Parents' Guide to Popular Games in Singapore
Game: Grand Theft Auto IV
Platform: PC / PS3 / XBOX360
Game Genre: Sandbox, third-person shooter, action-adventure
ESRB Rating: M (Mature) - "Blood," "Intense Violence," "Partial Nudity," "Strong Language," "Strong Sexual Content," "Use of Drugs and Alcohol."
MDA Rating: M18 - Mature Theme and Coarse Language
GENERAL GAMEPLAY
Single-Player Mode
This game starts the player off as a driver for his cousin, who operates as an underground
taxi driver for clientele including drug pushers, hitmen, and gangsters. The player takes on missions
and upon completion unlocks parts of the story. If a mission is not completed, the player is given a
chance to try it again repeatedly until he completes it successfully. In the midst of the game, the
player is introduced to a girl who he needs to take out to dates occassionally to maintain the
relationship. The cousin also asks the player to drive him to places, unlocking new places to
bring the girlfriend out for dates. Occassionally the player is asked to go on missions to kill
in-game characters. Various weapons are made available to the player as he plays on.
Multi-Player Mode
This contains several multiplayer modes. Team games which split the players into 2 teams
(cops and crooks), or racing modes which pit all players against each other in races. The multiplayer
team modes promote teamwork, and can be used to bond players, but the presence of violence and disrespect
for authority (police) might be a detrimental factor.
Within the multiplayer games, violence is permitted and encouraged, to give each player an edge
over the other players. Players can choose to ram into competing vehicles, shoot or throw fire bombs
through the windows, or even steal their rival's cars. Those playing against police get to blow up the
police cars, or beat up or knock down the policemen as they are forced to walk outside the protection
of their cars.
GAMER MOTIVATION
- Immersion ()
Discovery – The gamer can explore different establishments and meet interesting
people in Liberty City. The game designers have also inserted various “easter eggs” or hidden
content within the game for gamers to discover.
Role-play – This is the main motivation for many gamers to play GTA4 as it
allows them to role-play a criminal and commit numerous anti-social acts. The ability to do
this in a game appeals strongly to gamers as they would not usually do such acts in real-life.
Escapism – As with many games, GTA4 allows gamers to escape from real-life
issues and immerse themselves in a virtual reality.
Scene of in-game Violence |
Suggestive sexual scene |
THINGS PARENTS SHOULD LOOK OUT FOR
- Violence and Blood ()
There is intense violence in GTA4 and many realistic and bloody scenes of violence and killings.
The gamer can attack and kill people with knives, handguns, shotguns, grenades and other weapons.
They can run over pedestrians with vehicles and kill cops. The violence is gratuitous and excessive.
- Profanity ()
Profanity is used very frequently by the game character and other characters in the game.
Words such as f**k, c**ks****r, motherf**ker are commonplace.
- Sexual Content ()
Although there is no full frontal nudity, there are near nudity scenes in strip clubs that
the game character can visit. The gamer can solicit prostitutes for different sexual services
or have sex with his girlfriend/s although the actual sex scenes are not shown clearly. There
are also sexually explicit conversations in the game.
- Alcohol and Drugs ()
The game character can drink and the game gives a realistic depiction of its effects when he
becomes drunk. He is not able to take drugs but cocaine and marijuana use by other characters
can be found in the game.
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