It’s very likely that the average person has some knowledge of the successful games series ‘Grand Theft Auto’, as the 2013 entry of the series, ‘Grand Theft Auto V’ earned $1 billion in only 3 days of its release. Now praised for raising the bar for games in terms of writing, game play and realism, and for proving that the video game market can compete with any other medium out there, the series is a hallmark in the continuing boom of high end games.
However that wasn’t always the case, as the new BBC TV film THE GAMECHANGERS explores what happened when the makers of the game, ‘Rockstar’, went up against the lawyer Jack Thompson.
Daniel Radcliffe is Sam Houser, one part of the Houser brothers whose vision is behind the GTA games. Here, Houser is a conflicted genius; half driven to give his players the most realistic and engaging experience possible, but half restrained by ratings boards and his co-workers. He’s oblivious to how hard he pushes people, leading some to quit unbeknownst to him. And when he playfully punches co-worker Paul, played by Joe Dempsie, on the shoulder one too many times, there’s just a hint of anger in Radcliffe’s eye that makes you wonder what’s behind this man that has created such a violent but well crafted piece of art.
And yes, video games can, or should be, considered art but that’s a whole other argument, one that the film tackles slightly with Houser. His argument is that film, TV and books all showcase the same aggressive and sexual behavior that his games do, so why is GTA a scapegoat?
The lawsuit has consequences for Thompson, as he receives death threats, rocks through his window and his own son bullied for it.
The show strains to be unbiased, even when it’s plainly obvious its swayed towards Jack Thompson’s side. Portrayed as a sympathetic figure for the audience, a family man who’s just trying to save the children from these violent games, the show is only slightly invested in giving the audience a look behind one of the most innovative and ground breaking video game series ever, instead wasting screen time making sure we feel sorry for a man who is nothing more than a religious zealot.
What could have been a interesting examination of violence in games, an exploration of how blood and gore is OK in our mainstream media but sex isn’t, it instead struggles under poor writing, only bolstered by Paxton and Radcliffe’s worthy acting.
