P5

Task 1:

Representation:

Task 2:

The games three main characters, Michael, Franklin and Trevor, are all males. the characters consist of two white males and one black male. Each of these have their own stereotype. One being a rich white man and another being a black male in a run down neighbourhood. Although you can class these as unfair stereotypes, it does not make the game play bad, if anything it helps to build the relationship between the player and the characters by giving an insight of their life in detail.

-Trevor is a typical redneck. He lives in a trailer in the desert and owns a beat up truck. He also owns a meth lab. The other people in this area are stereotypical as well.
Michael
-Michael is a middle aged Caucasian rich guy. His family hates him and he spends his days drinking beer and watching TV.
Franklin
-Franklin is an African-American 25 year old.(That age is an estimate). He was born in the hood and was a member of the Grove Street gang.

The game is very sexist. This is nothing new to the GTA franchise. Although this doesn't overly make a huge difference to the game play, many think that having a female character would help make the game better. 
The only females that are prominently shown throughout the game are strippers and prostitutes. This has caused a lot of controversy throughout the fandom as to whether or not this is bad or not. 
Although, during the in game heists, the player can choose who to take with them, there are females added into the heist team with very good stats. For example, the hacker used for the jewellery store heist is a female and is the best the player can use.   



In GTA 5 the women tend to wear skimpy clothes and the men wear normal clothes. The women are all young and fit. There are also muscular men working out and you can only find them in the gym. They are portrayed as dumb and muscular.

The taxi drivers in the game are all immigrants and drive recklessly. 

All shop owners are Indian except for the gun store which is owned by a white American male.

In GTA 5 there is only one character with a disability. He is portrayed as the weird guy who is very good with computers and strategy.

Task 3: Legal/ Ethical issues:

The game is rated 18 due to all the reasons listed below, the public would definitely have more issues with it if the game was rated anything below that.

Violence

Drug use

Alcohol

Gore

Language

Racism

The game is well known for its over use of violence throughout the series. The whole point of the game is to fight with people and commit crimes. 

Of course violence in games can lead to players thinking that real violence and crime is like it is in game. But when the player is 18 or over, it is not only their own responsibility for their actions but their brains should be fully developed and know the difference between right and wrong, even when playing the game.

Although many have accused Rockstar Games for their child's violent streak, the company can take no responsibility for the game as the parent has allowed their own child to play a game that is not appropriate to them, although this may be ethically wrong to have all this violence, legally it is perfectly reasonable. The game is rated an 18 and therefore should only be played by people that age and over. Anyone buying the game for their preteen children is completely responsible for their own  actions.

The game has been proven good for stress relief. The game's violence allows players to let out built up aggression in a safe way, allowing them to exit the game and carry on in the real world feeling better and less stressed out.

Although the drug use in the game is minor, from a small cut scene of Franklin using a bong to Trevor's meth lab, The game isn't trying to idealize drug use, but they aren't against it. This once again leads to the age rating of the game. By the age of 18 a person is assumed to be reliable and able to make decisions for themselves, and therefore shouldn't be persuaded to take drugs because someone in a video game did it.

Gore and violence go hand in hand; the worse the gore, the more real the violence. The gore in this game tends to get very real at times. The realism of the 'ragdoll' affect as well as the torture gameplay, when the player uses different methods to torture a man into speaking. 

Swearing is a consistent feature throughout the game. Although it's probably the most PG thing throughout the game. 

If the game only included the swearing, the game would've been at least a 16. 

Although many parents have a problem with the 'fowl language' used in the game, I personally think that it is the most mild thing throughout the whole game and helps bring extra emotion and real;ism to the characters.

Although racism isn't a prominent feature in the game, it is still there. From the taxi drivers who are all Mexican and unable to drive, to the Indian gas store owners. Although the racial stereotyping is meant to be making fun of stereotypes as a whole, Rockstar just make the cut of not being too racially offensive, so it cannot be taken legally. 

Although it can be offensive to many people, the game manages to somehow poke fun at everyone in the game. Both race and gender all get made fun of - although this can be considered rude, it balances out the offence so the game doesn't look like it's offending one group more than anyone else.

Making fun of race and gender is a big reason for why people play this game as they can laugh at things they usually wouldn't be allowed to.

Task 4: Regulatory Bodies:

PEGI: (Pan European Gaming Information)

  

PEGI ratings follow:

3

7

12

16

18

Bad Language

Descrimination

Drugs

Fear

Gambling

Sex

Violence

Online

PEGI rated GTA V an 18 with Violence and Bad Language.

PEGI would've reviewed the game and looked at all the violence, drug use, sex and others and rated them on extremity. Any use of one of these that ended up being an extreme would have been asked to be cut down or given a tag, which would make the rating higher.

The sex and drug use, although in the game, is not a prominent feature throughout. The game is based off violence and strong language is in the game from the beginning - so it is difficult to avoid. But the sex and drug use can be cut down or hinted at.

Rockstar would want their game at the lowest rating they can have so they can appeal to more people. 18+ makes the marekt for their game a lot smaller. 

ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board)

ESRB ratings follow:

eC - Early Childhood

E - Everyone 

E+10 - Everyone 10+

T - Teen

M - Mature 17+

Ao - Adults Only 18+

RP - Rating Pending

ESRB Rated GTA V a M (Mature 17+) and listed off a lot more things off than the PEGI rating. Warning about, 'Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol.'

Rating it anything lower could cause a lot of legal issues due to younger children playing the game and being overly influenced by the violence that is 'glorified' and may try it themselves.