Kinda not feeling this Grand Theft Auto 4 ad on DU..

[JonLP24]

57. Franklin is the only character that seems normal or well adjusted

Nuances of Satire: Falling into GTA V’s Biopolitical Trap

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Within this particular critical framework, Los Santos is a lively cultural place with its own character and rules. Specifically, Los Santos deploys violence as the means through which conflict resolution can and should be enacted. Very few, if any, actions taken in Los Santos possess any kind of morally or ethically redeemable qualities. However, Los Santos as a satirical cultural space enables the deployment of particular cultural archetypes that allow us to reflect upon and question why their everyday life and practices appear to be abhorrent to us.
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For example, Trevor can be built up as a pathological character who will go to any lengths to obtain what he desires. Trevor lashes out violently for any and all reasons, sees violence as a sure way to accomplish his goals, and espouses the Los Santos way of life to its fullest. This is exemplified in the numerous missions available to Trevor.

For instance, a mission set available only to Trevor is the rampage. During these events, Trevor becomes enraged and attacks a series of opponents ranging from rednecks, to the military, to cycling hipsters. The rampages are typically initiated when some slight is committed against Trevor who, as a way to settle the dispute, brandishes a weapon and unleashes havoc and destruction upon his surroundings.

Also emblematic of Trevor’s lack of self-control and randomness are the numerous scenes presented to players when switching to Trevor. Amongst the most memorable that we encountered are: Trevor throwing a man over an overpass and into oncoming traffic; a bloodied Trevor wearing only a pair of underwear, socks, and boots, waking up on an island, surrounded by four dead members of a criminal motorcycle gang; an enraged Trevor chasing down three cyclists in his truck; and a confused Trevor telling a bodybuilder that the man had, in fact, stolen Trevor’s underwear. No context is given for any of these scenes, which reinforces the apparent randomness of Trevor’s behaviour.

What positions Trevor as an effective character in defining the world of GTA 5 is that such behavior, thought morally and ethically reprehensible, nonetheless comes as no surprise. The internal consistency of Los Santos puts players in a position where expendable morality and ethics become the norm. In other words, Trevor Phillips is exactly who we would expect to meet in Los Santos. Far from being pathological, Trevor Phillips represents normality, and that is precisely why he is so effective when it comes to satirizing our own world. He is morally repugnant, yet fits in perfectly in Los Santos. He is the perfect biopolitical citizen produced by Los Santos, a citizen that will ensure that Los Santos’ way of life remains vibrant in the future despite our own moral and ethical quandaries with the presentation of events in the game’s world.

If Trevor is an open book when it comes to Los Santos biopolitics, Michael De Santa is a more nuanced character. Contrary to Trevor, Michael is depicted as the rational criminal, albeit one that is down on his luck. At the start of the game, Michael is directly attempting to leave behind the life of crime that has long followed him. Nevertheless, aspects of his past continue to haunt him.

Again, Los Santos’ biopolitics play a role in shaping Michael’s character. However, they act on Michael in a more insidious manner than they act on Trevor. While Trevor is never conflicted about the life he lives – to the point of repeatedly calling it a life choice – Michael is caught in a double bind he never manages to resolve: He wants to escape the life of crime that has led him to where he is today, yet the only way he knows how to do such a thing is by committing even more crime. For Michael, redemption can only come through accepting his role as a biopolitical citizen, his final escape from a world of crime secured through a massive heist that provides him the promise of security that only criminally obtained money can buy.

http://higherlevelgamer.org/2013/10/08/nuances-of-satire-falling-into-gta-vs-biopolitical-trap/

I wanted to post more but that describes it perfectly and helps me make sense of some things. Earlier versions I didn't feel more offensive than a movie like a Casino, but it is like with this one, they choose to go ahead and all the stuff they were accused of before. I'd activate a side mission only to hear rampant misogyny from the character and felt the game didn't need any of this so wondered why they choose to.

The thing I like most about the satire is in the GTA 5 world, descriptions are straight-forward such as Weazel News "Confirming your prejudices." Or when Jimmy is saying how he is going to follow in Michael's footsteps to produce movies but that they will be meaningless and not about the art(paraphrasing).

Not so much part of the self-honesty satire, but part of the Franklin & Lamar dialogue which cracks me up. He calls the gang structure a "pyramid scheme".

GTA has really expanded the possibility of gaming.