Just a couple of links to finish off a Rockstar-flavoured 24 hours. The Guardian's Arts & Architecture blog has a different take on GTA IV, with Peter Lyle referring to the game as Art for Alpha Males - a strange, lop-sided insult, considering the 'legitmate' art world is an unashamed patriarchy in which the, yes, crude, unmediated and violent imagery of, say, the Chapman brothers or Gilbert and George is fêted as genius. Still, Lyle is interesting and makes some acidic sense - apart from falling into the all too familiar trap of commenting on something he has no first-hand experience with.
And finally, the Daily Mail piped up with a story concerning a seemingly random piece of street violence which occurred while gamers queued to purchase copies of the game last night. From the piece:
The content is unadulterated violence. Players assume the identity of Niko Bellic, a shaven-headed veteran of the Bosnian conflict who arrives in 'Liberty City' as a gangland novice. He makes progress by killing people to order, robbing banks and dealing drugs with the help of an almost inexhaustible arsenal.
It ends with a quote from (drum roll) MP Keith Vaz who ladles on his usual ill-considered syrup about the dangers of the game falling into the wrong hands. "This kind of violence should be deplored. It's highly likely that younger children are going to get access to this game," he shrieks. It's like the Byron Review never happened.
If Vaz is so concerned about children gaining access to unsuitable adult pleasures, perhaps he should turn his attention to the vastly more troubling issue of under-age drinking. Despite many expensive government initiatives, minors are still destroying their livers with easily accessible booze. But of course, that's a much harder hobby horse to ride.
