The Washington Post follows two sets of gamers as they play Rockstar's Grand Theft
Auto: San Andreas. One group consists of poor kids living near the rough parts of South Central Los Angeles. These
guys are certain that GTA:SA was designed by a bunch of gringos, but they appreciate it anyway for its
pseudo realism. "When you start out, they dawg you, they rag on your tattoos, they hate on
your clothes. That's the way it's like in real life," says 17-year-old Tito Ortiz.
The second bunch are privileged rich boys who think that GTA:SA was designed by "a diverse group of guys, blacks and whites and Latinos." Ha! (You can't get much more white than Edinburgh, Scotland.)
It's a great piece, but we've got just one beef. According to the WP, "When you beat someone with a baseball bat, blood spurts with astounding verisimilitude." Astounding verisimilitude our asses. Only a non-gamer who hasn't played more realistic (and more violent) games could write that. GTA's graphics are dated. Quotes like this feed the perception that the game's quaint gore level is somehow comparable to the stuff that Hollywood pumps out with regularity.
Washington Post requires a login to view the full story. Get one from www.bugmenot.com.
[Image is a small portion of a larger image by Carlos Puma For The Washington Post]
