The Last Of Us Case Study

GTA IV CASE STUDY

GTA 5 CASE STUDY

Grand Theft Auto V is an open world, action-adventure video game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games.

Released: 17 September 2013

Available on: PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, on 18 November 2014 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and on 14 April 2015 for Microsoft Windows.

About: The game is the first main entry in the Grand Theft Auto series since 2008’s Grand Theft Auto IV. Set within the fictional state of San Andreas, based on Southern California, the single-player story follows three criminals and their efforts to commit heists while under pressure from a government agency. The open world design lets players freely roam San Andreas’s open countryside and fictional city of Los Santos, based on Los Angeles.

The game is played from either a first-person or third-person view and its world is navigated on foot or by vehicle. Players control the three lead protagonists throughout single-player and switch between them both during and outside of missions. The story is centred on the heist sequences, and many missions involve shooting and driving gameplay. A “wanted” system governs the aggression of law enforcement response to players who commit crimes. Grand Theft Auto Online, the online multiplayer mode, lets up to 30 players explore the open world and engage in cooperative or competitive game matches.

PEGI Certification:

• 18 year olds and over
• Extreme violence
• Multiple, motiveless killing
• Violence towards defenceless people/graphic
• Strong language
• Strong depictions of torture and the weapons used e.g electricity and pliers
• Players are in the role of the torturer
• Misogynistic values of women- satirical
• Criminality- players can cause havoc

Controversy:

The game has generated several controversies related to its violence and depiction of women.

• A mission that requires players to use torture equipment in a hostage interrogation polarised reviewers, who noted its political commentary but felt that the torture sequence was in poor taste.
• The mission also received criticism from politicians and anti-torture charity groups.
• The game became subject to widespread online debate over its portrayal of women, particularly in the wake of backlash against GameSpot journalist Carolyn Petit when she claimed the game was misogynistic in her review. After Petit’s review webpage received more than 20,000 largely negative comments, many journalists defended her right to an opinion and lamented the gaming community’s defensiveness towards criticism.
•  Television personality Karen Gravano and actress Lindsay Lohan have both filed lawsuits against Rockstar in allegation that characters in the game were based on their likenesses.
• Australian department store Target pulled the game from their 300 stores following a Change.org petition against depictions of violence toward women in the game.

Response:

• “super-violent series hits the shelves around the world, many are taking a step back and assessing the cultural impact”
• “The cultural impact and artistic quality of the game also demonstrates just how far video games have come,”
• “Here was a game where you could be the bad guy,” BBC News Article
• “So, I did all the things I love doing in GTA 5.. I took his frequently-pooping dog Chop for a drive through downtown Los Santos and to the airport, where I attempted to steal an airplane while being chased by loads of cops”
• “I flew a military aircraft, which is almost always the most fun you can have in GTA. I blew up the giant Atomic Blimp over the Los Santos skyline with the plane’s machine guns and flew through the debris”
• “plenty of people have commented on how bad it made them feel to see the violence play out with so much grim detail” PC gamer

• Went to pick up the “notoriously violent game at midnight.”
• “a virtual playground built for your enjoyment. The danger of this approach is that real cities might not be as much fun”
• “in a high-speed, destructive chase. Your choice.” The Telegraph
• “Head teachers to report parents to police and social services if they let their children play Grand Theft Auto”…It says 18+ games can expose children to too much violence and sex. Nantwich Education Partnership said allowing children to play these games, such as Call of Duty, is ‘neglectful’ and puts them at risk. Daily Mail

Fan sites

• From 14 year olds flailing about in cursing angst over the delay, quite ignorant of the fact tat legally they shouldn’t be playing it, to people threatening violent, bloody revenge”
• “This is what I would call an example of parents failing in their duty” pcauthority
• “has an amazingly realistic world, has stunning action set pieces, a genuinely engrossing storyline and hugely entertaining multiplayer.” gtareviews

RESEARCH: DIGIPAK ANALYSIS, RIHANNA

RESEARCH: DIGIPAK ANALYSIS, ADELE