Realism, Satire, and Grand Theft Auto

Rather than raising the same tired arguments concerning the graphic violence in the GTA series, the environmental realism in GTA 4 is actually drawing attention to the series as a legitimate form of social satire rather than bluntly irresponsible simulation.

Reviews of the prior games had attempted to convey this satirical nature to some extent, but these explanations usually fell a bit flat and carried an apologetic air about them, a comparatively awkward cop-out in the face of the "murder simulator" portmanteau.

Current reviews that explore this satirical angle of the game carry a bit more heft precisely because the satire can no longer be attributed to exaggeratedly cartoonish visuals or completely off-the-wall items and vehicles (e.g. flamethrowers and tanks). Rather, the demarcation as satire now needs to be discerned at the cultural level, suggesting a level of analysis and subjective distance that requires honest attention on the part of the reader.

One could call this an ethical uncanny valley, where the realism of the world the player inhabits only serves to make the player all the more unfamiliar with (and attentive to) the socio-cultural circumstances of their character.

Two of the best reviews on this subject are from Wired magazine (article written by none other than Clive Thompson whose blog I highly encourage readers to visit) and the New York Times.

digg Wired | digg NYTimes