Does GTA:V Promote Torture as Entertainment?

Does GTA promote the idea of “torture as entertainment” ? Many already claim that GTA:V already promotes and normalizes violence, but now there are claims that there is an attempt to normalize torture as well such as the article, Don’t Buy Your Kid Grand Theft Auto 5 for Christmas by Brad Bushman. Most of the assumptions come from a mission titled “By the book", the mission forces the player to torture Kerimov who resembles a middle eastern citizen.

GTA is well known for it’s use of satirical commentary on society. As you play the game there will be many remarks that are made, such as this ad that can be found in the “in-game” internet. Many other remarks can be found as they mock everything in western life, from reality tv, to magazines, to social media. They even mock violent video games as they play multiple adverts for “Righteous Slaughter 7” which promises “the realistic art of contemporary killing”.

The mission forces the player to torture Kerimov who resembles a middle eastern citizen. The player is given four objects to torture the agent a jerry can, a wrench, pliers, or jumper cables. Once an object is selected, the torture begins which must be “successfully” completed in order to progress. After an extensive amount of torture, it becomes clear that the man is innocent and yet there is no stop put to the torture.

The torture scenario disturbs many who have gone through the sequence and even making them stop playing the game completely. This is however, just another one of rockstar’s comments on the american culture. We sit here writing articles complaining about how the game depicts torture, yet we decide to completely vilify and ignore the torture that is being caused by the United States. All GTA:V does is bring it to confrontation and of course, they receive criticism. No one enjoys confronting the truths, especially inhabitants of a country that claims to be #1.

This is simply another attempt to censor the media, it has been done in history books so why would it not apply to a video game? It’s another attempt to hide the cruel reality of the American government, and it’s not rockstar forcing its normalization but Americans denying it’s existence.

Despite being ordered to kill Kerimov you must drive him to the airport so he is not captured again. After all, “The media and the government would have us believe that torture is some necessary thing. We need it to get information, to asset ourselves. Did we get any information out of you? Exactly. Torture’s for the torturer…or for the guy giving orders to the torturer. You torture for the good times- we should all admit that. It’s useless as means of getting information.” -Trevor to Kerimov. (20:00 mark in video below)

Works Cited

• Pigeonhammer. "Why The Torture Scene In GTA V Made Me Quit Playing." Web log post. IGN. N.p., Sept.-Oct. 2014. Web. 20 Feb. 2016. <http://www.ign.com/blogs/pigeonhammer/2013/09/24/why-the-torture-scene-in-gta-v-made-me-quit-playing>.

• Bushman, Brad J. "Don't Buy Your Kid Grand Theft Auto V for Christmas 12/13/2013 12:22 Pm ET | Updated Feb 12, 2014." Web log post. Huffington Post. Huffpost Tech, 13 Dec. 2013. Web. 20 Feb. 2016. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brad-j-bushman/dont-buy-your-kid-grand-theft-auto-v-for-christmas_b_4440477.html>.

• GTA V (PS4) - San Andreas Department Of Motor Vehicles - The Correct Answers To The DMV Form. Dir. Warrenwoodhouse. Youtube, 2015.<https://youtu.be/-QaV6J_zFHE>.

• GTA 5 - Mission #25 - By the Book. Dir. GTAseriesvideos. Youtube, 2013. <https://youtu.be/SFU8dTyswE0>.