An insight into the post-modernity prevalent in GTA V for A2 Media Studies G325.

1. Postmodernism in GTA
V
BRETT & ROSS

2. Institutional Details
Grand Theft Auto V is an open world, action-adventure video
game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar
Games. It was released on 17 September 2013 for the
PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, on 18 November 2014 for the
PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and on 14 April 2015 for
Microsoft Windows.
Within 24 hours of its release, Grand Theft Auto V generated
more than $800 million in worldwide revenue, equating to
approximately 11.21 million copies sold for Take Two. The
numbers nearly doubled analysts' expectations for the title.
Three days after release, the game had surpassed one billion
dollars in sales, making it the fastest selling entertainment
product in history.

3. Why is it postmodern?
Inevitably being a game simulacra and the idea of simulation is the most prominent postmodern feature
of this particular text. This also conforms to Castells notion of real virtuality because the lines and
boundaries of life and virtuality have become seemingly blurred. Although this is relatable to the whole
franchise it is particularly notable in the latest instalment, GTA V because of the inclusion of the online
feature to which allows players to create their own character and fight against other players characters in
an entirely virtual world.
Incredulity towards the meta narrative (Lyotard) is also key in this case study because the game is entirely
dependent on the way the player plays the game and so there is no chronology to the way the game is
played.
The rejection of binary opposites would also suggest this is a postmodern text because this opposes the
general norms of story based texts such as games and films that often have a generic hero, villain and
damsel in distress based narrative however in GTA the villain is represented as the hero. As such the lack
of a distinction between good and bad conforms to postmodern conventions.

4. Why is it postmodern?
There are strong intertextual references and parodies through out the 5th instalment, with
reference to social media site ‘Bleeter’ depicting an animal logo as a clear parody of twitter; an
entire wheel of radio stations playing a wide variety of real songs (also blurring the lines
between virtuality and reality) as well as the name of certain boats and jet ski’s being
‘Speedophile’ a clear mocking of the aqua brand ‘Speedo’.
Other means of postmodernity include Roland Barthes notion of the author being dead,
presented in the way that the outcome of the game is entirely in the hands of the player most
notably at the end of GTA V where the player is given the option of killing 1 of the 3 main
characters or killing government officials in order to save the players virtual allies.
This may also be an example of immersion therefore to which is a key theme throughout the
game because the game is set up to maker the player of the game the most important
component compared to other games which are seemingly out of the players control such as the
Call Of Duty franchise for example to which the outcome is pre-planned.