Friday I put up my third GWJ article, this one exploring the dark mirror that is Grand Theft Auto IV.

I like Niko Bellic, and I’m not sure what that says about me. Grand Theft Auto IV’s protagonist is kind of a dick, no two ways about it. While he stumbles into a situation far removed from what he was expecting, the demands placed on him soon balloon far beyond a rationale person’s tolerance. Not five hours into the game’s main storyline you’re killing people in cold blood for not much more than a verbal insult.

Still, despite it all, I like Niko. I enjoy his tale in a way that I haven’t enjoyed the story in any other GTA title, and that makes me profoundly uncomfortable. GTA is fundamentally about 3 things, and they’re all uncomfortable: violence, race, and sex. That these things speak to me is troubling and intriguing, tapping into the basest elements of humanity. It feels like there are three monkeys on my back. Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil … it’s so archetypal it’s almost silly.

Ready for a peek into my subconscious? Me neither.

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