Hermeneutic Study: Identity of Gamers in the Unreal World of GTA V

Joel Mathew Post Graduate in English Literature,

Christ University, Bangalore, India

Abstract: The study aims to understand the hermeneutic discourse in the art of playing the in-game characters. The dynamics of the game is created to provide a stimulated open world scenario, with an overarching theme of free will. The gamer is engaging in a platform which is considered as an escapist performance. He forgoes the process in which he is performing, learning and imbibing the gameplay while developing (levelling up) the character of the protagonist’s through the game. There has been previous researches based upon the efficacy of video games in daily lives. The game, GTA V has multiple copies all around the world everyone is able to engage with the audio-visual self-immersive text. However, every gamer constructs a different hyper-reality. This construct is based upon the interaction between the game cinematics, the characters’ influence, soundtrack (diegetic and non-diegetic), the gamer’s psyche.

I. Introduction Unlike a novel or a film as a text, games are multi-dimensional in nature. The central problem of narrative cinema is that of using of severely limited, two dimensional space, within a severely limited time span, to represent a temporally limitless, three dimensional world. The task of narrative cinema, in other words, is to naturalize a counterintuitive experience by creating the illusion that the viewer has acquired a privileged window on reality, a window through which one is supposed to see not objects and actions, but instead a story (Nadel, 2008). Grand Theft Auto is video game that belongs to the genre of Open-world games. In order to capsulate the cinematics of the game and the gameplay there is no correlation towards the ending. The gameplay portrays a player’s psyche while the cinematics are generally suggestive of a fixed plot that adrenalizes the player to follow a definite path. GTA V, the video game offers two types of game-play which are first person and third person perspective, where the players can traverse around the setting by foot or any means of transportation. The gamer can control any one of the three protagonists, and the story revolves around the crime wrecked city where the gamer has to develop the three characters. Other than the progressive story campaign the players can also roam around freely and explore the open world. Gamers can use firearms, melee weapons and explosives, jump, swim or anything that is possible in the real world. The health of the protagonist depletes if they take any harm. Out of the three characters, Michael D’Santa is an ex-convict and currently resides in the rich neighbourhood, up the hills. Franklin is an African American protagonist who resides in the ghetto like neighbourhood which is inflicted with the crime. The utmost enthralling character is Trevor Philips who is considered the most controversial element in the game as quoted by GameSpot’s speaker Petit "truly horrible, terrifying, psychotic human being—and a terrific character”. However, the character of Trevor is a constructed in a monstrous manner to give gamers a more self- reflexive experience with the game. There are instances in the game wherein Trevor rapes a drug addict’s girlfriend as he is unable to pay back, he uses heinous deadly methods to interrogate a suspect under FBI orders, and he butchers the entire biker county. He can go to any extreme without any intimidation. My research deals with the concept of gaming which is a form of media and an interactive form of entertainment. The intricate relationship between the gamer/player and the process of influence made by the protagonist, and vice versa. There are certain games, wherein the players are provided with the free will to navigate around with their protagonist as they wish. For example, Mass Effect 3, Witcher 3, GTA etc. These games have multiple storylines depending upon the decisions chosen by the player. These games not only allow the players to immerse in the open world scenario which is built based upon the cities of today, but it also allows them to explore the place with other players who are connected via the World Wide Web. “If we widen our focus from the "individual player + technology" to the online community that emerges around any successful game title, we find that video games lie at the nexus of a complex constellation of literacy. We again conclude that video games and literacy have a strong mutual relationship. They are symbiotic, in a close association in which both benefit.” (Steinkuehler, 2010). These games allow a meticulous level of cognition which is usually considered to be either harmful to an addict whereas productive for acquiring skills. In the paper, I shall be re-negotiating with the politics of positioning the games such GTA franchise to empower violence. I aim to prove that the game is a learning space wherein the character loses his sense of self. Research Problems Scholars, psychologists, and sceptics have long debated that games can bring in dissociative behaviours as well violence. The 27 years of gaming culture has been underrated for its literary and narrative and interactive experience. I counter the negative criticism on gaming culture and through this study validate the engagement with the game as positive act. Objectives The game GTA V has been the most played and sold game in the history of gaming and still holds the place. It has been critiqued across the world for its controversial gameplay and cinematics depicting obscenity, vulgarity and explicit gameplay environment. However, the game has not been justified for its social commentary, the parody on capitalism and a consumerist society driven by selfish greed. The game is ignored for its meta-gaming satire (similar to meta-fiction, a take on other open world games and the gaming culture). The gamer dives into a stimulated experience wherein he involves in a setting without any restrictions or societal norms. IJRAR2001522 International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews (IJRAR) www.ijrar.org 724

Primary Text ‘Grand Theft Auto V’ by Rockstar games Methodology Hermeneutic method will applied to understand the interaction of the gamer in the unreal world. Psychoanalysis will be used to study the character of Trevor from the GTA V. Thesis Playing the game “GTA V” with the character of Trevor, the gamer participates in a paradoxical act. While performing the role of Trevor, the gamer embraces his psychopathic identity and passively, simultaneously loses his own morale. The gamer experiences the illusion of free will also the loss of agency.

II. Trevor: A reflection of the gamer’s id The first impression of playing the character of Trevor, the gamer is disgusted at his grotesque and psychopathic abilities. However, as the game progresses the gamer familiarises with Trevor, the person starts witnessing the reflection of his unleashed Id in the gaming world. The character is either asked to quit or forced to complete the disturbing mission and in the hermeneutic process face their inner psyche. Trevor’s character is introduced by 11% of the completion of the game. The cinematic scene shows Trevor raping a woman as she is unable to pay for the drugs she bought. The woman’s husband rushes to the scene and agitates saying, “You didn’t have to do that Trevor” and then immediately lowers his tone and says, “You know I still love her, but”. Trevor gets furious and stomps his face until he dies. This is where the cinematics stops and in the gameplay, I’m supposed to annihilate the entire the biker gang the husband belongs to. The switch from cinematics to gameplay traumatized me, yet I engaged with the mission. The cinematics scene showed me Trevor’s true nature in the first sight, unlike other main playable characters. I took him for a psychopath and carried on the mission. Andrew K. in his research article “The Ideal Self at Play: The Appeal of Video Games That Let You Be All You Can Be” claims the gamer is closely connected to the protagonist of the game as if they are performing those actions. The game-self and the ideal-self converge while engaging with such games and motivates us to complete the game. The gamers who felt a wide distance between them and the game were least motivated (Andrew K. Przybylski). There are instances in the game which showcases the nicer and companionate side of Trevor, for example, he mourns for his friend, he saves a torture victim from death, he kidnaps Don’s wife because of domestic abuse. However, these instances are mocking at the hopelessness behind such limited emotional endeavours. It doesn’t change the fact Trevor is maniac killer and an extortionist. Most of the parts of the game Trevor rages around and causes more harm and havoc rather than productive contribution. There are two cut scenes from the cinematics of GTA-V where the other characters in the game try to diffuse Trevor’s violent impulse by verbally degrading themselves. They are giving him a sense of domination that he always want in a hope that it will spare them his vindictive violence. For example: The Celebrity from Fame or Shame: “See I’m just a dumb A-list celebrity trying to entertain America. Okay? I’ve multiple sexual harassment lawsuits plus I’m an addict and I can’t help but relapse. I jack it everywhere” (In a wimpy tone) Another instance where an acquaintance raises voice later realising its Trevor he self-pities and criticises himself. Wade: “I have a very big penis and women laugh at it.” Immediately, Trevor pulls his pants down and shows him his penis and demands him to look at it. Wade looks away but is forced to look at him. Trevor is actually shouting out to the audience, the gamers. One reason we chose to enter these gaming worlds is to indulge in safe simulation and perform all the socially and morally unacceptable behaviours in the real world (Madill). The parallel between my actions in the gameplay and Trevor’s actions in the cinematics shocked me as I saw the similarity between both of us. I had been jumping signals, driving over people and randomly killing people for fun even before watching the offensive intro cinematic scene of Trevor. I’ve had already participated in the drug deals, shot and killed thousands of simulated people. I realised as a gamer I had already become Trevor even before he was introduced. The difference from the usual gaming experience is that the story was not presented as a narrative to allow to feel like I’m a good guy instead the game developers were using the interface to reflect my own dark edges and turning the game into a symbolic mirror where Trevor is my reflection and ‘shouting look at me’. Specifically, he means to convey look at yourself. All of his traits greed, impatience, obnoxiousness, rage, sexual aggression, bullying, and even violent sadism (McLatchie). And these urges are expressed in dreams, movies, games, etc. The game developers are conveying the message across the gamers about these acts also mocking at those people who believe to be virtually and morally purer/ superior which is also indicated as a myth in the game. In real life, people even transgress these subconscious urges upon other people in restricted forms. For example, social activists have acted out like Trevor and literally beaten people just because they hold different political views. Trevor personifies the dark side which is supressed in all human beings. For instance the most controversial and strongly disturbing gameplay of Trevor, wherein I had to torture and investigate a suspect for the F.I.B (a parody to F.B.I, U.S.A). I felt really unconformable performing this mission. Trevor’s previous depiction of aggression and violence were mostly cinematics scene in which I was reduced to a mere observer. But this time I had to take part and view the violence in a close up instead of hiding behind the character. The game had put

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© 2020 IJRAR March 2020, Volume 7, Issue 1 www.ijrar.org (E-ISSN 2348-1269, P- ISSN 2349-5138) me in a position to choose an instrument of torture and use it on the victim (suspect) in a toned down form of pressing a button. The methods suggested as options were smashing a wrench on the victim’s genitalia, plucking his tooth, waterboarding, and electrocuting. These methods can be scaring and cause permanent deformity. Despite, the harmless cinematics graphics of the game I chose the least harmful method available, electric shocking. What intrigues me is the fact I cared even though I knew it was a simulation. I wanted to keep my darkest edges supressed, I didn’t want to feel the guilt of choosing other sadistic options. I was struggling with myself, not the game. It can be argued that the game forced me to make the torture choices because I couldn’t progress further in the storyline if I didn’t. The above-mentioned instance gives a very powerful and positive message with the scene by making me feel uncomfortable with the harmless simulation as it reassured me how strong my own intellectual and emotional limits in the real world which inhibit me to engage in such acts. Soon after the torture when Trevor is asked to kill and dispose of the body by the F.I.B agent but he disobeys and saves the victim. This empathetic change towards his personality was quite shocking as how I immorally tortured the person and now Trevor is letting him go. Trevor: “Leave the country, you have no family anymore. Go tell the whole world that you are torture survivor and be the living testimony.” The usage of disturbing scenes is similar to animal rights activist try to show animal slaughtering videos to provoke a strong dissentient and raise awareness. This is a brilliantly conceived media campaign against torture disguised within commercial video game packaging so that it can reach millions. The post-torture scene reveals that Trevor has a companionate side. As established Trevor is a tool of a gamer’s expression of suppressed urges and extended personification of free will but he also mirrors the gamer inner psyche. For instance, the other main playable character is an old pal of Trevor, Michael. Michael is a reformed ex-gangster and he tries to prove himself to be saner than Trevor. Continuously Trevor taunts Michael about this, pointing out the loopholes in social responsibility. Trevor: “So… Monday, Tuesdays, Fridays you are doing Yoga and meditation and Tuesday’s and Thursdays hookers and sticking up joints. Huh. You call me mad? Compared to you I’m the sanest motherfucker I’ve ever known.” Another instance is where a psychotic woman is chastising a guy which she admits she had met only a week ago. Woman: “Shut. Shut. Just shut your mouth. You know exactly what you didn’t see. You can be surrounded by your young girls, threesomes and the parties but you’ll be miserable. You could have had all with me. Well fuck you, I don’t care we just met last week. Stop looking at me. Urghh. Say something.” She really wants to beat the guy up but she just can’t and is frustrated even more. This is where Trevor steps wearing just underwear and he knocks the guy out cold. Trevor then declares his love for her and the woman claims that they have nothing in common even after witnessing the description of Trevor that matches her personality the only difference being she being from a higher class of the society. Trevor: “Me the psycho. No you are the craziest fucking chick I’ve ever met” Woman: “You are sick, deranged, and irrationally angry, nothing you say makes any sense. You have completely no control of your emotions and we have nothing in common.” He finally stalks and chases her just like she did with the guy she nagged. Trevor does this quite often as he also mirrors Franklin’s (another playable character) aunt’s aggressive dialogue. Trevor as a personification of the hidden dark side of the others also extends to the dark side of corporatism. In his ruthless financial ambition, he talks about his criminal activities as it was an actual business. Trevor: “Being an international drug dealer was my childhood dream come true. It will be profitable for the Trevor Philips Industry” Besides the reflection of the negative traits embedded in the human condition that we tend to be in denial off. There are in addition aspects of Trevor such as mother issues. He’s not shackled by shame or delusions of what he does leads to greater good. He’s a survivor who does as he pleases and doesn’t mind confrontations. This gameplay and cinematics engaged, disturbed and also amused me as I was able to interact in a dialogue with the text. Trevor constantly breaks the fourth wall and makes the gamer conscious and guilty of their actions. The game makes the gamer feel uncomfortable and wake up from the denial of their Id and the political and economic nature of our post-modern society. Trevor stereotypical undermined as a depraved psychopathic killer. His representation brings up the obvious debate about mental health and drug abuse. Trevor makes us question the violence, torture and current state of gaming. He is a symbolic representation of the psychotic behaviours unveiled by most of the GTA V gamers.

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III. Conclusion The game is not a tool for empowering the gamer with violence, rather it makes the gamer face the ID. Engaging with the game in an open world scenario, instead of choosing to play sports or follow the rules. I broke all the laws and norms in the game world. Since the game exhibits a hyper reality, which is a copy of the real world. The state is depicted to be in power and the protagonists are rebelling against the state choosing anarchy. These actions are performed by me further creating a paradoxical act of me losing my own identity over the protagonists (Osborne). In the game player has variety of options to perform peaceful roles, however the player decides to rage over the simulated world. The gamer while playing the game constantly loses his own sense of morale and engages in a wild and profane gameplay. In the end of the game the gamer is provided with a psychiatric evaluation of the gamer by Dr. Isiah Friedlander. The report has stated and analysed the following: “How long it took to complete the main story? The choices I made? The amount of money spent?Helped your family? Bank and store robberies? Civilian Killed (including cops)? How is your health and how good are you at yoga?” “Great. I believe you are completely deluded and you need serious help. Let’s you’re good at compromise. You literally don’t have any willpower. You are a clumsy disturbing egomaniac. You are surely to be irresponsible with money and with rest of life. You are pervert who likes to show off around women. Let’s not talk about morale as you severely lack some. You are naively conservative about certain things which is quite weird. You are a bad person because you do not spend enough time with your loved ones. You are always chasing that American Dream. Finally you’re a Psychopath or sociopath? Both.” The analysis of my gaming by Dr. Isiah Friedlander was not quite shocking. It was quite informative, I was able to see my id getting manifested. The simulated world acts like the perfect hyperreal space wherein the gamer escapes the real world. The pleasure of being in an unreal world wherein the signs and signifiers don’t lead to our world signs (Baudrillard). But, in the case of GTA V all the signs and signify towards real earthly objects and setting. However, the engagement of the gamer/ character with these signs and settings is unreal and hence still exists in the hyperreal. The report says it took me 42 hours to finish the main missions and the side missions. I had killed more three thousand people in these 42 hours of gameplay. However the carnage spiked upon the town is not real as it is just a simulation, I don’t mind unleashing my dark side. After almost 5 hours of continues gameplay I realise that I had lost my conscious and morale for 5 hours in real life as well the stimulated world. Since, physically I was just pressing buttons but that impacted the experience of my simulation. I was standing at a paradox, my morality was at stake. For instance, I’ve certain principles in my life. Some acts such as murder, theft, rape, etc. can’t be performed by me in real life. For some reason in the simulated world I’m willingly and consciously crossing the line that I had initially decided not to. The change in my perspective is the paradox, in the sense the acts of murder in a simulation is representation of inner wrath. The characters of the game have the worst of the socially unacceptable behaviours. They have no sense of virtue, while deliberately engaging and performing the roles of these characters I lose my sense of identity. I am disillusioned to imbibe and perform the characteristics of Trevor. This is similar to the process of acting, wherein the actor has to lose his own identity to perform a role of a character. The game is in fact a space of unreal sign that signifies towards a real signifier for the gamer. In process of playing the character of Trevor, the gamer learns more about himself and his id.

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