Is GTA satire?

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-12-13-rich-stanton-on-gtas-growing-pains

I think it is pretty obvious. The game is made with a mostly teenage male audience in mind. Rockstar is not really interested in satire, they just know they get free marketing with every controversy. South Park is full blown satire - they make a point of making fun out of everyone. GTA is just pandering towards its male audience.

Oh for god's sake NO. NO NO NO NO NO. STOP.

Why.. weren't you the one who argued in the other thread that GTA is satire (and hence anything goes)? Well, satire is supposed to make people think and discuss.. now is your chance.

Well actually I'd say he's just afraid this'll turn into a big war of opinions again.

I don't think GTA I'd very much a satire based game, I'd say that would be Saints Row's gig. GTA is a bit more serious yet also lighthearted in some areas.

I always make a joke about this, San Andreas seemseemed to be a jokey sort of game, whilst Saints Row 2 had been more serious, these were flipped as GTA IV became very serious (to a point where it was a bit dull/boring) and SR 3 was very comical and satirical.

GTA V however does gain that lighthearted point back, stereotypes abound, and it even has a fun storyline, something you don't really find in a GTA game too often, or more so interesting storyline I suppose. GTA V is a jokey game, maybe not satirical, but certainly jokey. SR 4 however takes satire to a new level.

So yeah my opinion... GTA isn't as much as a satire as the recent Saints Row games, but it definitely has some comedy etched into the serious-ish world. It makes fun of a lot, it adds ghost eastereggs, or big foot, a UFO even!

It's pretty much everything I'd want in a sandbox game... Serious at times, funny others, and huge, open, and lively.

But das jus' me.

Yeah.. actually a South Park themed GTA could be pretty fun.

I like to think of GTA as a satire of video games. Stuff like GamerGate is free screenwriting for GTA, just put that stuff into the game as is and it fits perfectly. I haven't played GTA V yet but I understand there is a character in the game who is a whiny 20-year-old guy who plays games, basically their core audience. That at least sounds interesting.

That's one of the main character's son.

He also smokes weed.

Isn't GTA supposed to be a satire of American life?

Definitely most if not all the radio ads in GTA V:



I've highlighted the extra fun ones that should definitely be watched.

Spoiler

0:00 Alacaholler - Caffeine/alcohol drink
0:48 Life Invader Tablet
1:21 Righteous Slaughter 7 #1 - CoD Parody
1:50 Righteous Slaughter 7 #2
2:47 Righteous Slaughter 7 #3
3:37 San Andreas Tourism
4:30 Grand Sanora Desert
5:08 San Andreas Water and Power - Unequal resource distribution
5:44 Up'n' Atom Drive-in
6:08 Proposition 43 Outlaw nuclear family
6:40 Toeshoes
7:06 Implant Outsource - Reality TV
7:42 San Andreas Car Recycling
8:22 Race To Pluto - Private Space Race Reality TV
8:50 Proposition 208 #1 - medical cocaine
9:21 Proposition 208 #2
9:45 Pisswasser Beer (very right wing)
11:09 Queensberry Boxing Club - Yuppy boxing
11:55 San Andreas Lottery #1
12:20 San Andreas Lottery #2
12:41 Wizz Wireless 9G Drone (Android parody)
13:21 Rectify Holistic Flavoured Enemas #1
14:07 Rectify Holistic Flavoured Enemas #2
14:54 Jay's Bail Bonds
15:33 Ovine Human Resources Academy
16:21 Proposition 14 - Bring back Prohibition
16:55 PIC private prisons franchise #1
17:33 PIC private prisons franchise #2
18:40 San Andreas Lobotomies - Depression cure
19:18 Darwinian Yoga
19:57 Gastroband Surgery - surgical solution for obesity
20:56 Economic Recovery Group - Tax dodging
21:30 Rehab Island - Reality TV
22:18 Larry's Used RV Sales - Mocks RV lifestyle
23:12 Nightlights - Adult classes(?)
24:05 Lorenzo O'Houlihan - actor agent(?)
25:08 Electrotoke e-bong
25:56 Toilet Cleaner drug - "legal" new fad drug
26:24 Stoppayingyourmortgage.net - Insurance fraud
27:08 Floyd's Scrap Metal Emporium - "Take Strip Mining Urban"
28:02 Buddy's Trucking - Trucking industry ad
28:52 Fleeca Bank #1 - Typical evil bank
29:34 Fleeca Bank #2 - ATMs everywhere.
30:18 Shark Credit Cards
31:04 Smoked Greens - BBQs for rednecks
32:07 Appropriate Associates - Hire diverse fake social group
33:02 Preservex - Formaldehyde-based beauty product.
33:41 Don's Country Store - Redneck store
34:25 Proposition 45 - mandatory concealed firearms for all
35:15 Windsor Real Estate
36:14 David Kabeer Marriage Councils - "cuckold therapy"
37:14 Digifarm - Mocks Farmville. Really well.
38:01 Digifactoryfarm/Digideathcamp/Digigangster/Digiplaya
38:56 Blaine County Savings Bank - Rightwing bank
39:29 Long Bank - "Honest" bank
40:30 Hitting Kids Works Wonders #1
41:10 Vinewood Health - abusive dietitians
42:07 LS Benders Home Game #1 - Soccer for America
42:56 LS Benders Home Game #2
43:52 Youtool - DIY hardware store for the insecure
44:45 Ammunation Apocalypse Kit #1 - doomsday prepper satire
45:55 Ammunation Apocalypse Kit #2
47:15 Flow Water - "prestige" water
48:05 13 Steps to Heaven #1 - Sex addiction criticism
49:03 Serious Cougar - Reality TV
49:32 Cumulonimbus Computing - Mocks cloud computing
50:36 Pride: Not Prejudice #1 - Generic FPS
51:24 Pride: Not Prejudice #2
52:22 Hitting Kids Works Wonders #2
52:45 Hammer & Faust Employment Law #1 - lawsuits
53:27 Hammer & Faust Employment Law #2
54:09 Grain of Truth - hipster organic store
55:10 FlyUS #1 - crappy airline
55:29 FlyUS #2
55:45 FlyUS #3
56:03 Los Santos Chamber of Commerce - consumerism
57:01 Unlock the Power (rebranding) #1 - self-help book
57:58 Unlock the Power (rebranding) #2
58:42 13 Steps to Heaven #2
59:04 13 Steps to Heaven #3
59:31 Manopause Adventures - Age insecurities in men
1:00:39 MMA - satire
1:01:18 Egochaser energy bar
1:02:09 Chains of Intimacy #1 - 50 Shades of Grey parody
1:02:44 Chains of Intimacy #2
1:03:30 Bravado #1 - Ford, but more 'murica
1:04:31 Bravado #2
1:05:03 San Andreas Flight School
1:05:58 Crevice Outdoor Outfitting #1 - Pretending to be adventurous
1:06:38 Crevice Outdoor Outfitting #2
1:07:16 Epsilon Program #1 - Scientology parody
1:07:40 Epsilon Program #2
1:08:08 13 Steps to Heaven #4
1:08:32 Ponches Advanced Hand Sanitizer - sanitation zealousy
1:09:23 Sue Murry for Governor - left-wing(?)
1:10:07 Jock Cranley for Governor #1 - right-wing(?)
1:11:03 Jock Cranley for Governor #2

I would totally watch Race to Pluto.

Had they made someone like that one of the actual main playable characters, that would've been actually pretty funny.

That is what people use to dismiss any criticism. For example, the prostitutes in the game, what is that supposed to be a commentary on? It is just there for teenagers to go "lol whores" on.

That's just your opinion on it.

There are valid criticisms of the game to be made, but really, prostitution from street corners has been a satire of America since the first game.

Anyone who questions whether GTA is satire or not is either too young to understand or they have some personal gripes with the games.

You're just nitpicking. The games are still meant to take place in a realistic setting and prostitutes are a part of that. If you want everything to be balls to the wall insane you should look at Saints Row instead.

No, it's just dropping people in a projection of real life so players can do things they can't do in the real world.

It's a common misconception by 'intelligent' people that everything has to be deep (Harry Mulisch, anyone?).

What do you mean by "just" my opinion? That sounds pretty dismissive as well.

Please explain where is the satire of there being prostitutes or strippers in the game. What is it supposed to say? The radio shows for example are a parody of talk shows and ads and make fun of Fox News and such. Then there is just prostitutes.

It is a common misconception that entertainment exists in a vacuum and that "it's just a video game/movie" with no wider cultural context.

You mean like all the social commentary in the game?

All social commentary what? Exist in a vacuum? Social commentary by definition has a context.

You mean society?

Actually considering that this isn't the first thread where you have gone on about your 'perceptions' of the modern world.

I think this discussion has already concluded.

Thank you for your input, but conveniently you failed to answer my question and yet again are just being dismissive.

I just don't get why this has to get so heated, that people fight. Instead of getting another thread shut down, howz about we stay on topic of discussion.

I swear to God, the next GTA5 thread that gets derailed, I am making a thread with a link to a PAMATCHES-FORUM thread so Uber and it's moderators lose their not very helpful influence, and someone with a set of balls will smite with righteous wrath and powerful vengance the ones that derail it instead of just locking it.

Try me.

GTA5 does a good job at a variety of satirical comparisons. Music, politics, pop culture. Sometimes, I literally just let the television in GTA5 run, or I constantly refresh the random-webpage in the cellphone homepage. Election and poll propositions, groups, products, all kinds of humorous extreme comparisons. Saints row does it too, but they both do it well.