Grand Theft Auto IV Breaks All Entertainment Records

The Financial Times today reported that Grand Theft Auto IV has broken all entertainment records during its first week of sales, raking in about $500m. The previous record was for the release of Halo 3 at $300m for its opening week.

The game's US publisher, Take-Two Games, has been in talks with Electronic Arts over a $2bn EA buyout, which, like the Yahoo-Microsoft talks, have gone nowhere due to Take-Two's belief of EA undervaluing the company, which may change with the release of these numbers. But this isn't what most interests me about GTA's release. I'm more interested in what I've seen on the news about the game destroying kids' lives.

When I was coaching hockey in Denver, the biggest problem the parents would come to me with was, My kid is playing too many video games! Some wanted me to talk to their kid (never mind the problem that they would listen to their coach over their parents...) about it and try to persuade them that the games are a waste of time and that they should do something else.

While I did talk to a few, I usually just joined along with them in the hotel video game tournaments during our road trips. I didn't see the problem, they were all good kids and kept their grades up, so I didn't see how games were truly damaging their lives like claimed. Of course, at that time, I was also 20 or 21 years old, so I played the same games my kids played, i just don't think the parents knew that!

I'm a bit older now, and video games bore me. I find them to be a waste of my time, and actually feel guilty after I play them. But I still refuse to believe they are bad. The media vehemently tries to blame youth violence, among other things, on the violent video games they play and the music (rap) they listen to. If these allegations are true, then the recent release of GTA IV should catalyze the most youthful violent streak the world has ever seen! The game's plot is an immigrant turned crime worker (think Scarface) that travels around the city stealing cars, shoots pedestrians, buys hookers, and listens to rap. All the ingredients for youth violence.

Well, I don't think it will happen, simply because it's not true. It is ignorant to say our youth is not intelligent enough to distinguish between reality and video games. Everyone knows bullets kill people and that you can't steal cars (well, everyone except Latarian who stole grandma's car and said punishment should be no video games over the weekend) and beat do drugs. The problem lies in poor parenting, but i won't get into that.

There are two types of families I know when it comes to video games. 1) their kids can play any and all games, and 2) kids shouldn't have games.

Kids and adults both love games. I don't agree with denying your kids access to video games, music, movies, comics, or many other media deemed inappropriate for children. I've seen the creative and intellectual opportunity and growth in kids that have access to such media. Some very good friends of mine freely allow their children to do anything media stimulating.

Two kids, Andy and Ben, are some of the most creative and intelligent people I know. Games have opened up the doors to the world of culture and arts. They have influenced incredible passions for fine arts and architecture, pottery, animation, video editing and movie making, as well as an appreciation for the hard work their parents make do in order to buy the games and systems they want. [It should be noted that nearly the entire basement of their house is dedicated to electronic and art media for these two, it's like an artistic disneyland down there!]

The kids see something in a game, and they go outside to re-create, or better yet, re-invent it. The same is true for another kid I know, Nick. His parents not only allow him to listen to any music and play any game he likes, but take it a step further in pushing him to educate himself about the history of the music, games, movies, etc. Because of this, he is one of the most media cultured 19 year olds you'll find. His appreciation for the history and culture of music such as jazz, classical, rock, etc., combined with the the classic movies, literature, and games, fuels his inspiration for the short films and videos he's made, as well as the ideas he has for music videos, movies, and commercials.

I've digressed a little bit here, but my point is that with the recent numbers of media likeGTA IV, Spider-Man, Harry-Potter and even myspace (with all its controversy), one can't ignore the fact that these are brilliant ideas that are creating huge outlets for the media minded. To disallow access to new or controversial media, or to sensationalize the problems with youth participating in these forums of creativity because they don't conform to the normal or preferred method of intellectual growth, shows just how ill-informed some parents are with what fuels their kids' passions. All the of the above kids have great parents that allow their kids to explore what interests them, albeit while keeping a watchful eye, but generally not interfering.

Besides, if you can make $500m in a week for creating a video game, that Apple computer seems like a pretty good investment for any parent!

Comments

[Chris]

Sounds like you have had an opportunity to work with some great kids.