A Critical Analysis: the nearly virtue-less Grand Theft Auto series

Videogames are a form of escapism that offer interactivity, producing a more immersive experience than other forms of media. Some games let the player escape to roles and worlds beyond their usual, everyday life. The Grand Theft Auto series (Games, 2024), from Rockstar Studios purposefully leads players from the role of a petty criminal, to the rank of a crime lord. This critical analysis is not, as Garry Young who wrote the paper entitled, “Violent video games and morality: a meta-ethical approach”, explains “a direct causal link between video game content and violent (real-world) behaviour…[as this is] overly simplistic, largely uncorroborated, and ultimately contentious.” This analysis rather is to show that the Grand Theft Auto series undermines positive values, morals, and glorifies close to virtueless individuals in a world plagued with illegal actions, and the criminal underground. Using Santa Clara University's page on various types of lenses, the university explains the virtue lens of this critical analysis, 

“[the virtue lens is a] very ancient approach to ethics [that] argues…ethical actions ought to be consistent with certain ideal virtues that provide for the full development of our humanity…[h]onesty, courage, compassion, generosity, tolerance, love, fidelity, integrity, fairness, self-control, and prudence are all examples of virtues. Virtue ethics asks of any action, “What kind of person will I become if I do this?” or “Is this action consistent with my acting at my best?”(University, 2023).

The Grand Theft Auto series is an interesting game series to look through a virtue moral lens, because of its blatant virtue-less choices players can make throughout the game. Beyond the law-breaking practice the game is literally named for, the game gives the player the potential to rob, exploit other people for their own personal gains, and overall participate in other law-breaking circumstances. 

In 2006’s critical essay collection bound in one volume named “the meaning and culture of grand theft auto CRITICAL ESSAYS” various authors from multiple essays tackle topics researched about the game series and its influence and effect on the gaming industry, and society at large. In one essay entitled, “Spilling Hot Coffee? Grand Theft Auto as Contested Cultural Product” by Aphra Kerr, Aphra explains the general history of the series, and the moral landscape it portrays, “they are action games that include racing and shooting. The player’s avatar can take control of any vehicle in… [the]...game…as the player attempts to take on the role of a petty criminal who tries to complete a number of missions in order to work his way up the ladder of the criminal world…”(Garrelts, N. 2006, p.28).

Each game in the Grand Theft Auto series focuses on some aspect of the criminal underground. Starting with Grand Theft Auto I and II. The official Rockstar studios website describes “I” partly as “[o]nly the toughest will be able to take on the world and finish the job like a professional…”, the series’s debut may not sound like a criminal focused game, but the series finds its identity with Grand Theft Auto II’s, whose synopsis is, “[s]even ruthless gangs are involved in a ruthless power struggle and it is up to you to make a name for yourself.”

Grand Theft Auto III is described as putting, “[you in] the center of the criminal underworld…if you have enough guts to take it”‌(GTATrilogy, Games, R. 2024). Grand Theft Auto III’s successor, Grand Theft Auto Vice City follows in the same vein, putting you in a fictional city, and as the site says “a tale of betrayal and revenge”. In Vice City’s follow up, Grand Theft Auto SanAndreas, there is a slightly different focus, as the plot revolves around a protagonist that wants to prove his innocence and “save his family”, but also take control of the crime laden streets, in a not so positive way. This shows how the series can have virtues, but few and far between when it comes to the series as a whole.

The series goes back to its mostly criminal lined storyline in Grand Theft Auto IV as the protagonist and his cousin learn the false ideology of the american dream and “slip into debt and are dragged into a criminal underworld by a series of shysters, thieves, and sociopaths”(IV, Games, R. 2024). The latest game in the series, Grand Theft Auto V, stays again true to this vein of the series, the official Rockstar website describes the game as a story revolving around,

 “... a young street hustler, a retired bank robber, and a terrifying psychopath find[ing] themselves entangled with some of the most frightening and deranged elements of the criminal underworld, the U.S. government, and the entertainment industry, they must pull off a series of dangerous heists to survive in a ruthless city in which they can trust nobody — least of all each other”(GTA-V, Games, R. 2024).

GTA V also blatantly begins in a bank heist with one of the main characters and his friends, murdering countless cops in order for an attempted escape. Values of strong brotherhood with other people may be present, but these relationships are between individuals who lack some core positive values, like compassion or prudence, shown by the mindless killing of law enforcement personnel. Analyzing the storylines of the various games in the series, all of them push you in the direction of becoming a criminal to be reckoned with. It is true that the player could simply walk around, and obey any and all laws, but the game’s narrative pushes the player into a life of crime, and thus a lack of positive virtues and morals. 

The Grand Theft Auto series undermines positive values, morals, and glorifies close to virtueless individuals in a world plagued with illegal actions, and the criminal underground. Playing the very beginning of its last iteration, as well as reading the synopsis of every one of its games in the series, make this point very clear. And though some titles in the series like Grand Theft Auto SanAndreas may begin with a positive message, with an individual that merely wants to set things right for himself, and his family, the way the game pushes the character towards the eventual criminal path undermines ultimately whatever positive values the game may have had. When it comes to positive morals and values, the Grand Theft Auto series simply isn’t concerned with this aspect of the human psyche. 

Bibliography: APA 7th Edition

Games, R. (2024). All Games - Rockstar Games. Rockstar Games. https://www.rockstargames.com/games

Games, R. (2024). Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition - Rockstar Games. Rockstar Games. https://www.rockstargames.com/GTATrilogy

Games, R. (2024). Grand Theft Auto - Rockstar Games. Rockstar Games. https://www.rockstargames.com/games/gta

Games, R. (2024). Grand Theft Auto 2 - Rockstar Games. Rockstar Games. https://www.rockstargames.com/games/gta2

Games, R. (2024). Grand Theft Auto IV - Rockstar Games. Rockstar Games. https://www.rockstargames.com/games/IV

Games, R. (2024). Grand Theft Auto V - Rockstar Games. Rockstar Games. https://www.rockstargames.com/gta-v

Garrelts, N. (2006). The meaning and culture of Grand theft auto : critical essays.

‌University, S. C. (2023). A Framework for Ethical Decision Making. @SantaClaraUniv. https://www.scu.edu/ethics/ethics-resources/a-framework-for-ethical-decision-making/

Young, G. (2015). Violent video games and morality: a meta-ethical approach. Ethics and Information Technology, 17(4), 311–321. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-016-9386-0

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