3. How is my choice of representation
used?
Race is represented in all 3 of the GTA games. The main characters have a specific background due
to there skin colour and a specific way of life because of there ethnic background. This is for
example, the way they speak, walk, run, there culture and how they socialise. My first example is
CJ from San Andreas. CJ is the man in the orange outfit with the chain and glasses. This is a
classical gangster look and many black Americans are perceived in this way. The guy next to him in
a green outfit holding and ak-47 with a bally on his face is a gang member of The Grove Street
Families who is also black. This is the gang that CJ is part of and this shows that black people are
not represented as good people but as notorious criminals in this game.
My next example is Huang Lee fro Chinatown Wars. In the picture, you can see that Huang Lee is
doing a karate move on the FBI holding a gun. You can also see that he is not as well dressed as
the FBI. This shows that Chinese people in the game are represented as people in the lower class
of America, also as criminals and lastly, known for there karate/Kung Fu moves. This could be seen
as stereotypical approach for towards Chinese people.
My last example is of an Italian criminal called Tommy Vercetti. Here you an see that he is in an
urban beach classical shirt holding a gun. This shows that Italians were represented as rich smooth
drug dealers and criminal. In this game Tommy is doing a lot of drug dealing and fewer killings and
this represents Italians as drug dealers.
4. What do the representations connote?
The representations of all three of those characters shows that the way people look, like
there skin colour, they way they talk could be perceived differently to other people. It also
shows that if a few people from certain background do bad things, everyone from that
background would be prejudged in that way. In all 3 of the games, they all have specific traits
based on they way they look and there background. CJ is seen as a gang banger and a
Notorious criminal, the first mission is him robbing a bike. The way he talks is very informal
on the game suggesting he didn’t have proper education. However not every black person is
like that. Huang Lee is seen as a Chinese mastermind in Karate and is seen using it in the
wrong way rather seen used in the right way protecting people or for self defence. Tommy
Vercetti is seen as a Italian Drug lord and a Mob. Many Italians are perceived like this due to
there culture but the fact is not every Italian is like that.
5. My opinions and what I would do
differently?
Although I am big fans of these games as they were really fun to play, creative and big successors of
what GTA has grown to today, there stereotype in the game was a bit too much. They could of made
a GTA fighting against crime but they rather made every single one promoting crime ultimately
leading to real life people being killed because of the influence. They could of represented African
Black Americans as good people, or even the Italians and the Chinese as people that help to fight
against crime and rather class themselves as heroes. Although of this I wouldn't really change the
game if I had he chance as one, they were all successful so why change it and two, if I did change it
to them fighting against crime, would people still see the game as fun or would it decrease its sales.
But at the end of the day we need to look at what's right and the right thing is not to judge someone
because of there appearance and mainly not there skin colour.
