Rockstar boss: I like violence

Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser has made no apologies for the level of carnage in GTA IV – going on the record to state: I like violence.”

Speaking as part of a full interview in New York Entertainment magazine, Houser also talked of his frustration with the ‘rise of casual gaming’ and how the Rockstar team created such an impressive replication of New York City.

When asked about the adult-themed elements of the game, Houser replied:

If you don’t like any violent content in your entertainment, then I apologise because I do. And I’ve unfortunately been exposed to it my entire life. I agree that the world would be a greater place if all of the guns and all of the bombs disappeared, but that certainly is not in the agenda.

If we equally got rid of a lot of books that talk about violence, okay. But if we don’t like these games because they’ve got content that we’re happy to see in movies and TV shows, then what you’re saying is you don’t like the medium because we don’t have a George Clooney type sticking his face in front of the camera.

There is nothing in the game you would not see in a TV show, or a movie a hundred times over, so I don’t understand what the conversation is about. We set out to make games that felt like they could culturally exist alongside the movies we were watching and the books we were reading, and hopefully we’re getting close to those goals.”

To read the full interview, click here.