In addition to the overtly offensive things that have been mentioned, I thought there was another, more subtly troubling issue. Relative to the males, female characters are lacking in agency. This is a tricky thing to assess in a game like this, where, after all, every character has serious agency issues (that’s why they need Niko in the first place). Still, it feels like the female characters have less going on, and are less capable of acting on their own than the male characters. Compared to mission-givers of similar level, female characters tend to be more passive and dependent on Niko. Random encounters Ilyena and Marnie, for instance, seem to be totally helpless when compared to encounters like Jeff. All of these characters need Niko’s help, but the women give the impression that they can’t do anything without Niko, while the men are active and turn to Niko as a last resort. Consider, for instance, that Marnie needs Niko to drive her to the train so she can escape town and her drug addiction, while Brian and Mel begin twelve-step programs on their own initiative.

Similarly, Elizabeta Torres gives the impression of needing Niko more than the men. Compare her missions to those of Jimmy or Ray, who have elaborate schemes already in progress that they plug Niko into at the last moment, and you get the impression that her operation is (more) slipshod and incompetent. Her reaction to her impending imprisonment is to sit in her apartment and collapse, and once she goes inside the joint that’s the end for her. Contrast this with Gerry McReary, who responds to surveillance with nothing more than a little increase of caution, and continues to orchestrate elaborate criminal schemes from prison. Or Jimmy Pegorino, who takes measures to eliminate people he thinks may be snitches.

Even when you *do* get a sense of depth in the female characters, you don’t get a sense of power or ability. Niko never finds himself on the weak side of a power relationship with a woman, though he often finds himself in this position with men like Dmitri, Ray, and Mr. U.L. Paper. GTA IV presents women as weak, passive and reactive, while the men are comparatively more able and proactive.

The only legitimate defense of the majority of the characters treating women like objects and rape as just another way to have sex is that these are common attitudes of career criminals. Of course the problem is that these same traits are found even in characters who are reluctant criminals or even good guys.

I think, on the whole, GTA III served to create the “Open World” game mechanic and the series’ sales have helped create later games such as AC, Prototype and the like so it has contributed beneficially to gaming but personally I’ve lost my taste for this series which has chosen to muck around in the ghettos year after year.

I completely disagree. One of the points of this post was to describe why I and others refuse to play the game. Secondly, this was meant to be an overview, not an in-depth analysis, as well as a compilation of critiques of sexism in GTA IV. I would certainly play the game before doing my own analysis.

If people tell me about game content that is misogynist, I don’t have an ethical responsibility (or any responsibility) to see for myself, especially when that would cost me money and cause stress and frustration. I don’t need to experience it for myself to know that fucking a prostitute and then killing her is sexualized violence against a woman. (For another example, see my brief Golden Axe: Beast Rider post.) But if I’ve made any factual errors here, please let me know.

That said, this post is from a year and a half ago, and now that my work is getting more attention I’m being more diligent about experiencing games first-hand as much as possible, and I only write in-depth critiques of those that I have completed.

We are essentially talking about an interactive medium. How can we validly talk about the experience if we neglect to choose to bypass that interactivity? You have to engage the designed system. If you want to win the lottery, you have to buy a ticket.

I’ve enjoyed your writing, and strongly believe that you’re a good counterweight to the sausage fest that is the gaming blogosphere (present company included), but I wanted to mention this because I think you’re better than this.

That’s an interesting article. I don’t think I was really on the gaming websites much when San Andreas came out so the huge amount of hype really surprised me.