Daily Mail falls in love with GTA

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Tim Ingham May 9 2008, 3:24pm

Full marks for Rockstar title from newspaper that previously called it ‘a squalid game that steals young minds’

The Daily Mail has given GTA a 5/5 rating on its entertainment pages – just days after the newspaper called the game ‘squalid mind poison’

Reviewer James O’Brien was full of praise for the title, saying it was 'as epic as it is violent'.

In the article, he wrote:

‘There's no denying, however, that this latest version of the Grand Theft franchise is a phenomenal technological and creative achievement that is set to generate more money for its British designers than any Hollywood release in years…

‘The action is as epic as it is violent, with graphics and cinematic "motion capture" technology delivering a degree of verisimilitude so great that it frequently feels more like participating in a movie than playing a game. Stunts are better than ever, but the driving itself is a revelation….

‘It remains to be seen whether a game can be made that scales comparable technological and contextual heights but does not inhabit such dark and dangerous territory.

‘Either way, whether you believe that this represents a new low in sick and corrupting entertainment or is simply the finest game ever seen, you will find plenty here to support your case.’

The review comes just six days after Mail columnist Peter Hitchin wrote a leading opinion piece on GTA, entitled ‘A squalid game that steals young minds’.

Hitchin angrily attacked the game, calling it 'mental slurry' and adding that it was potentially capable of 'mental brainwashing'.

He wrote:

'Could it possibly be bad for a child or a teenager to spend long hours impersonating a violent car thief?

Old-fashioned childhood games did at least have goodies and baddies – and the goodies were supposed to win.

But Grand Theft Auto, the squalid mind poison now going on the market in its latest version, assumes that wickedness, callousness and violence are cool, and has no goodies at all.

The consumers of this mental slurry all maintain that it's just a game and has no effect on them.

But isn't the most potent brainwashing the kind you aren't aware of? When do you find out that you are a desensitised amoral husk, capable of dreadful actions you once couldn't have contemplated? When it's too late. In the US, the game has been accused of influencing several young men into committing violent crimes.

Of course, these claims cannot be proved conclusively. But it is in our imaginations that we solve moral problems.

If our imaginations are full of the toxic fantasies of Grand Theft Auto, more realistic every time it is "improved", aren't we more likely to make the wrong choice?'

Tags: Daily Mail, Grand Theft Auto, Grand Theft Auto 4, Gta, Gta 4, Gta Iv, Gtaiv, Rockstar

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Comments

“Copyright”
Posted by: TheHighSeas - May 9, 3:54pm

I love this sight, you go on about how bad and wrong is piracy and I can only agree with that. No one should copy other people work.

Then in the next instance publish paragraphs from someone else copyrighted work.

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“Re: Copyright”
Posted by: tifosi - May 9, 4:07pm

1. Quoting is not copying.
2. News wouldn't be news without information from source, it would just be hearsay and rumour.

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“*Sigh*”
Posted by: Johnnyjourno - May 9, 4:54pm

@1. The reason this SITE has taken selected quotes from the Mail in this both these instances is to give its readers the chance to spot the inconsistency between the two - the whole point of the story above.

Nothing is illegal or unethical about that in the eyes of media law (which I'm studying) – and MCV has even been nice enough to link the source material, which they don't actually have to do.

Can we get back to a sensible debate now, please? How can the Mail's readers consider themselves discerning when confronted with a review that (although carefully worded) absolutely disproves the idea that this is just ghastly, immoral tosh... as Mr Hitchens would have us believe?

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“Re: *Sigh*”
Posted by: SENTINANT - May 10, 9:35am

@1, its a site not sight you dislexic fool
doesnt matter what you say if you cant even say it in english.

we really need to do something about the daily mail there daily attacks on the games industry shouldnt go unpunished.
if what they say is true then i could sue burnout for all my speeding tickets!!

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“Re: *Sigh*”
Posted by: Matty - May 11, 6:07pm

Sentinant, I think TheHighSeas opinion was understood, despite any errors in spelling or grammar. Before attacking someone, or diagnosing them with dyslexia, please check the following before posting again: -

Sentences begin with capital letters, as does "I" and nouns such as "Daily Mail", "English" and "Burnout"...
"It's" has an apostrophe, so does "doesn't", "can't" and "shouldn't"
dyslexic, not dislexic
"their" daily attacks, not "there"
You cannot sue Burnout. Burnout is a game. I believe you should be looking for Criterion or maybe EA, seeing they probably have a lot more money, which you could use to pay for those English lesssons (for yourself).

Please see me about usage of commas...

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