The Meaning and Culture of Grand Theft Auto

The immensely popular Grand Theft Auto game series has inspired a range of reactions among players and commentators, and a hot debate in the popular media. These essays from diverse theoretical perspectives expand the discussion by focusing scholarly analysis on the games, particularly Grand Theft Auto III (GTA3), Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (GTA:VC), and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (GTA:SA).
Part One of the book discusses the fears, lawsuits, legislative proposals, and other public reactions to Grand Theft Auto, detailing the conflict between the developers of adult oriented games and various new forms of censorship. Depictions of race and violence, the pleasure of the carnivalistic gameplay, and the significance of sociopolitical satire in the series are all important elements in this controversy. It is argued that the general perception of digital changed fundamentally following the release of Grand Theft Auto III. The second section of the book approaches the games as they might be studied absent of the controversy. These essays study why and how players meaningfully play Grand Theft Auto games, reflecting on the elements of daily life that are represented in the games. They discuss the connection between game space and real space and the many ways that players mediate the symbols in a game with their minds, computers, and controllers.

Table of Contents

An Introduction to Grand Theft Auto Studies         

PART ONE: GRAND THEFT AUTO V. THE POWER-GO-ROUND
. 1 Spilling Hot Coffee? Grand Theft Auto as Contested Cultural Product         
2. Political Interface: The Banning of GTA3 in Australia         
3. Virtual Gangstas, Coming to a Suburban House Near You: Demonization, Commodification, and Policing Blackness         
4. Play-Fighting: Understanding Violence in Grand Theft Auto III         
5. The Subversive Carnival of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas         
6. Grand Theft Video: Running and Gunning for the U. S. Empire         
7. From Stompin' Mushrooms to Bustin' Heads: Grand Theft Auto III as Paradigm Shift         

PART TWO: A GRAND THEFT AUTO WAY OF LIFE
8. Everyday Play: Cruising for Leisure in San Andreas         
9. Cruising in San Andreas: Ludic Space and Urban Aesthetics in Grand Theft Auto         
10. Experiencing Place in Los Santos and Vice City         
11. Positioning and Creating the Semiotic Self in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas         
12. Against Embedded Agency: Subversion and Emergence in GTA3         
13. Inviting Subversion: Metalepses and Tmesis in Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto Series         
14. Playing with Style: Negotiating Digital Game Studies         

About the Contributors         
Index