking their money, you can also refuse their services and tell them to do something more productive with their lives. Perhaps someone could pass that message on to the nation's sex workers.

[Error]

http://www.the-nextlevel.com/board/s...postcount=1347

So ya...I guess maybe it did deserve it's own thread.

[Salsashark]

Got me there, but I would still say that GTA tries to remain morally objective. I mean, if the game's intention was to steer you into being as morally reprehensible as possible, why would it let you do rather mundane things like drive a cab or a semi-truck, and even things considered by many to be heroic such as firefighting or EMS?

At no point, that I can think of, does the game force your hand into making the morally bankrupt decision. Certainly, by taking on the attitudes of the characters portrayed you get a lot more out of the game following its mission tree, but no where are you forced to do so.

Are you trying to say you can play GTA without doing anything immoral, like stealing or killing? If so, I can play Mario without jumping, but it doesn't get me very far.

I'd say most if not all contemporary games have a "moral universe" whether they mean to or not. That's not to say that it isn't silly to attack some of them for it, but still.