GTA IV - Sexist crap or just how guys are?

I was reading an interesting article over at Reverse Cowgirl about the misogynist content of GTA IV. I was about to write a small piece based on a video I’d seen (I’ll add it at the end) and quite frankly I was disturbed, irritated and about to go on a feminist rant, then a reverse cowgirl made me stop and think.

Here’s the overall thing. I was thinking from what I’ve seen of GTA IV thus far that it demeans women, it’s helping perpetuate stereotypes, it’s sexist and as Feministing stated “reflective of the bigger misogyny embedded in capitalist patriarchy”. I was thinking all of those things because of a few embedded personal feelings I have about men and gaming.

Firstly it was my assumption that men are capable of mature, intelligent thought and that they aren’t thinking about fucking every 6 seconds. I also was under the preconceived notion (perhaps based on the fact I am a female gamer) that gamers get a bad rap for their hobby and are more often than not inextricably linked to enjoying violence for violence sake and being sad anti social blokes.

Then Reverse Cowgirl opened my eyes, in a Clockwork Orange kind of way and speaks what she believes to be a truth “if you think men pay women for sex because we live in a misogynist society, you should come down out of your ivory tower and live amongst the rest of us for a little while”. According to the cowgirl, GTA IV is a sellout smash hit because men are sexist, they love fucking hookers and apparently like a little violence thrown in. Apparently I was giving way too much credit to men, odd given the whole lesbians hate men thing (which is utterly ridiculous), but there you go.

So which is it? Is GTA IV a smash sellout success because guys inherently love fucking hookers and violence, or is it more about the hype or just plain open-ended fun? We bought it in our house this week and I have to say I can’t really see (thus far) why it’s getting 10 out of 10 ratings all over the place. Perhaps this is because guys are rating it? Maybe there’s a bigger conspiracy as suggested by the IGN rating scandal of last week and the GameSpot rating change of this week. Whatever the case, this game has sold like wildfire and to me, it’s not even that good, at least not worth a 'perfect' rating.

Has GTA IV smashed sales records because men are all violent and whore mongering at their base, or is it just a bit of silly fun, that has no link to misogyny in society? Just quickly also, in response to Feministing, I appreciate what they’re getting at in their piece (and I enjoy some of the sites content), but they haven’t played the game and there is a lot more to it than what is covered in the video (as is usually the case). Their assumption that “So, many young men are going to have their first (or already have, as this is not new content for GTA) sexual experiences via GTA and then they are going to kill the women they are sleeping with. The implications of that are mind-blowing.” Seems far fetched to say the least and let's not forget this IGN spliced video shows a tiny portion of the overall game.

Thoughts?

Oh and here's the clip...

On a side note Gay Girls Who Game will be reviewing and talking GTA IV in Episode 17 of Gay Girls Who Game when it airs next week.

Comments

[Nick Withrow]

I've always found it to be interesting to observe what a person does in GTA and then find out why they do it. I mean, the prostitutes serve no purpose in the game other than as a inefficient mobile health dispenser. As far as game mechanics go, there are faster and more efficient ways (not to mention cheaper) methods of filling your health. Interacting with them is strictly voluntary and what you do afterward is up to the individual.

I think the appeals of GTA (besides the open world environment) is that you really do a lot of things that you wouldn't be able to normally do in real life. Where else can you tear down the middle of city at a hundred miles an hour, ignoring traffic signals and flinging explosives everywhere until the army drops a tank on you. Besides the whole cathartic release thing, the stories for each game get better and better. If Rockstar keeps it up, they may actually release something on par with The Godfather.

So I guess overall I would attribute the success of GTA more to people liking the open world concept and the violence more so than any whore mongering.

[David B]

There is well written comedy and satire tied into the plot and the gameworld in general that provides a lot of entertainment for me. But yeah like said above, the key thing about GTA always has been transgression.

Steal cars, shoot people, do the unthinkable, the unforgivable and bring anarchy to a well realised wipe open world with only the slightest of in-game consequences (you die, you come back to a hospital stripped of your weapons)

I don't doubt its mostly guys who play it, I'd dispute the suggestion that most of those guys are incapable of seperating the reality of prostitution/murder/bank robbery from its in-game depiction though.

[Angela]

Yeah I think that's a given and something that was covered in the original post. To suggest all men are one thing seems silly on the part of the cowgirl and the feminists haven't played the game, so....

I've given GTA IV a bit more time and I am starting to feel the appeal - helped along by Republican Space Rangers - so funny.

[Thefremen]

As a man, I hope this time around "free world" means that the storyline doesn't force me to go to the strip club.

I'd be interested to find this out if anyone knows, I'm willing to bet that it does because at some stage in every drama about organized crime there is a scene in a strip club.

[Pantsman]

I don't think it's that men just love fucking hookers. It's that we love fucking, period. Whether the object of the fucking happens to be a hooker is of no real importance. Hookers are just a convenient narrative device to enable sex in a the context of this particular game.

[Marc B.]

thats the stuff that make me as a man feel like im something nothing worth. at least it did in the past.

i hate this stereotype view of man as violent, never loving sex monsters. i would go so far that it disorted in some way my ability to enjoy sexuality (i cant let myself go very easily). i dont want to be a stereotype man and i do not know many of them.

okay, i play gta and enjoy it. why? its fun! maybe violence in entertainment is a testosteron thing, but its the action and feeling of controlling the situation which is fun. addtionally the ultimate fun factor is the free gameplay gta supplies. i would play a game without any violence if it delivers the same amount of free gameplay.

for the record: im male, heterosexual, love the grrlz, cry while watching notting hill, think of sex equal or less often then all of my girlfriends i had and love watching violent zombie movies. the last time i hit someone was with like 15 years of age, but i was beaten regulary by a (nearly abusive) girlfriend i had. she wasnt too strong but it gave me a lot of light bruises.

i never told anyone, because i know nobody would care. and i didnt hit her back, because i feared everyone wouldve believed her and she could use it for pressuring me even more.

a man's life aint easy, girls.

[Thefremen]

@Mark B.

I kind of wonder if the best place to talk about traumatic life changing events is in blog comments. However, it's better than going on Dr. Phil.

I would argue that although it is valid to say that there's a certain violent heterosexual male stereotype advanced by GTA and the behaivor of white heterosexual males in the government for the last 8 years, we are represnted in enough diverse ways in the media (whether it be movies like "The Notebook" or books like "God Emperor of Dune") that really we have nothing to complain about.

I am sorry to hear about your abusive relationship, and have seen with my relations just how hard it is for a man to go to the police and be taken seriously when reporting such a crime, that attitude is one which really has to change. Everyone deserves to be heard and protected, just as everyone deserves to be able to have the rights and benefits granted by marriage regardless of sexuality.