Grand Theft Auto V Essays Example

First released on September 2013 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Grand Theft Auto V, developed by Rockstar North is an open world video game that comes under the action-adventure genre. An improved version of the game was released in November of 2014 that was compatible with PlayStation 4 and Xbox 1. Another version that would be compatible with Microsoft windows is expected to be released in March of this year. Grand Theft V is currently the final version in the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series Na follows GTA IV that was released in 2008. The setting of the game is San Andreas, a fictional state modelled after southern California. The story follows three criminals who have to carry out thefts while a government agency pressures them. Since it is an open world video game the players are free to roam around the fictional city.
GTA V can be played either through a third person view or a first person view. Players can navigate the fictional place either by foot or by a vehicle. The game also lets the players control the three characters both during the mission and outside of it. In the online version it lets up to 30 players who can either play competitively or cooperate in missions. The game is based on heists with players receiving responses form the Law enforcement agencies based on their level of belligerence and violence. The game was released after much hype and although it was a great hit and managed to make 800 million dollars in the first day and over a billion dollars later on (Hollister 2013), there were some criticisms about it.
“Open World Games” or exploration games as they are sometimes called are games in which the player is free to roam around, explore and is left to his or her own devices. In an open world game, there are no mechanisms in the game which would make a player move forcibly to a new area. It is also characterized by the lack of an auto scroll and artificial level barriers. All of the open world games seek to give the player new and interesting regions at whatever time the player wants to. Consumption is the name of the game when it comes to Open world games i.e. when a player sees a place for the first time, he or she cannot see it again or go back to it. In a sense these games are like a maze and cannot be played the same way more than once. Even if a player chooses to play the game again for a better score or time, the experience would not be the same as earlier and would be completely different. There are however some games that let players to replay through a randomization process allowing the player's state to vary and reach a given point in the game world in a variety of ways, each with its own implications for the situation found there (Harris p1).
The typical characteristics of open world environments or open world games are the freedom given to the player to explore the environment at any given time, giving them a sense of being in control throughout. These games also have huge setting with multiple areas and structures. What makes open world games different from linear game is that unlike in a linear game the player is not forced to follow a scripted path with levels that come after a level is completed. Another feature of the open world game is that it is highly interactive with complex storylines, voice overs and graphics that pulls a player completely into the story. The level of control a player has over the game and his or her character makes the player more entwined with the character (Demeste par1). Another aspect of open world games is that these games are constantly updated to keep audience interest. These updates are either periodical or are given to the customers based on holiday seasons. Open world games are also played through the third person view and the first person view. Owing to this the level of detailing needs to be extensive and realistic. Game environments are also kept as close to the real thing as possible.
The reason GTA V and the entire series became such a hug hit around the world was due to its employment of the open world game play. The entire series reflects the growth in this filed and is considered as one of the pioneers. Development of the game started in the year 2009 and it was considered as the most expensive game to be developed at that time. Since the open environment is the basis of these kind of games, the developers put in a lot of effort to create the fictional city modelled after Los Angeles. They admitted that this aspect of the game was the most difficult, technically demanding and resource consuming. The developers had to go through google maps to design the streets and also go through the census and watch documentaries about the city to make the gaming environment as authentic as possible. This dedication of the developers and attention to detail is what made the GTA V a monster success among other video games. GTA V ever since its release has had many updates both in the online version and in the single player mode. Examples of such updates are the valentine day promotions that had Bonnie and Clyde themes heists, snowfall during Christmas and beach themes heists. Although the environment is pretty monstrous, it has to be said that mostly it is devoid of anything and its mostly plain exploration without adding anything to the mission.
GTA V can be played in the multi-player mode online and single player mode. It also has this feature of character switching through which players can engage with all the three leading characters. User interaction and engagement with the game is critical to the success of open world games and GTA was praised by players and critics alike. Switching of characters in the game helps reduce the time taken to complete a mission or traverse a path and also improves the pace of the action scenes. It keeps the player completely engrossed giving him or her different things to do and try out at the same time. The design is so complex that the game could be called a technological marvel. The 3D features in the game has also improved the facial expressions of the characters to a large extent and they match with the audio. This is an improvement from the earlier games in the series and puts GTA a notch above the rest of the games in this genre. GTA V is hailed as one of the best games of the seventh generation of video game consoles. GTA V also came under controversy for the content in some of the heists which included torture techniques in hostage interrogation. This was condemned to be too violent. There were also lawsuits by actresses like Lindsay Lohan who claimed that the characters were made in their likeness.
GTA V is a great game but there are some aspects about it that makes it a little less interesting than other games. Although there was an introduction of new heists in the updates, they are few and far between and even though the player is in control, you need to unlock certain characters for the heists and by the time you get a new character or a weapon you would have already done heists that would have required them. The characters are also pretty annoying, even when you know they are caricatures. Most of the other games make their villains comical or over the top but in GTA V, the bad people are truly bad and this can make the player either annoyed or make him or her truly engrossed. It can work both ways in this game. The game play elements are rarely used and sometimes look like a pretty useless addition.
As an open world game, GTA V measures up to the standards of the best open world games in the market. It is technologically advanced with detailed environments and almost life like characters. The plot is kept interesting with new twists and turns that the player is engrossed in the game, an important aspect in open world games. The constant updates also ensure that this game keeps the interest level high among the players. Even with its faults like the problems with the online version and annoying characters, GTA V is still one of the best games of its generation.

Works Cited

Hollister, Sean. “Grand Theft Auto V' sets record by earning $1 billion in just three days.” The Verge. Vox Media. 18 Sept. 2013. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.
Harris, John. “Game Design Essentials: 20 Open World Games.” gamasutra.com. 26 Sept. 2007. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.
Demeste, Samantha. “Open World.” Giantbomb.com. 18 Jan. 2015. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.
Hill, Matt "Grand Theft Auto V: meet Dan Houser, architect of a gaming phenomenon". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. 7 Sept. 2013. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.