I remember when news of GTA:San Adreas first came out...and the fact that the main character was Black and that the storyline focused on street gangs. Around different internet forums, including G4 and some others...there were obvious signs of racial bias. Some people coming right out saying that they didn't want to play with a Black character. I remember reading a Next-Gen GTA wishlist on the RottenTomatoes forums and one of the things this particular poster wanted was a white character.
My question is...what difference does it make? Is it that GTA has become such a huge franchise, that some people feel that a minority main character is below the standard? I actually think SA was a breathe of fresh air...I got tired of playing with these psuedo-Italian mafia's. Some people also say GTA was MEANT to focus on the mafia...which is hard to believe. GTA is abut crime and the criminal underworld...no matter if it's a street gang or a Mafia. There's no developer notion that GTA HAS to be about the mafia.
I also think for some reason, people have this reactionary respect for the Mafia as opposed to a street gang. As if any one group is better than the other in terms of legality. But even look at Hollywood...gangster films that revolve around the Italian Mafia like The Godfather, Goodfellas, etc are seen as classics...while gangster films that revolve around minorities or street gangs like Menace 2 Society aren't.
Either way, I think the next GTA should give the player the ability to customize the main character. A game out now for the XBOX 360 called Saints Row does that and it works fine. Not to mention SR makes GTA look sh*tty in terms of gameplay and graphics!!
My question is...what difference does it make? Is it that GTA has become such a huge franchise, that some people feel that a minority main character is below the standard? I actually think SA was a breathe of fresh air...I got tired of playing with these psuedo-Italian mafia's. Some people also say GTA was MEANT to focus on the mafia...which is hard to believe. GTA is abut crime and the criminal underworld...no matter if it's a street gang or a Mafia. There's no developer notion that GTA HAS to be about the mafia.
I also think for some reason, people have this reactionary respect for the Mafia as opposed to a street gang. As if any one group is better than the other in terms of legality. But even look at Hollywood...gangster films that revolve around the Italian Mafia like The Godfather, Goodfellas, etc are seen as classics...while gangster films that revolve around minorities or street gangs like Menace 2 Society aren't.
Either way, I think the next GTA should give the player the ability to customize the main character. A game out now for the XBOX 360 called Saints Row does that and it works fine. Not to mention SR makes GTA look sh*tty in terms of gameplay and graphics!!
