"Killographic" is ridiculous, but bigoted certainly describes it...
 

Take a look at this article...

I also saw a variation of the article at Penny Arcade, and I think i have a different view than a lot of people. Let me break it down:

Apparently some game creators think it's okay to target nationalities for hate crimes in video games. Some justify it by saying "there are all kinds of groups targeted in video games." However, just because Germans, Italians, Cubans etc. have already been targeted it doesn't mean that it should be done. For example, during World War II some popular comic books used to portray Germans and African Americans as scum. Now we look back in disgust at that kind of blatant racism. What makes it okay now for us to target hate crimes against specific nationalities in video games?

And here's another way to see it if you're not a member of a minority group. How would you feel if, instead of minorities, the game ordered players to target members of your personal religious faith? Would you then think that it was ridiculous to take a stand for your group?

IMO, this is just ridiculous. It's a game. It's not meant to hurt anyone or belittle a race, creed, or nationality. It's vulgar and violent in order to sell, because violence sells, and it has sold famously. Yes, many games out there that depict characters killing Germans, Italians, Cubans, Iraqis, Russians, Ukrainians, AMERICANS, any nationality you can think of. But when members of one group attack the makers of the game, to me they come off as absurdly insecure, as if they feel that they have to make a stand in order to maintain respect. Honestly, does anyone respect Haitians any less after killing them in a video game?

My answer to that is yes, I certainly would think it was ridiculous. Because people need to learn to separate fantasy from reality. It's like saying everyone who plays violent video games will become a violent person (hence killographic). Those comic books and things during WWII were propaganda meant to rile the spirits of Americans. No one is trying to turn people against Hatians in Grand Theft Auto. It's just easier to say "kill the Hatian gang" than "kill the crime syndicate run by a random group of people whose nationality will not be named for sensitive reasons." Remember, in most games the most violent, sadistic, despicable characters are white males. But are there any white males complaining about being type-cast as the evil villians/uber-criminals?

If they're only asking for $15k in damages, apparently they don't take it very seriously...

This is just stupid. I think the people are only sueing because they couldn't win the lawsuit for GTA: VC being too violent of a game.

Of course not! Uber-criminals and evil villians are cool. Why would I complain? Hah.


Seriously though... I'm with Video Drone on this. The whole thing is stupid. Hell, in GTA games you get 'points' of a sort for killing anyone, because it increases the police spending, and gives you more 'points' for every person killed regardless of nationality. At least in the one that I have, they have a screen that scrolls through showing how much stuff you've blown up, etc. There's nothing about hate crimes in GTA, it's about organized crime. Organized crime is often racist, not in that they commit hate crimes, but that you have a hatian mob, an italian mob, a russian mob, etc. You don't see many hatians in the italian mob, and vice versa, so by saying "Kill the Hatians" in that context, only a complete moron would think they mean kill all hatians. They mean kill the hatian gangsters and get whatever it is the employers need/deliver the message to them. That's just a fact of the world. Because a game is 'realistic' that doesn't mean that it's 'racist'. It means the world can be somewhat racist in certain degrees. Also, let's remember that this game is rated MA (for very good reasons), and although you may be able to argue that it COULD cause racism/violence in children, I find it hard to believe that taking down a hatian mob is going to make any adult that isn't already racist hate hatians.

P.S. Killographic is the coolest word ever. So long as you redefine it to mean 'cool'.

I understand your sentiments, and perhaps share some of your concern. I do not, however, find it to be horribly offensive.

As a somewhat rational, on-and-off again thinking man, I understand that video games as currently produced are not intended to be taken as messages of hate. I would find it hard to believe that the producers at Rockstar Games have some personal vendetta against the people of Haiti.

I do believe, however, that in order to express a remote semblance of realism in GTA: VC, the producers included real ethnic groups. In the GTA series there are a myriad of races involved in crime: There's Asian, Hispanic, Caucasian and African-American. The game is set in Miami in the 1980's, and is intended to be (somewhat) realistic. I imagine it would be difficult to portray a sense of reality if you were sent to kill a group of Snargalites, or if there was tension between the Boombalarg's from Sneed and the Trippodorians from Blah. The immersion factor is sort of lost when human races and countries are invented.

Someone has to be the bad guy, and in GTA, it seems everyone's the bad guy. No specific race is targeted because every race is targeted. That, to me, is not so offensive.

If, on the other hand, Rockstar came out with a game called Grand Theft Haitian, then I would find cause to be offended.

Killographic is a cool sounding word, just like stuponfucious (see: Penny Arcade).

But anyway, video games are just there to entertain you. They are not ment to encourage you to shoot or put down someone. I have played GTA: VC and I find it fun and never once I felt the urge to walk out to the street with a gun and shoot everybody I see. I'm sure the people that play the game belive everything they see or they are extreamly depressed and were going to shoot someone anyway. I just feel.. ugh. Bottom line: Games are made to entertain you, not make the world a worse place.

My girlfriend happens to be Muslim, and an Arab... but I cant help enjoying blowing Arab terrorists away in video games. Its not that I loathe the race, or anything of the sort... because, I myself, am part german, and even though that holds true (I even had people claiming at one point I was related to Hitler... I think that was a few years back? I got smart and told them to fuck themselves) I still enjoy wasting Nazi's in the countless number of World War II games that I have. If theres anything I cant get enough of (besides certain obvious things Im not going to mention) its World War 2 video games. I dont know, I love D-Day scenarios. Pulse pounding heart stopping chaotic action, people dying, shit blowing up all over the place, screams, gunshots... Ok, so its not exactly the greatest happiest place in the world...
But the adrenaline rush is WAY better than cutting yourself, as Ive realized, and its a lot healthier and far more socially accepted.

Some people have to realize, that if a game puts a race in a game... what else are they gonna do? If they wanna have ANY credibility, if the enemy is terrorist, then its fairly obvious youre going to have a nation or mercenaries...

Like, German mercs, German Nazis, Arabic Terrorists, Chinese Terrorists... etc. I think its fairly obvious that terrorist groups portrayed in media and video games / movies make it to a standard to where they all have one culture / race / region in a certain group.

But, as with everything, you're bound to have a few bad apples. People look to this as an excuse to blame things they dont understand for racism and violence against creeds of all kinds. Violence against other nations, to where people develop a bias against nations and eventually start to hate them.

I can say, after playing Call of Duty, I have never considered a Russian more stupid. I mean, damn man, the russian kid in my class made me think (all his averages in classes are 30's or less... I mean, damn, it takes EFFORT to get that low in 8th grade), but after seeing the Body Count after the FIRST MISSION in the Russian campaign, and how they treated the war... my god, it was ridiculous. Maybe its not entirely true, but this was times of Stalin. "Protector of the People's Defense" Stalin. Yeah right. Haha, when you start with 15,000 troops and have 160 left over you KNOW something is wrong. Especially if its just one battle.

Religion in video games is almost unheard of. I have never played a game where you have to target people of a specific religion... because, simply, you just cant get away with it. You can argue all you like that your character is of a different religion, but you'll be stopped in your tracks so many times its just... not possible. Unless the religion is made up or heretic, its bound to draw a HUGE amount of critisicm / hate... Its like taking control of Hitler in a video game and trying to exterminate a religion.

It just cant be done...

I agree, we need more words like killographic...hell, we need to title a movie Killographic...

But seriously, we're talking about a game, where, no matter what you hit the people with, then gush blood vertically. If you can show that to any person, and he tells you that its realistic...

I swear, there must be a "Top 10 To-sue" list that all these greedy people use, and I believe GTA takes up at least 20% of that list. C'mon, people! If you're poor, and you want money, try getting a job instead of sueing Videogame Companies! And parents! It's YOUR job to raise kids, not the PS2!!! [/rant]

Honestly, people need to seperate fantasy from reality, like what you guys said. Heck, some people don't give a crap. For instance, look at Medal of Honor: Rising Sun. It's WW2 in Japan, in which you are an American killing Japaneze, and its sold tons of copies!

I believe this is all an act of greed, not true morals (in some cases).