Is Grand Theft Auto IV an expression of hate towards women? Are those who enjoy it misogynists? Feminist interest blog Feministing certainly thinks so. Kotaku picks out a few serious flaws in her opinion of the game.

After being evaluated by several ratings organizations worldwide, the game was assigned a “mature” rating - this is 17+ in the United States and 18 in Europe and the United Kingdom. Moreover, the ESRB has repeatedly urged consumers to use the ratings as a guide, and that the word “mature” in the ratings is equally as important as the number.

In other words, this game is not intended to be played by curious youth about to get their first look at a pair of boobs, Samhita.

Ironically, by the way, Feministing used the Australian box shot of that region’s heavily-edited version of GTA IV - with the “15+” rating sticker clear in the image.

GTA IV, at its core, is not a violence simulator, nor a gripping television drama, nor a camp comedy – rather, it’s all of these, presented as an essay on freedom of behavior, a fantasy world where morality is suspended, subjective or selective. What we do in that fantasy world says something about us as a society, about the state of the real world, rather than being a blatant advertisement for the innate immorality of entertainment.

Deathsythe via kotaku.com »