I found myself hiding in a doorway in the middle of Times Square in Manhattan. I have just killed alot of people, I needed to, well I didn't need to mow that last lot down with the car that was more of an accident, contrary to what my commitment to speed and accuracy would have you believe. I have half a clip left for my desert eagle that I stole from some fool I wasted, and around twenty bullets for my M4, the fully automatic jewel in my vicious crown. I have a knife aswell, but I doubt I will get close enough to use it. There is an enemy rounding the corner to my left, I'm hiding in what used to be the WWE store ( for anyone who remembers it) I'm on my own, all these clueless pedestrians are no help at all. There is an abandoned, slightly mangled car infront of me. "Fuck it" I shout as I confront the approaching enemy, blasting him in the chest with every bullet in my handgun before diving into the car and boosting out of there. In my haste to kill the guy I alerted the police, two minutes of excessive speeding in this fine automobile I stole and I had lost them, and was now focused on my next kill. After the evasive driving classic of four lefts, I ended up back in Times Square which was now a full on war zone. I still had no bullets, but I did have a car, so I went for them, slamming people into walls, throwing them into the air and putting their cars off the road. I bailed from my car, which was now in flames, luckily I walked straight into a cache of weapons, I now had an AK47 and I used it with precision, what followed was a scene of such graphic horror, pure rage, fear and excitement all in the space of a minute, it gets the blood flowing. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world. You see I am sitting on my mates couch, the city I am laying seige to is Liberty City. Home, for the time being, to the most ruthless and cold blooded killers on XBOX Live.
Grand Theft Auto is an incredible game, each one has been great, and each one has arrived with a barrage of disapproval from the more conservative voices, teachers, religious types, desperate polititions etc. "Violent games breed violent people" one such person said in The Daily Mail, a bastion of fearmongering among the British people. Maybe it does, I am not here to deny that, there is every chance that it does make angry young loners do crazy shit, the bottom line is that I don't care what effect it has on your children. I only care about me getting to play this game. My problem comes from the proposed banning of games such as Grand theft Auto, Manhunt or Bully, pretty much every Rockstar release. If you want these games banned then you had better do your homework and not just recite something some clueless pansy said in the news, and who has never set foot in Liberty City, Vice City or San Andreas. Unless you have sat and tried to play these games then you have no place even in the outskirts of the conversation about computer violence let alone dictating what people can and can't play. It would like me giving a seminar on Two Girls one Cup, sure I have heard about it, know what goes on, and have witnessed people reactions to it, but I haven't seen it, and quite frankly don't want to, but I certainly wouldn't involve myself in a conversation regarding the ins and outs of it.
GTA4 is a masterpiece, nothing short, as are the Call of Duty franchise. As a child of the 80's I grew up on shitty 2d platforms, and watched gaming evolve into all out, realistic war. Rockstar games gave us that. What have it's critics given us? Leading the charge was NY GOV Eliot Spitzer, a man of morals, who fulfilled the office of New York Governer with pride. Oh, wait. No he didn't, he resigned over an incident with a hooker. I guess paying for sex is good, and violent video games are bad. Although prostitution is illegal and violent games are not, so I don't really know, maybe we should ask Spitzers wife and kids, they should know the details
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