Samantha Lastres – Interactive Digital Narratives

Final Post: Borrowing From Others and Looking Back

I visited Violet’s site and read all three of her posts on Kim Kardashian Hollywood to see what observations she made that I might’ve missed and are applicable to my exploration of American Dream. To be expected, I found a lot of relevant and interesting stuff. In her first post I found the note of…

I visited Violet’s site and read all three of her posts on Kim Kardashian Hollywood to see what observations she made that I might’ve missed and are applicable to my exploration of American Dream. To be expected, I found a lot of relevant and interesting stuff.

In her first post I found the note of the positive feed back like fame look that KKH operates on very applicable to American Dream. Its such an integral part of the game that I didn’t even notice or question it. Getting gigs and shmoozing with the rich and famous gives you more K Stars or B Gems (Glu Mobile really has this down to a science) to use later to charm those too famous to normally talk to you, thereby building a network and increasing your fame.

Violet’s second post on social media made me think of an aspect of American Dream that I didn’t mention in any of my posts. Spears’ game integrates Twitter (called Tweeter in the game) into gameplay by sending updates to the player in the form of tweets/tweeters. It also called for players to share progress on their own social media (which I discussed in my first post.) However, where KKH lacks an in game social network or communication system, America Dream brings in its own strange version. Players can send text blasts out into an open chat log that’s viewable by all players. I fail to really see the purpose of this feature, as most of the text blasts consist of expletives, silly shout outs, and a lot of posts in foreign languages. I’d be interested to know if any of the other Glu celebrity games have a similar feature. I wonder what Violet would think about this feature, as she said in game chat ” adds to the gaming experience and connects players in-game.”

Violets third post mentions the “radical transparency” of the Kim K brand and how this translates into her video game. This was one of the things I really liked about the mechanics of KKH. As someone who watches her reality tv show, seeing real aspects of Kim’s life in her game was exciting. I saw it less of being a pseudo Kim and more like engaging in the fantasy world that is her life, though that point totally makes sense to me. Anyways, I think this was really missing for me from Britney’s game. Though I am not particularly a Britney fan, so maybe I just didn’t know where to look or draw real world connections.

I also found Desmond’s post really interesting because he examines a casual game that’s worlds different from American Dream. While the mechanics of Spears’ game deliberately inhibit immersion and time investment, The Room II sounds like it does the opposite. I wonder what the target audiences for these different style casual games are. Is the less immersive for non gamers and the more immersive for seasoned gamers? Or is it not so simple as that?

As I briefly examined gender in GTA, I enjoyed Chris’ post on gender in Skyrim, particularly his quote “While women are not directly in danger to be saved in most cases, they are given no agency in the game. The women in Skyrim do not play roles that contradict the traditional trope that women lack power and a vital role in the story.” I think this is a really important thing that most video game designers and developers do not consider. Just because female characters in a game don’t fall into a harmful stereotype (like damsel in distress) doesn’t give it the OK on female representations. This is not productive enough to feminism in our society. Games need to be made that depict female characters in ways that challenge pre existing notions and stereotypes.

I really enjoyed blogging about video games. I’m especially thankful this exercise brought me to the game Gone Home (thanks Dr Sample for passing along the link and sale info for that game.) I look forward to broadening my experiences with video games. Thanks everyone for a great semester.

When Game Narratives Run Deeper Than Ever Imagined

Content Warning: sexual abuse Gone Home is incredibly beautiful, subtle, and powerful in its narrative. So many little pieces are available for discovery and connection in the game that don’t relate directly to the object of the game. Players can learn about the characters pasts, read private notes and letters, read work and school documents, and…

Content Warning: sexual abuse

Gone Home is incredibly beautiful, subtle, and powerful in its narrative. So many little pieces are available for discovery and connection in the game that don’t relate directly to the object of the game. Players can learn about the characters pasts, read private notes and letters, read work and school documents, and listen to cassette tapes. All of these add to the immersion of the game, and make the Greenbriars seem like a very real and knowable family. I find myself thinking about them and their story as if it’s a book I’m reading or have read.

The opportunities to draw extra connections in the game make the player feel clever and invested in the game. They can discover information about Terry’s novels, letters from his father, newspaper clippings about the player character Katie’s great uncle (the previous owner of the house) and a lot more stuff. I thought I was a pretty astute player, until I stumbled across an article called “The Darker Story of Gone Home.”

Before I go on I’m going to give a spoiler alert: the rest of this post reveals a lot about the game. If you have not played Gone Home yet and plan on doing so in the future (which I highly reccommend), I would stop reading. If you have played Gone Home, definitely read this article.

In this article for Indie Haven, a series of very smart connections and discoveries are outlined to suggest that Terry (Sam and Kaitlin’s father) was sexually abused by his uncle Osacar Masan (previous owner of the mansion in Arbor Hill.) It all lines up: the heights on the wall of the basement, the wooden toy (which I never found in the pitch black room), the way the will is locked away in the safe, Terry’s writing and his behavior. With this new information, Terry becomes a major character in the game, almost on par with Sam and her story.

In my last post I said Terry wasn’t a particularly likable character. I was turned off by his maniacal writings of the JFK assassination and time travel to the year 1963 (the year he was sexually a used as a child.) However now, with this new narrative, I feel very invested in Terry’s story, and a desire to go back and discover it myself. I thought Terry was selfish and neglectful of his wife and family, but he was just hurt and coping the best he could.

I assume because I completely missed this hidden plot line, that many other players did as well, at least on their first time playing the game through. A lot of backlash against Gone Home is rooted in the claim that it’s impossible to spend more than 3 hours total playing the game, and that it’s only designed to be played once. I might’ve agreed during my early stages of playing, but after some research I believe this claim is really one sided and not inclusive to the many forms a video game can take. I think the game should applauded for tackling issues usually shied away from (especially in video game medium) and presenting it in a way more like a mystery novel or film. There’s obviously a lot to Gone Home, and dismissing it as only playable once is like saying a Kubrick film is only good the first time. In reality, engaging with the Gone Home more than once can yield very different experiences and reveal totally new subtleties.
Works Cited

Rankin, Simon. “The Darker Story of Gone Home.” Indie Haven, January 2016. http://indiehaven.com/the-darker-story-of-gone-home/

Is Less More? The Effects of What’s Missing in Gone Home

I established in my last post that Gone Home is a lonely game. This has not changed at all as I’ve continued playing. The game is shockingly devoid of characters and character interaction. We never even see so much as a reflection of the player character Kaitlin. She speak to and encounters no ones throughout the game. The…

I established in my last post that Gone Home is a lonely game. This has not changed at all as I’ve continued playing. The game is shockingly devoid of characters and character interaction. We never even see so much as a reflection of the player character Kaitlin. She speak to and encounters no ones throughout the game.

The closest thing to a dialogue or interaction comes in Sam’s journal entries that are read in a voice over during the game. Personal journal entries written to catch her big sister Katie up on her life are read out loud by Sam Greenbriar, but we only hear her voice. Her voice is highly emotional; when she’s happy we can hear her smiling, and when she’s upset we can visualize the pain in her face. The absence of her face and body while hearing these journal entries makes them even more affective- I found myself tearing up on a couple occasions. The player must imagine her face: her joy, her pain, and her loss. The sound of her voice while the player stares at an empty home, or even more affective: stares at Sam’s own empty room littered with her belongings, leaves players feeling lonely, longing to see Sam’s face and comfort her.

Sam is a very relatable character, and her struggles as a gay high school student in the mid 90s resonate and call players to feel. We get far more characterization of Sam in the game than of the player character Kaitlin. Sam is fun, punk, creative, unique, and rebellious. She makes zines and listens to punk rock, and makes players laugh and cry through her storytelling. Samples of her writing and drawing can be found all over the house, and they are inspired and interesting.

An interesting moment comes when the player discovers two of Katie and Sam’s writing assignments from high school back to back. They are both the exact same assignments from sex ed class, completed when each Greenbriar sister was in their 9th grade year. Sam’s is creative, thoughtful, dynamic, and outside the box (though she did not follow directions properly and got a “see me” from the teacher.) We find Katie’s old assignment in the next room. She has completed it word for word exactly as was requested by the teacher, and it’s incredible boring to read, though she received full marks.

After this scene I began to wonder who the game really wants players to identify and side with. I don’t believe that it is Kaitlin- she is a blank, faceless character whom we control and hardly hear anything from. Additionally, the Greenbriar parents aren’t attractive characters either (the father some maniacal failed author and the mother likely having an affair with a coworker named Rick.) On the other hand, Sam’s story is an intricate narrative with twists and turns, love, heartbreak, joy, and pain.. The player searches the whole game just to hear or voice or find a note she has left behind. We want to know what happened to Sam because we love Sam. She is the main character of this game through and through.

Stillness and Loneliness: The Mechanics of Gone Home

In the first 30 minutes of playing Gone Home, nothing happens. For the next 30 minutes, still nothing happens. Other that the rain hitting the roof and the occasional loud clap of thunder and flash of lightning, nothing in the game world truly happens thats outside of player control. Kaitlin, the player character, has arrived to…

In the first 30 minutes of playing Gone Home, nothing happens. For the next 30 minutes, still nothing happens. Other that the rain hitting the roof and the occasional loud clap of thunder and flash of lightning, nothing in the game world truly happens thats outside of player control.

Kaitlin, the player character, has arrived to her family’s new home in Oregon after a year abroad in Europe, but no one is home. The player must explore the house and try to figure out what happened. At least, this is what has been the objective clear to me so far.

The house is very big and extremely eerie. Every time I turn a corner I expect a creepy figure to be lurking in the shadows, but there never is. I wait for items to fall off of shelves as if pushed by a poltergeist, but again nothing happens. The player moves with the computer arrows, looks around with the mousepad, and picks things up by clicking. These are really the only thing that happen. If the player stops moving the arrows or mouse, the whole game remains still and the same. The player is the only one who can initiate change.

There is one thing that happens relatively out of the player’s control. After picking up certain items, a journal excerpt written for Kaitlin by her younger sister Sam will begin to play.

The main actions in the game consist of opening doors, grabbing and examining items, reading papers or letters, and turning on lights. Sometimes these controls are different, and when they are it sticks out.

For example, when Kaitlin is exploring Sam’s room and comes across a stuffed animal on the bed the control says “Oh it’s Steggy!” instead of what would normally be “grab [item].” The player can still pick up the toy by clicking and put it back, but whenever the cursor hovers over steggy it says the same message. Another example is when Kaitlin comes across a condom in her parents’ dresser. It says “Ew.” These more personal messages come up a few other times as well.

These changes in controls and mechanics of the game serve to characterize our player character Kaitlin. As the game begins we don’t know much about her other than that she just returned from traveling Europe. These messages in the form of controls give Kaitlin a voice. From them we can tell how she feels towards Sam (and towards the idea of her parents’ sexual relationship.) Outside of these short bits of Kaitlin’s voice, the game gives no glimpse into Kaitlin’s head or life. We never even see a part of Kaitlin’s body when we pick things up. They also make the game more personal and less lonely. So far in the game, there have been no other characters and no dialogue exchange through which we familiarize ourself with our player character,

What’s the Appeal in Celebrity Games?

Glu Mobile created a new genre of video game with its release of Kim Kardashian: Hollywood in 2014. Since then, Glu has released celebrity game with Kendall & Kylie Jenner, Katy Perry, Gordon Ramsey, Nicki Minaj, and of course Britney Spears. Glu has dozens of other mobile games but they are best known for their celebrity games. A writer from the Daily Dot calls Glu’s games “freemium mobile games.” I believe this is a fitting title, as their games are entirely free to download and everything in the game is accessible without any in app purchases. However, in app purchases do make the game a lot easier and more accessible, but they are completely playable without it.

The CEO of Glu says he believes “people are always looking for a way to get closer to the celebrities they idolize.” No doubt this is where the inspiration for their celebrity games come from. This also explains why these games have the potential to be such hits. The combination of good game mechanics with the brand power of a celebrity’s name is what brings true success.

The commercial for Kim Kardashian’s game heavily draws on our desires to know our favorite celebrities and enter their glamorous worlds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h-uvrvrg3w

While the target audience for the game is obviously Britney fans, the glamorous world and lifestyle that American Dream offers can appeal to anyone. Purchasing nice clothes, cars, and houses and going on high profile dates don’t need a celerity brand stamp to be fun, but with it Glu goes the extra mile.

I have played Kim Kardashian Hollywood and the mechanics are extremely similar to Spears’ game. I imagine all of their celebrity games rely heavily on very similar gameplay, just with a different skin. It seems to me like 6 or 7 identical games with different celebrity faces on it couldn’t all exist and be successful, but I suppose I underestimate the fan base for all of the celebrities I mentioned earlier. When game play is so similar, I have to believe these games’ individual appeal comes from the celebrity name attached to it.

The Daily Dot asked Nicolo Di Masi (Glu CEO) what the American dream is exactly these days. His response: “I think these days the American dream is as important as ever in the world—freedom of speech and expression, democracy, capitalism, and hard work being rewarded.”

I think the American dream as part of a videogame appeals to a lot of people, and is an interesting concept. However, the version of the American dream in Spears’ game is extremely glossed over and sugarcoated. The player never has to pay characters rent, purchase food, insurance, or pay any bills. They don’t have children or other dependents, and their race, gender, or sexual orientation has no effect on gameplay or success. And, as Audra Schroeder points out in her article, the game ignores the sexism, abuse, and harassment aimed at female artists.

Its not hard to imagine why these less than pretty aspects about the American dream and climb to fame were left out of the Spears’ American Dream: they don’t at all contribute to the appeal of celebrity games.

Works Cited

Schroeder, Audra. “Britney Spears: American Dream’ is a mobile game that makes you work, b***h” The Daily Dot. dailydot.com. May 2016. http://www.dailydot.com/upstream/britney-spears-american-dream-glu-mobile/

Sex and GTA: What Has Changed Since 2004

I discovered a book, Porn & Pong : How Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider and other Sexy Games Changed Our Culture, in the library that sparked my interest in sex in GTA, so I read what it had to say and explored the sexual opportunities within GTA 5. Prostitutes have been available for players to consult in…

I discovered a book, Porn & Pong : How Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider and other Sexy Games Changed Our Culture, in the library that sparked my interest in sex in GTA, so I read what it had to say and explored the sexual opportunities within GTA 5.

Prostitutes have been available for players to consult in GTA since the 2001 release of Grand Theft Auto III. In this version, some controller vibration, car movement, and squeaking sounds were the only indicators of sexual intercourse between the player and prostitute. This changed with the release of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in 2004. While the encounters with prostitutes remained the same, a modifier called Hot Coffee became available for PC where the player character’s girlfriend invites him in for coffee, strips naked, performs oral sex on his invisible phallus, and has sex with CJ (playable character) on her bed. The girlfriend does not have any nipples, and CJ remains clothed the entire time, even while pumping during intercourse. The rhythm of intercourse could be controlled via joystick, and the CJ’s energy bar increased with steady rhythm. This mini game was also available in PS2 and Xbox game versions, though Rockstar Games originally tried to claim it was the work of hackers and mods (Brown 135).

Female sex workers remain a part of GTA today, and make up a large portion (perhaps most) of the female characters the player comes into contact with. The sexual encounters are more explicit than regular in game sex in the 2001 version, and combine some elements from the Hot Coffee mini game but is not quite as explicit.

In GTA 5 players can visit a strip club and receive a lap dance from a female stripper. During the lap dance the female is topless and has animated nipples. The player can touch the stripper as she dances. The player can also take the stripper to her home and have sex with her after receiving a lap dance. None of the intercourse is portrayed, players enter the home of the stripper as the camera stays at street view. Some sound effects play as the night turns to day and then the player exits the home.

Another opportunity for sexual encounter comes from picking up a prostitute on the street. After driving to a private location the player can select three sexual favors (unlabeled but presumably oral, vaginal, and anal sex) each a different cost. While these are performed the prostitute and player remain clothed. No breasts, genitals, or skin not already shown by the clothing the characters wear are shown. The prostate moves on top of the player character in a suggestive way, but that’s it.

So, why add this mechanic in the first place? It clearly caters to a male audience, and I suppose adds to the immersion of the game. I find it interesting that Rockstar in 2001 covered up the sex mini game rather than just deleting it entirely. Their argument seems to be that burying it under code is easier than deleting entirely when you’re dealing with all the code it requires to write a video game. However, it seems suspicious and something as vulgar as the Hot Coffee mini game should be treated with care. To me it sounds more like an easter egg that was poorly received (not by all, though, but mostly by game distributors.)

While I don’t think having female prostitutes available in game is inherently bad, I believe it becomes problematic when in the larger context of a video game that celebrates masculinity in rather grotesque ways and ignores and denies narratives of complex female characters. While GTA5 is undoubtedly better than GTA3 (with characters like Molly Schulz, a female business VP), there’s still a ways to go.

Works Cited

Brown, James. Porn & Pong : How Grand Theft Auto, Tomb Raider and other Sexy Games Changed Our Culture. Port Townsend, US: Feral House, 2008. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 13 December 2016.

Simeon and Jimmy: The Untrustworthy Men of GTA5

In my previous post I mentioned a racially charged interaction that occurred in GTA’s intro. It took place between a young man who entered Simeon’s car dealership to purchase a car and Lamar, Franklin and Simeon. Essentially, when the player enters the shop Simeon is accusing the young white man of being a racist, neo-nazi, and having said the n-word. The characters in the game turn on this young man, and the player is meant to as well (especially as the player character at this point in the game is a black male.) To make matters worse for the young white man, a large tattoo on his neck reads “entitled.”

This interaction seems unimportant as the white customer doesn’t appear again for some time. However, once he does the race relations in GTA become a little more complicated.

Simeon, the Armenian man who owns a small dealership

As the game progresses after the cinematic intro, it becomes clear that Simeon and his business are not as trustworthy as players might have assumed. We learn Simeon’s business thrives off of scamming. He sells cars at jacked up prices to people he knows can’t afford them. Multiple times players hear Simeon say “You think because of the color of my skin I am cheating you. You are racist!” or something to that extent. This claim carries less and less weight the more it’s used.

The first player character Franklin works for Simeon, repossessing cars that he has sold to people who can’t afford. Franklin must eventually repo the car Simeon sold to the white customer from earlier. A lot happens, and we learn this customer is Jimmy De Santa, who’s dad eventually become another player character. Jimmy is a big screwup, and pretty stupid, but is an underdog and seems to feel some remorse for his actions. Jimmy and Franklin share a car ride and have an ok conversation, but Jimmy tries to relate to Franklin in a way that is racially insensitive (relying on stereotypes.)

This all creates a tension between Jimmy De Santa and the minority characters in the game, specifically Simeon and Franklin. Franklin comes out on top of this masculine battle, mainly because he has been the playable character for most of the game. Simeon and Jimmy are broth frauds in their own way, but as we get to know each character more, attitudes start to shift. We see Simeon for who he truly is- a scammer through and through who uses his Armenian heritage to manipulate people into buying his cars. This makes players question if Jimmy truly was racist and using slurs in the beginning of the game. Jimmy, while certainly entitled and selfish due to his privileged upbringing, is a victim of Simeon’s scams, and his stupidity causes him to become the victim of other scams.

So, which character does GTA want players to side with? And what is it trying to say about race with Simeon’s character? Or, is it less about race and do all these conflicts boil down to conflicting performances of masculinity?

Referential Humor and Immersion in Britney’s Gameworld

As I discussed in my previous post, the gameplay in Britney Spears American Dream merges real and game world, leaving users in almost a constant state of play. American Dream is not concerned with creating a unique and separate space in the game that is separate from the real world. Rather, it plays on and borrows jokes and…

As I discussed in my previous post, the gameplay in Britney Spears American Dream merges real and game world, leaving users in almost a constant state of play. American Dream is not concerned with creating a unique and separate space in the game that is separate from the real world. Rather, it plays on and borrows jokes and ideas from the real world.

Britney at “Starbeans Coffee” making a joke about how the baristas never get anyone’s name, employing a real joke about Starbucks made all over the internet.

Some of these references are more heavy handed than others.

The player’s manager calling about a gig at “The Paperclip Center” in the game world’s Los Angeles

Player invited as backup singer for the comedy TV show “Friday Night Laughs.” Referred to later in the game as “FNL”

I think some of these references are useful in conveying to the player the importance behind the gigs they’re landing. For example, I know that the Paperclip Center in the game is meant to be the Staples Center, and therefore I know that landing a performance there is a pretty big deal.

Additionally, these reference are funny (at least, they made me laugh.) The not so subtle play on worlds they all use and their familiarity to almost any player can probably muster a laugh in most users.

In my game experience, these jokes and references have consistently pulled me out of the game world. While they may make me smile, I think of the actual thing the game is referring to rather than the object in the game itself. I may also recall another time where I saw the same joke on the internet somewhere. Either way, these techniques take away from the immersive quality of the game. The game world in American Dream is not unbrokenly presented. These references function the same as a loading screen or a game error, they remind me of the real world and its power over the game world. (An unbroken presentation of the game world is one of Jane Madigan’s criteria for an immersive game: http://www.psychologyofgames.com/2010/07/the-psychology-of-immersion-in-video-games/)

The level of immersion is often the number one criteria by which people (including myself) determine the quality of video games. This is not always a fair judgement, perhaps especially in a game like American Dream. It’s a casual game through and through, and its mechanics do a great job of making it so. It’s possible Glu Mobile aimed to maintain a certain low level of immersion in order to preserve the integrity of a casual game. American Dream is not meant to be played nonstop, its mechanics make it nearly impossible to play for even 30 straight minutes. The game is meant to be picked up multiple times in a day for a quick play, and it’s lack of immersion ensures this.

Where Does the Magic Circle End in Britney Spears American Dream?

Earlier this year Britney Spears released her namesake videogame with Glu Mobile- the same developers of the wildly successful Kim Kardashian Hollywood. Britney Spears American Dream is the ultimate casual game: a free app available on the app store and Google play. In the game the player’s goal is to become an A-list pop star. The…

Earlier this year Britney Spears released her namesake videogame with Glu Mobile- the same developers of the wildly successful Kim Kardashian Hollywood. Britney Spears American Dream is the ultimate casual game: a free app available on the app store and Google play. In the game the player’s goal is to become an A-list pop star. The player completes tasks (dates, meetings, recordings, photo-shoots, etc.) to climb their way through the industry. In order to complete these tasks the player must use up units of energy, which replenish every few minutes in real time (a brilliant mechanic that keeps players constantly returning to the game multiple times per day.)

The game makers have employed other arguably brilliant techniques to earn money off of the game and reach out to new users. Players can buy energy, in game money and other rewards with real dollars. Players also earn in game prizes by sharing and promoting the game and the songs they’ve created in the game with others via social media. Linking the in game account with Twitter or Facebook accounts and sharing posts about the game gives players in game rewards and advances their rankings. Players’ real life friends can access and up-vote the songs created in game, boosting their ranking on the in-game charts. By reaching certain levels players can also unlock content relating to Britney Spears’ real life music and career.

Special promotion offered for reaching level 6: players get sneak peek of Spears’ upcoming music video

A similar game mechanic is used in Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, where developers will make clothing items and events that occurred/ existed in real life unlockable in the game. Glu Mobile also released games with Nicki Minaj, Gordon Ramsey, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, and Katy Perry, all with very similar gameplay and merging of game and real world.

This style of game blends the game world with the real world, almost requiring players to participate in both at the same time. Just by having a main character that is a real person (Britney herself) American Dream is trying to entangle itself with the real world. So, if a player of American Dream sends out tweets and statuses about their gameplay, does the magic circle really end once they quit the game app? Their posts on social media continue to exist for the purpose of drawing likes and in game advancement, leaving them in a constant state of play.

Race Relations in GTA 5’s Cinematic Introduction

As perhaps the most famous urban/street game, Grand Theft Auto is one of the most played and quoted game in our class (and across the country.) This game log marks my first experience with the Grand Theft Auto series. I found the introductory mission helpful in learning basic controls of the game, but I was surprised…

As perhaps the most famous urban/street game, Grand Theft Auto is one of the most played and quoted game in our class (and across the country.) This game log marks my first experience with the Grand Theft Auto series. I found the introductory mission helpful in learning basic controls of the game, but I was surprised when the mission ended and cut to a very cinematic introduction to the game. Complete with music, title cards, and crew credits, the intro could easy be that of a hollywood film, aside from the characteristically video game graphics.

The introduction follows Michael as he lurks in the shadows of his own funeral and, at some later point in time, attends a therapy session. The intro then follows Michael (our current protagonist) as he walks down the street along the beach in LA. From Michael’s therapy session the viewer gets the sense that he had a rough upbringing and is experiencing a sort of mid life crisis. He passes an older homeless black man (who has just been scolded by a police officer) stumbling around with an empty glass alcohol bottle and says to himself “I know just how you feel.”

Upon seeing this I wondered if Michael actually knows how the homeless man feels. Sure he had a rough upbringing and presumably came from a low income background, but Michael can now afford a nice suit and a therapist and is still much younger than the homeless man. Furthermore, Michael is white. Can he really know how a homeless black man feels after being yelled at by police? By saying he knows how the homeless man feels Michael denies his own privilege and erases the black man’s struggle. I think the developers’ selection of a black homeless man and a white cop, whether intentional or not, comes with many codes and connotations of race relations.

Michael then sits on a bench and two black men (later introduced as a playable character Franklin and friend/business partner Lamar) walk past. Lamar calls Michael homie and asks for directions to the Bertolt house. After sizing them up Michael replies sarcastically “No, homie, I cannot.” A few seconds pass before Michael stands up and calls the men back, saying “Actually, yeah,” he can give them directions. He points them to a house on the nearby row. I read Michael’s initial refusal to offer directions and use of the word “homie” as him profiling and mocking the black men. His tone suggests that they are not worth his time. When he does point them to a house, I believe it could be out of malice (perhaps the house was wrong and I have not yet uncovered that in my gameplay) or out of the same “sympathy” he felt for the homeless man.

Another scenario in a cinematic cut scene that highlights race relations occurs towards the beginning of the game when Franklin and Lamar arrive at Simeon’s auto shop for the first time. Franklin (the current player character) enters the shop as Simeon yells at a customer calling him a racist and a neo-nazi. Lamar yells at the customer asking “who you calling a n*****,” to which the white male customer replies “no no I’m not calling nobody a n******.” Lamar yells at the customer some more before Simeon concedes and says maybe he is not a racist, but that he “[doesn’t] think he is man enough for a car like this.” Simeon and Lamar continue to emasculate the customer, and as he turns to the side his neck tattoo comes into clear view.

It reads “Entitled” in large script.

Franklin leaves the shop before Lamar and Simeon swindle (or at least that seemed to me what was about to happen) the customer.

The player does not know exactly what was said between Simeon and the white customer, but his slip up with the n word and his large (possibly telling) tattoo don’t paint the customer too favorably. In the presence of the two black characters the customer does not act overtly racist (aside from his seemingly accidental use of the slur), but he easily could’ve changed his tune upon their arrival. Or perhaps Simeon made it all up as a way for Lamar to further emasculate the customer, making him even easier to deceive. It is clear though in this situation that the power is not in the white customer’s hands.

Within the first few missions and minutes of Grand Theft Auto 5 players have the opportunity to play both as white and black characters and experience situations where relations between races furthers the narrative. I am interested to see how the game progresses narratively and how themes of race continue to develop. As this is my first time playing GTA I am not sure how the characters I have written on fit together and whether or not they will reappear/ if some of the questions I am pondering will be answered.