Rockstar Games has left out some outdated references to transgender people from the Grand Theft Auto 5 next-gen update.
shelf life grand theft auto 5 it has now spread across three generations of consoles. In that time, the game has remained pretty much the same, outside of the additions to grand theft auto online, which has been attributed to its long lifespan. In that time, society has evolved outside of the game. Some jokes or jokes have become insensitive and developers become more aware of the deliberate or unconscious creation of offensive content in games. 10 years after the development cycle of grand theft auto 5some of the NPCs and background decoration in the game have been updated and modified to address some jokes that haven’t aged well.
In the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S update of GTA 5, jokes and transphobic content appear to have been removed. This was noted by members of the GTA community and compiled into a Twitter thread by Kristy Cloud, GTA Forums Manager.
Drag queens or transvestites no longer appear outside of Cockatoos, a bar that the player cannot enter but can interact with customers outside. Voice lines with transphobic dialogue in reference to taking hormones and comments referencing gender confirmation were also removed along with a reference to a toy that had “interchangeable genitalia”. The thread also claims that UK-based game developer group OutMakingGames contacted Rockstar Games about some transphobic content on grand theft auto 5. They recently confirmed that they were in contact with Rockstar Games and are pleased with the developer’s response.
Even though Rockstar Games has a reputation for putting together elaborate parodies of real-world incidents and themes, there will be a line. The line has moved from where it was in 2013 when the game was first released to today. What Rockstar thought was good then isn’t good now, and the company has heard constructive criticism. Cloud referenced another GTA community member’s thoughts on the changes in his thread regarding possible censorship cries. These references may not have even started out as jokes meant to be transphobic, but corners of the GTA community turned them into caricatures that can be used to offend.
There is some rejection of change, of course. Some players will play devil’s advocate because of Rockstar Games’ penchant for the usual lane stepping when making jokes about real-world issues. However, Rockstar Games writers have the ability to make witty and enduring commentary that can even include marginalized groups without being offensive.
grand theft auto 5 It is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: GameByte
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