Gamespot Reviewer Believes GTA V is Somewhat Misogynistic

I recently came across this article about how a reviewer for Gamespot believes Grand Theft Auto V, Rockstar's latest instalment in the GTA franchise, is misogynistic. Here are her thoughts as written in her review:

On a less positive note, it’s deeply frustrating that, while its central and supporting male characters are flawed and complex characters, with a few extremely minor exceptions (such as the aforementioned optional getaway driver), GTA V has little room for women except to portray them as strippers, prostitutes, long-suffering wives, humorless girlfriends and goofy, new-age feminists we’re meant to laugh at.

Characters constantly spout lines that glorify male sexuality while demeaning women, and the billboards and radio stations of the world reinforce this misogyny, with ads that equate manhood with sleek sports cars while encouraging women to purchase a fragrance that will make them “smell like a bitch.” Yes, these are exaggerations of misogynistic undercurrents in our own society, but not satirical ones. With nothing in the narrative to underscore how insane and wrong this is, all the game does is reinforce and celebrate sexism. The beauty of cruising in the sun-kissed Los Santos hills while listening to “Higher Love” by Steve Winwood turns sour really quick when a voice comes on the radio that talks about using a woman as a urinal.

Gamespot GTA V review, by Carolyn Petit

My issue here is that she doesn't think the offending elements are satirical. Now, I haven't played GTA V yet (waiting for it to arrive from the UK), so let me make it clear that this is all conjecture. But, I have played every Grand Theft Auto game since GTA III (sans Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories), and I've never known the series to promote misogyny, nor Rockstar to be misogynistic themselves. The environments of all previous GTA games have been almost entirely satirical. Everything is a piss-take, from the characters, to the landscape, to the buildings, to the dialogue, to the in-game ads—everything is taking the piss to some degree.

In San Andreas (2004), I distinctly remember the K-DST radio station (a classic rock station) making at least one domestic violence joke, quite a few misogynistic rap songs being played on Radio Los Santos (a gangsta rap station), a female waitress in a casino bringing a Mafia boss a sandwich—all kinds of content which, in and of itself, can certainly be seen as misogynistic. But within the context of the game as a piece of satire, these attitudes are by no means promoted (the boot-up screen for the game outright states at the beginning that the developers don't endorse any of the behaviour within). The game is just representing 90's culture. Representing a version of reality at any point in history doesn't automatically mean you're promoting the values of the time.

As for GTA IV (2008), while most of the characters are men (based off the fact that most criminal organisations are run by, and for the benefit of, men), you've got some powerful female roles in the story. Along the way, Niko (the main character) meets a drug-lord by the name of Elizabeta, who blankly states she's fighting as a woman in a man's world; and he meets an undercover cop by the name of Karen, who dates him under false pretences and ends up leading him to work for an undercover organisation.

It should be clear to any adult legally capable of buying these games, people who should be capable of critical thought, that misogynistic behaviour isn't ethical (and, when it comes to ethics in GTA, the fact that you can shoot anything that moves is, perhaps, of greater concern :P). Add to this that the writers of GTA IV, the previous major instalment, were quite clearly aware of misogyny in the US, and you have yourself a franchise which I highly doubt would even try, let alone succeed at, promoting misogynistic behaviours or mindsets.

Again, I have not played the game, so, for all I know, the game really is atrocious in its promotion of misogyny. But I don't think this will be the case when I play the game for myself. I firmly believe that the reviewer here has simply not found the satire funny or appealing, and that in failing to find it funny, she's decided it can't be satire to begin with. Take the line "... [the game] turns sour really quick when a voice comes on the radio that talks about using a woman as a urinal." Yes, and? You don't find that line funny, therefore hearing that line will convince me that I should treat women like urinals? Do you honestly think Rockstar are promoting that kind of behaviour? Do you honestly think anyone who plays the game will hear that and determine it acceptable to partake in such an activity? It's a clear-cut and unmistakable parody of misogyny, not a promotion of it. And anyone who thinks that's appropriate behaviour would have to have major psychological issues to begin with. Whether or not you find something amusing doesn't determine whether or not it's satirical, nor does it determine whether or not that something promotes certain behaviours.

Contrary to what people think, comedy isn't all happiness and joy—in fact, if you analyse comedy, you'll find most of it is born out of tragedy and immorality. To quote comedian Lenny Bruce (note that he is assuming the role of a character, speaking to another character in this routine):

Men like yourself and Lenny Bruce thrive upon the continuance of segregation, violence and disease. The Messiah returns, all is pure—you're standing in the red line.

'Thank You Masked Man', Warning, Lenny Bruce Is Out Again (1961)

Just because I laugh at something doesn't mean I condone what I'm laughing at, and the same goes for everyone on this planet. I've laughed at jokes involving murder, torture, sexual assault, rape, genocide, suicide—all kinds of dark subject matter—but that doesn't mean I promote or condone that behaviour. If any one of those things was to actually happen in front of me, I'd be shocked. I would feel empathy for the victims, as would almost anyone else. Would I laugh? I could laugh, perhaps. But I wouldn't be laughing at the victim, nor would I even be able to decide whether I laugh or not (because you don't get to pick what you find funny). No humour I may find in a situation can inhibit my capacity to sympathise or empathise with others. If anything, I've used comedy to highlight discriminatory mindsets like misogyny, both in listening to the comedy of others and in writing my own material. Granted, not all comedy is intended to be satire, and not all satire is intended to be comedy; but in the case of GTA, the satire is intended to be funny, as it always has been.

To reiterate, I may play the game and determine that, yes, the game does feature elements of misogyny. Shit, I could play the game and determine some elements of the game to be misandric —I have no goddamn clue until I play the game for myself. But I don't see any reason to think the game promotes anything like what this reviewer says it does, not given Rockstar's track record.

In addition to the review, there are people calling for the reviewer to be fired because of her belief that the game promotes sexism. These reactionary fucktards are exactly the kind of people Rockstar parody in their games :P  It's not like the reviewer hated the game or gave it a bad score just because she thought it promoted sexism—she graded it 9 out of 10, for fuck's sake. To disagree with someone's view is one thing, but to call for their sacking because you disagree is something else entirely. There's a reason people often see gamers as entitled little cunts, and this is a huge part of that. Why are you wasting your time bitching and whining about some review for a game? If you love the game so much, shut up and go play it.

In any case, I'm still looking forward to the game, and will not to pay attention to any further reviews so I don't spoil anything :P