Gamers crave the latest grand theft auto game.
But when reports surfaced that the video game franchise’s next installment—a hardcore criminal wreaking havoc with car chases, shootouts, and plenty of curse words—was going to feature a playable female character, social media and A wave of negativity on YouTube soon followed. .
“Fat feminists have gone too far,” said one YouTuber.
“If it’s bullshit I can assure you, there’s no way this is going to outsell grand theft auto 5cried another.
As reported by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreiersequel in 2013 grand theft auto 5 It features a Latina woman as one of the game’s main characters. She becomes one half of her two characters, inspired by the real-life criminal duo Bonnie and Clyde.
The report also said that developer studio Rockstar Games is tweaking the humor for its upcoming game. GTA Games are sexist, racist, and transphobiaRockstar seems to have promised not to “beat up” marginalized communities like it has done with past installments.
“People like me are so excited [for the new release].
“There was a lot of sexism as a result of this. It’s like posting a possible idea for a first mission where the female protagonist was washing the dishes.”
upcoming report grand theft autoand the rocky reaction to it among some gamers and commentators online, with fans eager for a fresh take on the long-running franchise and others resisting more comprehensive iterations of their favorite games. This is yet another example of the polarized debate between
Female leads are becoming more common today
Schreier reports that the new game is at least two years away from release. Rockstar and its publisher, Take Two Interactive, previously confirmed that a new game was in the works, but did not release any other details.
The Bloomberg article cited more than 20 unnamed current and former Rockstar employees. The notoriously media-shy company made no official comment.
6th day9:58Grand Theft Auto 6 and the first female protagonist to shake things up
The first fully voiced female protagonist in the Grand Theft Auto series. While it’s thrilling news for some, vociferous fans have expressed a lack of interest in playing as women. I’m wondering if I’ll stand by the female lead or acquiesce to the pressure from the fans.
The report notes that perhaps there have been significant changes, considering that there have been no playable female characters in the series since at least 2001. grand theft auto 3.
Since then, game series featuring female or non-white protagonists have grown in popularity. Last of Us When horizon.
But no matter how big those games are, they definitely don’t have the cultural prestige. grand theft autothe series that has made billions of dollars since its 1997 debut. grand theft auto 5started about 10 years ago, I still make monthly bestseller charts.
“grand theft auto .. the industry, the community, and the players themselves. “
Stumble of Saints Row
Just this week, another game series attempted an update, with mixed results.
saints row It is the fifth in the series, which debuted in 2006 as a rival to . GTA game.Critics originally called it GTA “Clone”, given the similarity in mission structure and tone. Subsequent sequels differentiated themselves by focusing on slapstick comedy and science fiction twists.
An early trailer revealed that the first new film in nine years would be a hard reboot and a departure from previous numbered sequels.
Gone are the cool guys and hot girls of the previous game wielding giant purple sex toys like baseball bats. It was a quartet of millennial neadwells singing
The new cast is decidedly non-white, and players can customize the appearance and voice of the bosses they control throughout the game, including options for male, female, and gender-neutral features (and prosthetics).
like grand theft auto Reportedly, some fans didn’t take the change well. Critical reviews also didn’t show much love for the game. saints row Current Maintain an average of 63-69% On the review aggregator site Metacritic.
“The characters… aren’t on the top ten list for a reason. saints row Rebooting doesn’t work,” said Jordan Middleler, who called the game. “Painfully common open-world fatiguein a review for Video Games Chronicle.
“Meaningless Culture Wars”
However, Middler worries that the discourse surrounding the game’s new cast drowns out any discussion of their real weaknesses.
“When a game is announced these days, some of the audience will be surprised by all sorts of changes, things like the game somehow ‘waking up’ that could be perceived as ammunition for the nonsensical culture wars going on.” I feel it has potential,” he says. He said.
new take saints row, grand theft auto According to merritt k., managing editor of gaming site Fanbyte, other games simply reflect the fact that the people making them are aware of certain cultural shifts.
“Conversations and discussions around social dynamics, race, sexuality, gender, and more have changed significantly in mainstream spheres over the past decade,” she said. “These conversations are much more mainstream.”
in linethe merits wrote earlier the enthusiasm of the discussion saints row‘s launch was divided into two camps, those who wanted the game to fail and those who argued that its economic success meant a victory for progressive politics and representation.
“People sometimes look at video games like this. saints row And oh, this is the barometer of the culture war, think if my side wins or the other side wins,” Merritt said. 6th day.
“Video games, like any other medium, can obviously tell important stories, make people feel seen, and foster human connection. It’s not fighting a culture war, it’s necessarily a political act.”
Ultimately, the negative critical reaction was saints line The following costs may increase grand theft auto A game that knocks you out of the park.
“I think that’s the biggest thing a rockstar has to do…just check it out [the new heroine] It’s not just a one-dimensional character,” said Thomas.
“By creating a character that even a hesitant person ends up falling in love with, it proves the naysayers wrong. I think that’s the best way to respond.”
