Philippine E-Journals

Deconstruction of Themes in ‘Grand Theft Auto IV’

JOHN ERIC A. TADEO

 

Abstract:

‘Grand Theft Auto IV’ is a videogame that has garnered universal critical acclaim due to the innovations in gameplay and narrative at the time of its release. Alongside this success, the game has been marred with various controversies due to its depictions of sex, drugs, and violence; with the game’s intention of immersing the audience in its gameplay, opposing critics have emphasized the possible morally-degrading effects and negative influence, especially to young players. However, supporting critics have asserted that GTA IV’s gameplay likewise explores moral dilemmas worthy of introspection. This study takes the latter concept and enforces the same through the formal discipline of Literary Criticism. The objective of this study is to establish applicable videogame narratives as literary pieces as illustrated in the deconstruction of themes in the videogame ‘Grand Theft Auto IV.’ The method used is Literary Analysis/ Literary Criticism in expounding themes and exploring binary oppositions in the videogame. The overall result of the study is the extrapolation of topics on modern human conditions as portrayed in the game. This study concludes that videogame narratives – even a controversial one at that – are rich avenues for Literary Analysis.