“The more things change, the more things stay the same.” It’s a phrase that makes little, if any sense; yet for Rockstar’s upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV, it’s the perfect description of how the company feels certain corners of the media will react to their upcoming sandbox juggernaut.
“I expect [a negative reaction] because we’ve had so much of it in the past,” Rockstar founder Dan Houser said at a recent game demonstration.
The Grand Theft Auto series has certainly undergone its fair share of media crucifixion in the past – regardless of the fact that it is arguably no more violent than TV programming or feature films – a fact that frustrates Houser.
“I wish people would treat video games the same as other media. They seem to not want to do that for reasons that I don’t understand. It’s a convenient enemy for people,” Houser added.
Given the game’s projected sales, it will certainly be sitting in the limelight come late April. Could the game’s sales garner more media attention than its doubtless controversial content? We won’t be putting any money down on that one, especially given the game’s recently revealed drinking mini-game and subsequent virtual drunk driving.
