A Feminist Critique of Grand Theft Auto V
Grand
Theft Auto V, produced by Rockstar Games, is the most recent iteration of the
most popular video game series in the world, earning $1 billon within a mere
three days of its release in 2013. It has been universally lauded by game
critics according to the criteria of their industry (Metacritic, 2013). Yet,
even a cursory examination of the game from a feminist perspective reveals
deeply troubling content promoting sexism, misogyny, and patriarchy.
Promoting and Upholding Negative
Dominant Narratives
Much
debate currently exists as to the definition of “feminism.” The author of this
paper agrees with the perspective of activist bell hooks who contends: “Feminism
is a struggle to end sexist oppression. Its aim is not to benefit solely any
specific group of women, any particular race or class of women. It does not
privilege women over men” (2013, p. 339). Sexist oppression permeates all
layers and levels of Grand Theft Auto V; a complete listing of all examples
would exceed the target length of this paper. In summary, the game promotes sexist
oppression through the choices it gives to its players, narrow and overly
sexualized depictions of female characters, and content such as advertising and
talk shows that present women primarily as sexual objects.
The
first evidence of oppression is the lack of “playable” female characters.
Players can choose one of three male characters as the main protagonist. One of
those three is a former pimp (Feminstborgia, 2014). The second level of
oppression is the depiction of the few female characters as highly sexualized
beings with little to no agency. As one female reviewer for a prominent gamer
website summarized:
…it’s deeply frustrating
that, while its central and supporting male characters are flawed and complex
characters, with a few extremely minor exceptions …, GTA V has little room for
women except to portray them as strippers, prostitutes, long-suffering wives,
humorless girlfriends and goofy, new-age feminists we’re meant to laugh at (Petit,
2013).
It is worthwhile to note that although the
reviewer gave the game an overall 9 points out of a total 10, male fans
responded with rage to her protest of the game’s misogyny. Over 20,000
primarily negative comments were left response to her otherwise commonplace
review, and a petition was started on www.change.org for her to be fired as a
reviewer (Parfitt, 2013).
The
third level of sexist oppression is the game’s representation of females in the
sex industry. The game depicts women as (often gladly) choosing to engage in live
“sexcam” websites, pornography, stripping, and prostitution (Feministborgia,
2013). Within several available strip club scenes, male players are encouraged
to break the “no touching” rule and fondle the women’s private areas. If the
player manages to accomplish this without being caught by the club security,
the game designers ensure that the strippers will respond positively and might
even offer to meet the player later for free sex (Feministborgia, 2013). Often
throughout the course of their missions, players are offered the opportunity to
solicit prostitutes, chose a sex act from a menu, watch the virtual sex, and
then choose whether or not to murder the women to regain their money. Murder
options include beating, running over victims a car, throwing a grenade, shooting,
using a hatchet, etc. Players’ points go up for having sex with a prostitute,
although not for murdering her (Cook, 2014). The game also contains countless
crude, demeaning, and violent references to women from billboard advertisements
to “entertainment,” including a (male) talk show host recommending a husband “drown”
his non-submissive wife and a discussion on how women “enjoy” having their
sternums crushed during sex (Feministborgia, 2013).
Patriarchy Silences
Women
Some reviewers have dismissed feminist critiques of Grand
Theft Auto V by noting that the game depicts violence to male and female characters
alike. In the words of one British reviewer: “The
game’s treatment of women – every female in the game exists solely to be
sneered, leered or laughed at – is a real concern until you realise that it
applies to the male characters as well” (Edge,
2013). What this and similar reviewers fail to realize is that sexist
oppression is not only exerted through presence but also through absence. The lack of positive images can
be just as damaging as the presence of negative ones. There is a conspicuous absence
of women portrayed in healthy and varied roles: friend, boss, professional,
intellectual, artist, etc. Women are not shown as being able to interact with
men in nonsexual ways with the exception of a few weak family members who cause
familial strife. The women in Grand Theft Auto are not shown to be strong,
savvy, capable, or conscientious. Why then is this game so popular? Simple: Grand
Theft Auto is a product and a perpetrator of patriarchy, a prevailing cultural
system of male dominance. Patriarchal systems allow sexist oppression to flourish
with impunity. Patriarchy has many components and manifestations, but author
Allen Johnson summarizes it well:
Above all,
patriarchal culture is about the core value of control and domination in almost
every area of human existence. … To have power over and to be prepared to use
it are defined culturally as good and desirable (and characteristically “masculine”,
and to lack such power or to be reluctant to use it is seen as weak if not
contemptible (and characteristically “feminine”) (2013, p. 334).
Real Life Victims
There are countless examples of women who have been harmed by
the sexist oppression. The consistent pay gap between women and men in the
United States is just one such significant example. Yet, in light of Grand
Theft Auto V’s extensive content regarding the sex industry, it seems prudent for
this paper to focus on some of the ugly truths about women in the sex industry.
The majority of women in the sex industry have experienced some form of sexual
abuse in their past (Farley, 2012). Many feel that they have no other viable
income options and maintain that they are trapped into the industry due to
circumstances. Most are under the control of a pimp (Farley, 2012), the former
occupation of the main character in Grand Theft Auto V. “Pimp” is a common term
for what the law terms “trafficker” as in a perpetrator of human trafficking. The
Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 established that a person involved
in the sex industry due to force, fraud, or coercion is a victim of commercial
sexual exploitation or human trafficking, the fastest growing crime in the world
today (United States Department of State, 2014). The International Labour
Organization estimates that the majority of trafficking situations are labor
trafficking, but also gives a best guess that sex trafficking generates a much
greater profit than labor trafficking, garnering $99 out of $150 billion
dollars gained from this illegal industry (2014). Moreover, victims are usually
exploited in multiple forms within the sex industry. For example, a girl or
woman who is forced into prostitution is often also filmed for the production
of pornography.
Within the United States, most women entered the sex industry
when they were minors. Sex traffickers (or
“pimps”) usually prey on the most vulnerable: homeless runaways, “throwaways,”
and very young children. The average age at which girls are first manipulated
and forced into prostitution is a mere 12-14 years old (United States
Department of Justice). Although no one
knows the true scale of sex trafficking in the United States, the Federal
Bureau of Investigation has declared child sex trafficking a significant crime
and maintains ongoing investigations through its Innocence Lost Task Force. In
a 3-day operation in 2014, the FBI rescued 168 American children from sex trafficking and arrested 281
traffickers (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2014). Once
these young people turn eighteen, they suffer from the myth that prostitution
is a “choice” and a “job” and receive jail time instead of victim services.
During their
exploitation, victims repeatedly undergo severe mental and physical trauma at
the hands of their traffickers as well as their buyers, experiencing severe violence,
humiliation, PTSD, sexually transmitted diseases, forced abortions, and other
atrocities (Lloyd, 2011). A special report by the Child Welfare
Council (CWC) found that “68 percent of victims of Commercial Exploitation of
Children suffered from chronic health problems and post-traumatic stress
disorder and likened the experience of victims to experiences of ‘hostages,
prisoners of war, or concentration camp inmates.” The reality of sex
trafficking victims is a sharp contrast to the women portrayed in Grand Theft
Auto V. Sex trafficking
survivor, major activist, and aftercare service provider Rachel Lloyd wisely
ties sexual exploitation back into patriarchy:
Commercial sexual exploitation and
trafficking are part of the continuum of gender-based violence, not a separate
issue. How we view the rights of women and girls, (again particularly those who
we view as “less than” based on race and class or some predetermined idea
of their “purity”, blamelessness etc.) is absolutely part of the problem
when it comes to commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking (2015).
A More Just Version of Grand Theft
Auto V
What would
it take to create a more just version of Grand Theft Auto V? Is it possible, or
should gamers boycott the franchise altogether? Social commentator Jackson Katz
maintains that violence against women is not a women’s issue but a men’s issue,
claiming that men’s actions towards women reveal more about men than they do
about women (2013). In this vein, New York Times journalist Chris Suellentrop
noted the rampant sexism in Grand Theft Auto V and had the chance to lightly
query the co-founder of Rockstar games, the franchise creator:
When I asked Mr. Houser if he had thought about the portrayal
of women in Rockstar’s games, he said, “Seemingly not as much as I should
have.” He added: “These three guys fit with the story we wanted to tell. It
would be hard to take one of them and replace him — I mean, I suppose we could
have done it, early enough on — with a female character” (2013).
Mr. Houser’s response not
only ignores the sexist oppression existing in his games but also denies any
social responsibility to fixing the problems. His comments are a confirmation
of Katz’s conclusion:
In spite of significant social change in recent decades, men
continue to grow up with, and are socialized into, a deeply misogynistic, male-dominated
culture, where violence against women—from the subtle to the homicidal—is disturbingly
common. It’s normal. And precisely
because the mistreatment of women is such a pervasive characteristic of our
patriarchal culture, most men, to a greater or lesser extent, have played a
role in its perpetuation (2013, p. 342).
In Grand Theft Auto V,
men are literally playing a role in
the perpetuation of violence against women. A more just version of this game
would first create smart, capable, and confident female characters embodying a
variety of female experiences. Women would be presented in relational roles that
are not primarily sexual or subordinate. Although the depiction of sexist
oppression in the game does often echo the unfortunate realities of this world,
a more just version would also include emotional, mental, and physical consequences
for sexist actions such as legal action, retribution, and—most importantly—decreased
capacity for human connectedness. Finally, the game currently presents choices
of whether or not to negatively engage with women in the sex industry. It
should include choices of positively
engaging with women such as befriending them without sexual contact, asking
their advice or opinions, or even ascertaining whether or not they are under
the control of a trafficker. In these ways, Grand Theft Auto V could move our
culture towards a more egalitarian interaction between genders instead of
normalizing sexist oppression.
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