GTA V Is Not As Violent as Previous Entries

Since the biggest video game launch in the history of the medium has just occurred, I thought it was appropriate to dedicate this blog post to talk about the mega-monster known as Grand Theft Auto 5. Now, just to clarify, this isn't a review. I always try to examine the aspects of the game from an analytical standpoint and try to zone in on unique ideas behind the concepts, trends, etc. of the game. With GTA 5, I could go on and on for days breaking the game down into its varying components (and I'm sure I will in future posts, so stay tuned), but today I'm going to focus on the violence in GTA 5. Here's the odd thing about the violence in the game: in my opinion, it’s not as easy to commit violent acts as it is in previous games. This claim might sound strange, considering the history GTA has with violence. After all, GTA is the franchise in which you drive around and beat up hookers with baseball bats. But, that's precisely my point when talking about GTA V. Take, for instance, the baseball bat just mentioned. Introduced in GTA III, the baseball bat has gone through a couple different iterations (changing from wooden to aluminum in the games. The newest game, GTA V, features a wooden bat). In the first game of the series featuring the bat (GTA III), the bat is readily available at the safe house. Access to it is easy and it’s always available to use. It is also easily accessible at the safe house in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. But, in GTA IV, the bat is not easily accessible. The bat doesn't just spawn at the safe house. Rather, it has to be bought in a back alley shop for $5. I've played the newest iteration, GTA V, for around 20 hours and have yet to find a baseball bat. I know it is available in the game, but my point stems back to its availability. It’s not as easy to walk around and beat the crap out of people (at least in the beginning of the game). The ability to commit violent acts isn't just handed to you in GTA V. The player starts out with hardly any weapons and has to earn money through the story missions to be able to pay for weapons and ammunition. Can you still shoot random people on the street? Yes. Can you run people down with your car? Yes. However, all I'm trying to say is that it's a bit more difficult to achieve this type of violence than in previous GTA games. I believe this also strongly ties into the fact that GTA V is the first GTA game that feels more like a simulation then any of the other entries. So much is available to do in the city besides killing pedestrians. The player can play tennis, smoke weed, watch television, go to a movie, get on the internet, etc. Even though games such as GTA IV had these types of events, the depth and detail in which they are showcased in GTA V allows the player to fully immerse themselves into these activities. For instance, I have seen two movies in-game. One ran about 20 minutes long and the other ran about 15. The player can play 5 sets of tennis if they so choose. With all of these events at the tip of your fingers, the urge to focus ALL your time killing pedestrians goes down. Yes, the game is still violent and everybody likes to mess around in the city. However, with a slightly more limited cap on weapons and an astounding number of non-violent events to partake in, the violence in GTA V is not as prevalent as in previous releases.

A Dragon Age to Remember

Dragon Age: Inquisition is coming as the third chapter in the role-playing franchise. The game spouts numerous improvements in its battle system and storytelling technique. One of the more interesting aspects of the latter mentioned, the storytelling technique, comes as a bit of a surprise. The character the player gains control of in the game is someone of high importance. They lead a character who is the leader of a mysterious order. Little is known of this order, but they do wield highly powerful influence in the game world. This fact comes as a surprising revelation, seeing how in most RPG's, the player takes control of a low-level nobody who slowly rises up the ranks. The game wipes out this narrative cliché right from the get-go. As you begin the game in a high power position, you try to lead your organization to gain more and more power over the land. While leading the organization, the designers of Dragon Age: Inquisition purposefully integrated this concept of high power into the game. One of the designers of the game said, "It's fundamentally about giving an organization the same kind of progression you might expect out of a character…but what it’s like if I can take an organization and give it a character-give it a feel and a tone”. Building off of this idea, specifically focusing on progressing the organization you lead is a great idea. Many games don't utilize this concept. Sure, you get to progress your own character and deck them out with cool looking clothes, weapons, etc. However, if the player is completing missions for his army, faction, etc., the organization often stays the same. Addressing the organization as a type of character in the game is a pleasant production choice to see. Along with the concept of organization as character, the battle system also emanates refreshing ideas. As a designer of the game said, " The concept of the fully controlled party- in our case, doing it with that hybrid real-time or pause-and-play-has always been a thing that we saw as part our legacy and something we want to make sure is key…but we want to make sure we haven’t lost the reactivity and speed-the crispness-with which a character follows their orders. I see that as part of modern gaming." That last part really got to me while I was reading the article in Game Informer. "Reactivity and speed...I see that as part of modern gaming". As a turn-based game, evolving the speed strikes me as...unique. Are the designers tailoring to a more ADD audience? Is modern gaming more fast-paced than ever before? I think modern gaming has been touting behaviors of fast-paced antics in recent years. Specifically, the reactivity of earned points in modern FPS's is mind boggling compared to the FPS's from a decade ago. Since the computers harness more firepower, designers can give the player rewards instantly and for almost anything they want. It should be interesting to see how Dragon Age: Inquisition plays out. I, for one, am looking forward to it.

Skylanders and Disney: Infinity-Breaking the Mold

Hello fellow gamers! I am here to stay and promise to keep posting consistently. Today, I read an article about the new Skylanders game coming out. Skylanders: Swap Force will be coming out shortly, and I can't help but think how fun of a concept Activision has latched onto. Yes, some may see it as a marketing scheme (the article I read from Game Informer stated that you would have to pour $740 into the game to experience every nook and cranny of the full game. That part, I'm not the biggest fan of, to be honest). However, the concept behind this game is something that breaks the mold of the traditional video game. For those not familiar with the Skylanders titles, the games heavily focus on using toys to "upgrade" and "power-up" your gaming characters. Pog-like chips exist in which you place on a small power pad and they link directly to your character on the screen. It's almost as if my boyhood fantasy has come true: Your toys become "real". The link between the real and the imaginary worlds now have a physical connection. I think it's awesome. Skylanders does have competition. The likes of Disney is coming out with Disney: Infinity. The game works in the exact same way as Skylanders. However, with Disney's licensing, their toys will pull in the big names of Jack Sparrow and Mr. Incredible. Though it may be an overzealous financial investment, I believe these games do have some potential to do some good in the gaming world. I'm always eager to see and play new concepts in the video game world. This is one definitely worth checking out.