You know what kind of story this is going to be already. Yep, it's time for another one of those "ridiculous and ineffectual nobody talks about a game he doesn't have the first realistic clue about," posts, so if you've had your fill of those, please feel free to check out what else Destructoid has on offer today. The rest of you, take my hand, and let's go through another stroll through the green fields of impotent intellectual redundancy.
"Despite a price tag of sixty dollars (more than ninety dollars in the special edition), and despite its release on April 29, 2008, at the very height of national concern over a potential recession, the game sold an astonishing 6 million units in its first week," states columnist Michael Medved, unable to grasp why the game is popular. "By the end of 2008, at least 11 million Americans will have purchased GTA IV, placing the game in nearly one out of ten households in the land of the free."
"The stunning success of a game that glorifies guerilla (Jim note - his misspelling, not mine) warfare, murder, irresponsible driving, prostitution, cop-killing, international conspiracies and, of course, car theft highlights the real threat to the American Way of Life: it’s not the war on the middle class; it’s the war on middle class values."
Medved's rambling and barely coherent non-argument seems to say a lot of words, but nothing of substance. His entire point seems to hinge on the rather flimsy idea that people shouldn't be buying GTA IV during a recession, and that somehow this means American "values" (whatever they're supposed to be these days) are under threat. All I can do is mount an argument with the same level of depth and reasoning as Medved, and so I answer his article with this -- cheg on Medved, you am a twot!
Contest:
9:30 PM on 07.30.2008
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BAN THIS FILTH!!!
Medved, you am a twot.
GET THEM!
Heretic: There's medication for that kind of stuff.
/agrees with Heretic
Of course America and Europe are different states! Did you fail geometry?
Well, anyway, I don't know what this Medved guy is going about. He started off talking about a video game, then veered off into the Twilight Zone. But I will say that GTA IV was far too prone to rambling off a lot of activist nonsense. "Waaah, rich people are bad! Waah, capitalism sucks!" the game says, even as Rockstar reels in huge amounts of money off of their product. I mean, give me a break, hypocrisy much? If you don't like money, Rockstar, give some to me, because I do like money.
Furthermore, Liberty City is supposed to be this grand parody of New York City and a way of exposing the falseness of American values (I think). Well, gee wiz, isn't it true that NYC mostly votes Democrat? And even the Republicans they elect are very liberal? So Rockstar is saying that NYC is a place of decadence, corruption, inequality, and crime through this metaphor, and yet they cite Republicans as the source of all that is evil in the country? By using a city run by Democrats and liberal Republicans to prove it? WHAT?
Don't bother telling me there's no political bias in the game, either.
Bah. I just wish the game focused on delivering a crime drama rather than pretending that there was some kind of moral to the story.
After reading the article, there is little to conclude other than the fact that this guy has no idea how either sociology or economics works.
Neo-Conservatives have to come to terms with something: They have been in charge for the past eight years, and most of our bullshit is all their fault. No, it is not games. And no, it is not those evil fucking liberals which, by the way, didn't even have a goddamn chance in the senate or the house until 2006.
Your "values" are destroying our country, not the terrorists, and not the liberals (although they certainly try). Yeah, a lot of people suck on welfare and fuck before marriage and gamble and drink, but is that really the cause of modern day problems? Is that why we are in a recession? Is that why we are at war? Is that why corporations are firing people by the truckload?
The stubbornness and ignorance of the American aristocracy is fucking it up for the rest of us. Get off your high horse, realize you fucked up, and stop dicking with the American people long enough for us to get back on our goddamn feet.
[/rant]
Speaking of American values, is anyone else watching Generation Kill on HBO? I'm really into it, and I can't get enough of Person's rants about life. I hope they keep the quote from the novel that has Trombley comparing Iraq to Grand Theft Auto.
HA! There's just over 300 million in the US right now. 10/300 is 3.3%, or 1 in 30. That guys is awesome.
pd: im not from the united states.
"GTA 4...glorifies guerilla warfare" Has he seen Full Metal Jacket?
"The fact that so many middle income homes managed to find the money to buy the game..." That's the thing, Medved, MIDDLE income.
Average. Money to spare. Not poor...
This man seems to be obsessed with "family values", which are of course important, but maybe he needs to realise his values aren't in every families...
the housing crisis, corrupt politicians, global warming, and the shit economy are at the top of my list of things to worry about
fuck this dude, i'll care about middle class values when banks aren't kicking middle class people out of houses they cant afford
Link related to our little "America is fucked" mentality. The comic also includes a castle wolfenstein reference.
Yeah, things are pretty bad here, but we're not burning each other's faces off, so it'll be a step up.
American values threaten the world.
GTA = the shit.
Also, "guerilla" is apparently an accepted spelling, so he's not actually wrong.
But everything he's said is praise in a game like GTA.
Jim? You can put [sic] next to originally misspelt words, instead of explaining. I'm sure you already know and you're trying to not confuse the plebs, but can we have a bit of literary culture?
(applause)
oh, the irony. and the hypocrisy of those people too.
needless to say, I agree with you Jim.
Sorry to get a little political there. My point is that there are things out there that are worse than some rated M video game selling millions.