Rockstar hires gang members for voice over

[durian]

http://www.polygon.com/2013/9/3/4691366/how-gang-members-helped-make-grand-theft-auto-5

[Art Blade]

good read. I like the idea but it worries me at the same time. Good because of its authenticity but worrying because now those criminals and violent gangs get paid for being criminal and violent gang members. Some kind of attention that would be appropriate for a documentary but not necessarily for a game.

[durian]

Tbh, I was taken aback, I was like "WTF is this ?" when first read this news at a certain website, but I think it's good as it adds authenticity to the game and I'm not worried about they getting money since it's clean money for doing a ligitimate job.

[Art Blade]

same with those gangsta rappers. Bragging about their badass attitude, publishing their rubbish, getting paid and admiration for it.. and then they usually die violently. Which means, we'll likely be hearing those hard lines all over the shop, but most likely they won't rap them through our speakers, phew.

[Binnatics]

Good read indeed Durian!! I think it's a good thing they did the real deal. Much better than the endless "It's all ME" and "If you REALLY want to help us out" shaithe we experienced around Rook Island recently :-D

[Art Blade]

well, that's UBI for you. Rockstar has been more solid :)

[Art Blade]

Shawn Fonteno (gangster and actor, GTAV) "I am Franklin"

http://www.tmz.com/2013/09/18/grand-theft-auto-v-shawn-fonteno-franklin-tv-actors/

edit: added the "gangster and"

[Art Blade]

I had to think about my very first reaction in this topic when I basically didn't know anything about GTAV except what everyone else knew.

Now, having watched a complete playthrough I know what it is about. I wondered why I liked Franklin the most: He, of all characters, seems to be the one who is the most realistic about what is going on and, in a positive way, simplistic, as in he manages to get to the core of things almost immediately and knows who he is like you and me know who he is.

However, this is a game and I find it strange to go that much into detail that Rockstar hired people with that gang background, "the real thing," while many aspects are just completely unreal. A few violent moments in the game are damn close to the real thing (gun out, bang, quick and deadly, no chitchat) while other things are so bloody far from real it almost angers me (can be seen anywhere, not just in this game) -- it is when someone really and absolutely wants (or has) to kill someone, they walk up to them, start a chat and then the target manages to get away because of all that talk and prelude nonsense yet in the end, inevitably, gets killed. I know that is nonsense and simply for dramaturgical reasons but hey, I thought they wanted realism.

Or didn't they? That sort of in between, not this, not that, is what makes all this a bit weird and what makes me think. Well, in the end we want a game and not a perfect realistic digital crime world so it's OK, but still, I think the message with the real gang guys is wrong but at the time it does add to the overall success of the game's atmosphere and immersion. Tough decision, Rockstar, in the end it worked, but I can't help but voice my thoughts.

[PZ]

To tell you the truth, I like the realism.  I was driving a hotrod this morning, switched radio stations and came across Elton John singing Saturday Night's Alright - instantly made me feel like I was back in the 70's.  Talk about immersion - the music really helps one feel like part of the game rather than a spectator pulling puppet strings.

[Art Blade]

me too -- the type of realism you're referring to, that is.

[Binnatics]

This is a delicate discussion.

I like things to be real. The lowlife gang world is real, we can't ignore it. GTA using real guys to make their game more real is approaching reality. I like reality in games.

Glorifying violence is wrong. But it happens in real life. I do it myself when playing video games. The whole gang life is promoting violence as a way of life, something to look up to for most, something to feel comfortable with to some. We are glorifying violence all together, and who else but gang members can help is showing it in a video game?

I'd like the world to be a little less brutal and violent. GTA seems to promote violence with their theme, the way they bring it and the way people play with it. But there's still a difference between the real world and a digital game world. GTA takes the purest of real life, to create a digital one. Probably makes us all think about violence as a concept, without censoring their digital theatre. The link with true violence can't be erased, and imho shouldn't be erased. We like violence. We like to dominate and rule others. Let's enjoy it in the gaming world, and realise it IS a gaming world where we play it.
Let's thank Rockstar for giving us a theatre to blast our testosterone shaithe away, giving room for second thought when dealing with real people and real issues.

Let's trust in our own humanity and believe we all can separate fantasy from reality, lust from desire.  ;)