It’s hard to find a logical starting point when talking about Grand Theft Auto V.
Do I begin with the world of Los Santos itself, Rockstar Games‘ satirical view of the Los Angeles, California region. They’ve most certainly crafted a large, dynamic, and living world filled with plenty to see and do. Perhaps, too much to do? There’s so many activities in Grand Theft Auto V that it’s borderline excessive. Perhaps I can begin my discussion of the game here on how it can give off, at times, a Grand Theft Auto IV vibe: plenty to see and do, but not enough of it is worthwhile. But a game can have a great location and still falter. Characters arguably carry a greater weight in the long run and that’s something GTA V has plenty of. So I could start this article by talking about how imperfect Michael, Trevor, and Franklin are.
But nope. I have to start with the game’s misogyny.
I’m not going to talk about the billboards and references featured in the game. Instead, I want to share my first three encounters with actual female characters:
- Michael’s wife, a former stripper who underwent breast enhancement surgery and is cheating on Michael with the tennis instructor. She is portrayed as someone who only cares about herself and spending money.
- Michael’s daughter, a stereotypical 2010’s teenager seeking her way into fame and fortune through reality television, presumably because people like Paris Hilton did it that way.
- A woman Trevor is having intercourse with on his kitchen counter. She then grieves alongside the corpse of her recently deceased boyfriend.
There are so many problems with these three examples: I can’t remember their names for the life of me, they are completely useless in terms of the game’s plot, and they are incredibly forgetful and unlikable. While Michael, Trevor, and Franklin are initially viewed as equally unlikable, with an emphasis on Michael and Trevor, we get to learn about their pasts, their personalities, and what makes them tick. Some will even sympathize or relate with the characters. They become “anti-heroes,” if you will; men just trying to make it by the only way they know how. Men who want the best for the people in their lives. Men who dream of a better way of doing things.
Noticing a theme here? Men have the spotlight; you have to scroll down all the way to “secondary characters” on the game’s Wikipedia page for Grand Theft Auto V characters to even see a woman listed. Even then, the only three female characters on that page are the three I just talked about.
Why am I leading off this article by talking about the game’s absolutely horrid representation of women? Because it casts a California sized shadow over the rest of the game. Never before have I encountered a world such as Los Santos outside the MMORPG genre. The feeling you got when you first entered the mighty halls of Ironforge in World of Warcraft, the moment you and a bunch of strangers gathered to raid in the original Everquest, the nostalgia when you traversed from memorable planet to memorable planet Star Wars: The Old Republic. Those feelings are present within the world of Grand Theft Auto V. Driving in the hills of Los Santos at night and seeing the beauty of the skyline is something to truly behold. It’s a moment that is definitely worthy of popping a quick selfie; yes, you heard that right. You can take selfies in the game and it’s as much fun as you think it can. Surprisingly, it creates the illusion that you’re not playing a video game, instead that you’re on a vacation. You actually want to see the sights. You actually want to explore the world. The world actually wants you to explore it. The game’s size and scope is never intimidating and always welcoming.
Part of this may have to deal with the game’s improved handling of its vehicles. I’m not saying we’ve reached racing genre levels of perfection, but considering how cars had a tendency to handle like they’re underwater in the past, it’s nice to be able to make high speed turns with at least the allusion of precision. It makes me want to get into a car and drive around, unwinding after a high-stakes heist or high-octane mission.
Even if I don’t take the time to relax between missions, the game will do it for me. In a resemblance to the original Assassin’s Creed, each mission has its own series of pacing and setup. You don’t just waltz right through the front door of the store you’re robbing blind. Instead, you have to scout out the place, examine the building’s surroundings, and come up with a plan; you’re performing reconnaissance. While these missions are as much “fun” as they were back in Assassin’s Creed, they not only add to the immersion of the game, but also give proceedings a much needed break. The appeal of high speed car chases and wild shootouts disappear when they’re happening every five minutes. This break in the action allows those set pieces to carry more weight. It avoids the sort of “Michael Bay” problem people attribute the Call of Duty franchise to having. All this being said, the Grand Theft Auto V‘s insistence on performing mundane tasks for pacing/immersion purposes can, at times, be incredibly frustrating. I don’t want to steer a forklift or tail somebody for eight blocks. I want to rob banks, I want to escape from the cops, I want to engage in shoot-outs. I get that the “mundane” tasks allow for the set pieces to happen, but it still feels like it’s too much at times.
All of this means I can’t immerse myself into the action as much as I’d prefer to. I can’t enjoy the sights and sounds of Los Santos, which is a sham because it’s presented from three different viewpoints. There’s Franklin, the guy who’s just trying to make an honest buck, Michael, the guy looking for a second chance, and Trevor, the, err…wildcard. The ability to swap between the three characters on the fly helps alleviate the pacing problems by allowing the player to mix up the scenery at their choosing. It’s not just about just travelling to a different place in Los Santos, but also to a different character and their particular view of the world. It’s just a shame that we can only sympathize with two of the characters: Michael and Franklin. Trevor, while at times able to perfectly able to showcase the over-the-top aspects of Grand Theft Auto V, instead showcases its problems more often than not.
That’s ultimately the bottom line of the game: no matter how much it tries to distance itself from its problems, it can’t escape them. Grand Theft Auto V is an imperfect game, starring imperfect characters, yet features inexcusable actions and choices. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy my time in Los Santos, I just wish the game’s viewed matured with the times. It holds the game back far too much.
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