I feel pretty comfortable saying that GTA: 4 is not really any more or less sexist than a slew of other offerings from the game industry.

I take it back. I finished playing through the game (I made my first comment ~halfway through the story part of the game) and I just do not think that is true anymore. It would probably be a waste of time detailing the specific content in the game that changed my mind but I did.

Because prostitution exists? It’s a criminal act like any other in the game. That’s why it’s there. It’s not meant to show the bright, sunny side of humanity, it’s meant to show the shitty, seedy side.

Caukee– I agree that the actual word “retarded” is inoffensive on it’s own. It’s saying “what are you, retarded?” or “this ______ is retarded!” or “so-and-so is a retard!” is what bugs me. I had a talk with my parents and the word is now on the “words we should try to not say” list.

Excellent blog, though. Keep speaking out ! Too bad about your family values – maybe you can find better people to hang with. We weren’t allowed to say hateful things about people because of looks, color, sex, abilities, or anything else out of their control; more importantly, we were taught that was because every kind of person belonged – in our home, and in our lives, and everywhere, as valued people just like ourselves. We weren’t stopped from expressing negative things about hateful behavior, just not with those kinds of words. So, sexist pigs and most all politicians were fair game. My parents were far from perfect, but I’m glad they got that much right.

Without naming names, I do not think it is ok for ANYONE, but especially my 17-year-old brother to be playing Grand Theft Auto Four, you know, the game were you can frequent strip clubs and kill prostitutes

I really think that this approach to GTA: 4 is wrong. I have always felt highlighting a fact like this is sensationalistic and misses what actually is wrong with the game. It does not sort of sum up everything wrong with it.

There are plenty of things to criticize GTA: 4 on. It is a sexist game. I am like half way through it right now and so far all of the main characters are male with the exception of the virgin uber catholic sister of a criminal I hang out with (really). All of the strippers or sex workers are female; adjectives like heteronormative or male-centric would definitely apply.

Some of the stuff on the radio stations in the game if taken at face value is also sexist but the dialogue on the radio is clearly meant to be satire. Is it ridiculing cultural attitudes? It may be doing this a little bit. How people are going to interpret the content on those stations probably has more to do with the viewer than the content itself.

This is probably more of a reflection of just our society but GTA: 4 is completely saturated with violence. As pointed out by the poster above, nobody is spared. I think it is fair to critique the game on those grounds but to focus on killing prostitutes is hyperbole that when said with a straight face shows that one is not very familiar with GTA:4 (or maybe games in general). I feel pretty comfortable saying that GTA: 4 is not really any more or less sexist than a slew of other offerings from the game industry. However, it is far above the curve in gratuitous violence.

Secondly, I really hate when people call it out as “killing prostitutes”.

Yes, you can. You can also kill the police. The fire department. EMTs. Random passerby, of both sexes.

I would think it would be *much* more sexist if you could kill anyone male, but were blocked from harming women. It would be treating women as some special, fragile protected group that needed to be kept safe.

It’s not as though the game encourages you to kill prostitutes, or gives you bonus points for it, or somesuch.

Most (feminist) websites that talk about it, gloss over this fact, or use flat out false information to make their point. Whether or not you choose to kill a prostitute is fully in the player’s hands. Same as killing anyone in the game.