Rockstar Games is the main publisher and developer of the popular Grand Theft Auto (GTA) video game franchise. GTA was first released in 1997 and has since expanded to 14 versions across multiple platforms. It is set in parody versions of real cities like New York and aims to replicate realistic driving mechanics. While very popular commercially, GTA has also been highly controversial due to its violent and sexual content. Critics argue it glorifies criminal acts and promotes harmful stereotypes, while fans see it as a critically acclaimed and immersive virtual world.

1. GRANDTHEFT AUTO
By Simon Cheshire

2. Rock Star Games
• The main publisher of GTA is Rockstar Games they are a multinational video game
developer and has developed many high profile games such as: GrandTheft Auto,
Red Dead, Midnight Club, Bully,The Warriors, Manhunt and Max Payne.
• They have over 900 employees and are a subsidiary ofTake-Two Interactive, it was
founded in 1998 which was a year after the first GTA was released.
• The main headquarters of Rockstar games is located in NewYork.This is home to
the marketing, PR and product developments sections of Rockstar Games.
• Rockstar Games received the BAFTA Academy fellowship award for GTA at the
British AcademyVideo Games Awards in March 2014.

3. History/Background
• GrandTheft Auto was created by David Jones and Mike Dailly.The GTA name references
the name used in the US for motor vehicle theft.
• GTA was first released in 1997 on the PlayStation 1 console.They have released 14
different versions of the game since, including 11 individual games and 4 extension packs.
Rockstar Games have also tried expandingGTA onto mobile applications and made it
available on PC.
• TheTelegraph has ranked the GTA series as one of Britain’s most successful exports.
• The use of vehicles in a normal environment tries to replicate a normal working city, the
pedestrians normally obey things such as road signs, this has been used in other games
such asThe Simpson’s Hit and Run and Lego City Undercover.
• In 2014 GTA sold over 220 million, it was developed by Rockstar North and published by
Rockstar Games. It was released on platforms such as: PlayStation and Xbox.
• The genre of the game is a hybrid as it includes and combines action adventure and free-
roam together.

4. Why it is Postmodern
• GTA uses many different postmodern features such as: parody, pastiche, bricolage
and self references.
• First of all parody and pastiche is used in the game, purely on where the game is set,
this is because it is set in NewYork, which in the game is known as Liberty City.The
iconic Statue of Liberty is holding a Starbucks coffee cup. It could also be seen as
Starbucks taking over the world.
• They claim to be the first video game to criticise the 21st century media through
humour and parodying things which have happened.
• Bricolage is used, as you don’t really follow a set story, the audience can do different
things with different characters.There is no time limit in which you complete the
game, which is postmodern as the audience have their own choice as it has no
boundaries.
• The music used in the game is from reality which uses a intertextual reference
because it shows the difference between what is real and what is not.

5. It’s relationship with the Audience
• GTA helps the audience with their immersion, which describes how the
audiences imagination is put into the game.They also use flow which is were the
audience get the pleasure of completing challenges.This is something which
GTA uses drastically because audiences are able to just use their imagination
when roaming around in free play and can use flow when they complete the
missions.
• Audiences of games such as GTA they go into a loss of reality as they are fixated
on the game rather than what is happening around them.Which takes them
away from the problems which they may experience in their own lives.
• The game has gone on to polarise the public, many people feel that it is a
masterpiece however others feel that it should be banned.

6. Critical Response
• Many people fell the game has polarised the public, and feels it should be banned.
• The game has also created many different controversies mainly due to its violence and image of women.
A mission that requires players to use torture equipment in a hostage interrogation polarised reviewers.
• They have also criticised the political views of the game, which makes the game biased towards certain
political view points
• The game has a particular mission which has also received criticism from politicians and anti-torture
charity groups because of how violent it is.
• The game became subject to widespread online debate over its portrayal of women, particularly in the
wake of backlash againstGame Sport journalistCarolyn Petit after she claimed the game was sexist in her
review. After Petit's review the webpage received more than 20,000 largely negative comments. However
many journalists defended .
• Television personality Karen Gravano and actress Lindsey Lohan have both filed lawsuits against Rockstar
in allegation that characters in the game were based on their likenesses.
• Target’sAustralian division pulled the game from their 300 stores following a petition against depictions
of violence of women in the game. but felt that the torture sequence was in poor taste.