With the release date of Grand Theft Auto IV quickly approaching, the internet is filled with information, speculation, and hype. Avoiding it is like trying to avoid the Halo 3 hype last year. Not possible.A little background on my experience with the GTA series. I bought the double-pack of GTA3 and Vice City back when it came out on the original Xbox. I played a bunch of GTA3, although I only did probably 2 missions. I only played Vice City once.
I mainly played GTA3 with cheat codes. I would give myself a tank and go on a rampage. Rinse. Repeat. Yawn.
When the whole hot coffee thing happened, I realized how Rockstar does business. They use the controversy to sell their games. Not that this was a big revelation to anyone else, but it just brought it into sharp focus for me. It doesn't matter how much damage they do to the industry, as long as they sell games.
Anytime the industry is attacked by outsiders such as congressman or lawyers, GTA is always the title that's brought up. Not once have I ever heard them decry a Mario Bros game or hurl insults at the latest Madden.
Now, I'm not speaking out against violence in video games or anything like that. I love my Halo, Crackdown, and Gears of War. But the hype that surrounds these games is not because they're "destroying our youth", but because they're monuments in the industry. They have merits that elevate them above just being about mindless violence.
The bottom line is this. I'm not buying GTAIV because it supports a developer that creates games that are detrimental to the industry at large. They bring unnecessary attention to our favorite pastime if for nothing more than to make a buck. I'm not going to give my money to a company like that.
If I buy a game on April 29th, it'll be Super Smash Bros Brawl.
