OK, so it was inevitable. While we didn't intend to focus much time during The Guardian's Games Week on the release of what the Today Programme called 'the entertainment event of the year', it would be a careless oversight if we didn't mention it. Therefore, on the wire for today's special gaming series are two excellent articles and one podcast about the GTA phenomenon. And most importantly, how to cope with the rest of the world's perceptions.
Keef continues his thoughtful gushing on Tech Weekly in what is probably the closest we'll get to a review. And in this piece, he examines the game's role in the continuing debate sparked by last month's Byron Review:
While many saw the release of the fair-minded Byron Report as a benchmark moment in the relationship between violent videogames and mainstream moral thought, this is the real litmus test. This is where we find out how far games have crossed into the mass consciousness. You see, while the latest title in Rockstar's gangster adventure series is forecast to make $400m in its opening week, it's still amazing how few people seem to understand what the games are about - or how slyly clever they are.
He's right, you know. And Naomi Alderman agrees. In this piece, she aptly describes the attitudes of the people who aren't close to this industry, and have therefore never heard of the Byron Review:
Mention the GTA series to non-gaming friends, though, and I will hear that it's horrifically violent, verging on pornographic, and that a majority of the gameplay is taken up with finding creative ways to murder prostitutes. And, although I'm a female gamer, they insist the typical player is a teenage boy just one all-night session away from becoming a serial-killer.
Is it likely that an innocuous game will ever reach the headlines and steal as much attention away from the major news stories as this one does? Possibly, if we have more attention on the good things games can offer.
And to provide that counterpoint is John Kirriemuir's thought piece about the place of computer games in schools:
Research for nigh on a decade has shown, albeit in academically wordy ways, that games - used by a teacher who wants to use them - can be beneficial in classroom learning.
Teachers are starting to blog their experiences, and more should be encouraged to share, in a teacher-usable way, their good and bad experiences. Derek [Robertson from Learning Teaching Scotland] is producing results from his Scottish school trials with handheld games such as Nintendogs, Phoenix Wright and Brain Training.
"Serious games" initiatives, especially in the US, are highlighting a cascade of successful examples of video game use in the education, health and business sectors. Teachers, governors and parents alike have, increasingly, the body of evidence to make informed decisions on the value and relevance of video games to curriculum-based education.
But unfortunately, We aren't there yet. As John explains, "The quality of debate on games in education is, and has been, poor."
Ah well. I still remain hopeful for the future.
