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I couldn't get John Oliver's voice to work while reading that. Instead all I could muster was Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw from Zero Punctuation. Which, actually should be quite funny when he reviews GTA IV

Missed Connections: "To the hobo who put his hand up my skirt in [illegible]."
Ok, now I'll go read the post.

@CaptainFantastic: Cluckin' Bell

Seriously, I lurvs GTA. I first went for the morally bereft ultra-violence, but stayed for the stinging social commentary.

That was GREAT!
I still want Niko to fuck me.

Please tell me you can find and, um, interact with these people when you play the game. And don't just tell me as a favor, tell me because it's true.

But "first post-modern video game" doesn't make a lot of sense. Apotheosis is more like it and not a bad thing.

GTA IV is like the Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band of videogames, without a doubt.

GTA IV is definitely like the Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club band of Videogames.

Reading about fake internet on the internet is kind of like looking at mirror's reflection in another mirror.

Brilliant. Chloe Parker is the name of a person that Nicole Ritchie refers to in her book.. something something diamonds.

@DonPardoCalrissian: I don't know yet, but I also hope it is true. At the moment I can't even find a computer in the game.

meat purse dogs?
ew..

"...her daddy got her a pair of diamond miners, and after she was able to walk again..."

Hilarious! I'll be definitely picking up this game this weekend!

For a Serb, Niko Bellic [sic] sure seems to have trouble spelling his own name.

I thought that title went to MGS on the original Playstation?

GTA IV is so advanced, it lets you play a virtual version of GTA V, in which the final mission is to help program GTA VI

The game appears over the top and in your face, and of course it is, but it also works on many more subtle level.
Sure it's offensive, but never let it be said that it spares anyone from its target sights, it's an equal offendor, even going so far as to target its own audience, Subverting the whole testosterone machismo image of the typical fan by making the player join virtual gay chatrooms and arranging to go on dates with other guys.

It's hard to do satire in a world supreme court judges declare that what happened at Agu Grahb isn't cruel and unusual punishment, because torture isn't punishment.
Yeah, it's hard, but not impossible, as Rockstar have shown us with this magnificent triumph of modern culture.

@DonPardoCalrissian:

You can, in fact, use Love-Meet.net to find and date/sexy time with people. The profiles on the MySpace-parody site are HILARIOUS. So fucking true, too. I was denied by LickinGood but I'm trying my luck with a few other weird characters.

And don't even get me started on the Eunux.com. It's so hilarious (Unix parody). In flavors like, "RedTwat", edition.

To get to TW@ cafe, do the missions for Roman and Brucie. You can find the TW@ cafe if you look at the map that comes with the game (poster).

Just looking at all the sites on the web would take a long time. They have a BlogSpot parody, a porn video site parody, and so many other obscure ones (YourMexicanDoctor.com I think). There's also the Eugenics website which I haven't seen yet because I forgot the URL, which sounds hilarious.

The mockumentaries on TV are awesome and some shows come on at specific times (like 72, a parody of 24, and I'm Rich). The Poker tournament show is great, and so is The Men's Room.

I watched the weird space soldier cartoon and it's so great... redneck soldiers just blowing shit up because they think its insurgents (aliens).

Not to mention the CNT (cunt) network but my favorite is probably WEAZEL.

It just boggles my mind how much detail is in this game. The police database is really cool and you can do vigilante missions.

Satire in video games? This has never happened ever before. This game is revolutionary. It's post-modern, because, rather than allow a player to experience either simulations of realities they'd otherwise never experience, or imagined, impossible experiences with no real-world counterpart, GTA IV facilitates satire of reality experienced every day! Oh, wait, that's been done a dozen times, too.

Claystill.

Sure there have been passing references and whatnot in other games, but it's the sheer scale of what is in GTA that boggles.

Unless Rockstar adds a playable Earsnot character, fuck this game.

Stinging social commentary? I don't know if I'd go that far. It has all the wit and subtle satire of a week's worth of Comedy Central programming.

If that's a step forward in video game evolution, the next mass extinction can't come too soon.

John Oliver? So am I missing something, or are people missing the obvious reference to Robin Leach there...

@Jewishthunda701: Were there really 700 "Jewishthunda"s before you? Are you really the 701st?

The thing I loved about the last two GTA games were the radio commercials. Sounds like they're continuing that humor but with a better machine, better capabilities.

Post-modern? I don't really think that's a good word for it, at least not for the reasons described.

I still think about how GTA: Vice City practically made a whole movement of attitude, music tastes and decadence with a younger generation. Crazy.

@Pope John Peeps II: actually I belive it is just a post-graduat level of Jewishthunda 401.

saying that gtaiv is the "first post-modern video game" is the most modernist thing you could do; despite the 'post' in post-modern, key to post-modernism is that there never was a first or a 'post', but post-modernism was always there. plato is just as postmodern as derrida or robocop.
@Detha: yeah, the mgs series is a far superior triumph of postmodernism in videogames.
@keram2: orson welles, is that you?

Comment on The Media Universe Of Grand Theft Auto I don't think the author fully understands what "postmodern" means. GTA IV isn't postmodern. Even if it were, it wouldn't be the first such game. And even if you were to take the author's use of "postmodern" as accurate, GTA IV doesn't do anything different on that front than GTA III. Satire is one way that an author might emphasize postmodern themes. But just because you have satire in a game doesn't make it postmodern. In the case of GTA IV, the satire is instead used either purely for laughs or to make political statements. The theme of GTA IV is the American Dream, and they don't have any sort of postmodern spin on it, either in the literary or philosophical sense. It's mostly a [slightly ham-fisted] discussion of whether it's attainable. Its discussion of media perhaps could have been used to highlight postmodern themes, but it wasn't. It was just making fun. I do agree that it's not an apotheosis. ;) _________________________________________________________________ In a rush? Get real-time answers with Windows Live Messenger. http://www.windowslive.com/messenger/overview.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_Refresh_realtime_042008

@valarmorghulis: he can't be. I'm jewishthunda691 and I haven't seen him at any of the meetings.

Don't tease me with that "John Oliver" tag! MOAR PLZ. But that could be him; I would not put it past my boy to actually do a GTA voiceover.

It's somewhat on the nose, I think. Of course, I don't even own a system that can run the game, so I'm talking about the video.

@keram2: Or like watching Snakes on a Plane on a plane.

Does the fake GTA Internet bombard users with pictures of fake Ira Glass?

I can't think of this game without thinking of the fact that one of the main draws is being able to force sex on the prostitutes and then kill them. Kinda makes me want to find the real life cheat to the flamethrower and turn it on the fucktards who made this game. I mean, I used to love playing this game but now it's just put the "No Girls Allowed" sign on the clubhouse in fucking capital letters. Fuck this game.

@pheagan: Yes. Just yes. I was embarrassingly distraught reading the posts and realizing that people actually think this game is okay. Its like "oh great I finally have the ability to live out my fantasy of being a total asshole"

@pheagan: That's hardly one of the main draws, nor is it entirely accurate -- it's just what the media focuses on.

First of all, sex with prostitutes isn't even a main part of the game. It has no part in advancing the story or increasing your level of in-game achievements, it's just a side thing the same way you can go bowling or play darts. I mean, you really can go the entire game without any real interaction with prostitutes, and I think many players do, but, just like real life, they're there if you, uh, want to make use of their services.

But you can't "force sex" on them -- there is no rape function in the game. I'm almost 100% positive it works the same way as in previous GTA's where you drive up to them, honk the horn, and they willingly enter your car. At least, uh, that's what I've heard.

But, yeah, that's how it was previous versions too, so I'm kinda confused how you "used to love playing this game" and now you suddenly hate it.

I find that every GTA is like a historical accounting of our culture at the time each one was made and released. The creaters make an excellent satire of what people watch and obsess over.
Those who find points in the game they think are sick and horrible tend to leave out key points, like Mothers Against Drunk Driving. They're freaking out that you can go to a bar, get drunk, and drive. Of course they ignore they fact that you can call a cab to take you home, and that THE GAME even tells you that you are in no condition to drive and should call a cab. Seriously, if you don't like the game, shut up and quit aggravating those who do.

You do realize you just compared getting a hooker to playing darts right?
I think people are ignoring the fact that prostitution exists in real life because of centuries of sexism and that they are often forced in to the position of being a prostitute so you may not see the actual act as being forced but in the grand scheme of things it is.
I just cannot believe that anyone realized all these shitty things that happen in the world and went omigod wouldn't it be fun if we glamored this up a little bit and could pretend that was us?

@kctomorrow: Christ. Get an update on your rusty-ass feminism. If a woman, man, tranny or any other adult chooses to be a sex-worker, illegal or not, that's their fucking choice. And if a game purports to create a realistic environment based around the world of sleezy central characters, they can't exactly censor the world for your dated feminist sentiments, so please suck it up and read up on current feminism.

You know what I did in a video game the other day? I shot and killed HUNDREDS of video-game peoples with rockets.

Do you see now why you sound like a true idiot?

also, the rockets were polished and all glamored up. better for killing fake people.

@Fugees-and-Funyuns: Listen. Prostitution, fine. Driving over prostitutes with your car just like you can all the other people, fine. Raping them (there is a cheat, my cousin showed me) is possible, if you don't know your cheats don't blame me. And then shooting them in the head as they give you a blow job? No. Thank. You.