Computer Games as a form of Literature

Although it may not seem so at first, computer games have intextuality just like printed literature does. Computer games are often based off of reality (i.e, simulation games ) or from previous media, such as comic books, films, and television shows. Joris Dormans argues in his essay on intertextuality in computer games that intertextuality is what occurs in video games rather than unoriginality. He says that in games such as Grand Theft Auto, intertexuality is especially prevalent:"To sum up, there are many different forms of intertextuality: direct quotations of other fictional sources, references to the non-fictional texts and reality, and the copying of various cultural and non-cultural forms, genres and styles. In the case of GTA, it is guilty of all charges."

The World is Yours: Intertextual Irony and Second Level Reading Strategies in Grand Theft Auto

The game series of Grand Theft Auto (GTA) has many faces. On the one hand it is a very popular gaming franchise; GTA San Andreas was one of the most anticipated and successful games of 2004. Millions of gamers indulged themselves into the various San Andreas cityscapes, car-jacking and killing their way up the criminal ladder. On the other the games are controversial because of their violent and criminal nature; many parents, educators and legislatures worry about that these games might inspire likewise violent and criminal behaviour in children. At the same time, GTA games were well received in critical circles of both game journalist and game academics. Up to the point that no self-respecting game scholar can go without an opinion or - preferably - an article on the game. The open-ended nature of the game is one of its most mentioned and best appreciated characteristics.

Closer inspection of the games reveals that GTA is all these things. It is a cool game with dubious and subversive content but also possessed with a surprising flair, depth and intelligence. Its critical and popular success make it one of the key gaming franchises of this decade. The discussion about its subversive content puts into clear perspective some of the issues that surround games during this same period. In this article I will try to identify the attributes that contributed to this success in the last three major installations of the GTA series: GTA III, GTA Vice City and GTA San Andreas.

A GTA primer
GTA III, released in 2001, welcomes the player to the fictional city of Liberty City, a virtual place that resembles New York rather closely. The story starts when the unnamed protagonist (sometimes referred to as “the kid”) is betrayed by his girlfriend and sent to prison for armed robbery. He manages to escape when his convoy is attacked en route, and from that moment the player gets play him as he steals and murders his way to revenge. Starting out as a humble chauffeur for the Mafia he quickly makes a name for himself as a competent driver and gunman. The game which presents the action in a 3D environment alternates between a driving mode, in which the player races cars around the city, and a third-person shooter mode that handles the on-foot action (see figures 1 en 2). The kid works his way up but eventually is betrayed by the Mafia at which point he changes sides and joins the Yakuza, which he will eventually also betray. In the end he defeats the most powerful gang in town (the Columbian Cartel) which was run by his treacherous girlfriend. The main story-line is resolved by numerous missions that must be completed successfully by player. But that is not all, there are numerous side-missions for the player to complete. One-hundred secret packages are scattered throughout the city, as are several challenges and rampages. These latter two are best regarded as a sort of side-games which have little to do with the narrative environment but which test the player’s skills with driving and shooting.

GTA Vice City and San Andreas follow the same basic set-up but differ in location and scale. Vice City places the action in the eighties in a city that closely resembles Miami. Again the protagonist carves out a criminal existence, but this time he quickly establishes himself as a local crime-lord and many of the missions resolve around the expansion and protection of his criminal emporium. The fictional setting and period establish the visual look and feel of the game and are a clear reference to the Miami Vice television series (see figure 3). San Andreas frames its story in 1992 and a fictional environment that includes no less than three cities Los Santos (or Los Angeles), San Fierro (San Fransisco) and Las Venturas (Las Vegas), and sizeable rural and dessert areas (see figures 4-7). Just as the play area increased more than threefold the story’s dramatic arc is proportionally larger than in the earlier two games. From the protagonists humble beginnings as member of an insignificant local gang in Los Santos, leaned upon by corrupt police officers and betrayed by his ‘homies’, to his triumphant return as an established crime-lord after a career that takes him from Los Santos to San Fierro and Las Venturas and back to Los Santos.

The three games featured in this article are not the only games in the series. Obviously, GTA III was preceded by two earlier games: GTA (including its London 1969 mission pack) and GTA 2 published 1997 and 1999 respectively. Both games are two-dimensional with a top down perspective (see figures 8 & 9), and many of the basic game play and features are already in place. You steal cars and work your way up the criminal hierarchy and visit Liberty City, Vice City and San Andreas in the process. The games already have the typical driving and walking modes, and like in the later games a visit to a ‘Spray ‘n’ Pay’ shop rids you of unwanted police attention. In 2005, GTA Liberty City Stories was released for the PSP (Playstation Portable). In this game the action returns to Liberty City and a multiplayer mode is introduced, allowing players to hunt each other down or compete several other typical multiplayer matches.

Like many contemporary games, GTA is violent, sexist and racist. However, GTA is, as we shall see, a fairly reflective game: its violent, sexist and racist content is simultaneously questioned by the game itself. Still, there is no denying that, especially the earlier games, fail to represent women and minority groups fairly. One might argue that all characters in GTA are stereotypes and that no one, not even gamers, escape to be at the receiving end of the games’ humour. But that does not counter the fact that women and minorities find themselves in that position more often, than white males. This is a serious problem from which these games suffer, no matter how reflective the game is in other areas.