Video Game Discussion

I wanted to look at the deeper meaning of the commercials in GTA 4. I know that these things are making fun of real life things that we actually have in America. The sad part to think of with this game is even though they are making fun of these real like things, but this in a way is product placement. Although it isn't advertising for the actual food options it is still planting them in your head and making them think about what these commercials are really talking about. We notice product placement in movies and TV shows but we don't think twice and now it is happening with video games. I know that these product placements don't seem like a big deal, but you could really think that maybe Taco Bell, KFC, and Burger King endorsed or payed GTA to place their products. I think even if they are making fun of the face that these things are happening, the reality is these things ARE happening. 

If we didn't listen to the commercials in the game we would not have noticed what they really were about. It shows that children pay just as much attention to the sounds as they do to the action that is going on in the game. We talked in class about how Stick of Truth makes fun of people who are obese, but how is GTA any better? It isn't they might be poking fun at how bad it is for you but they are still putting the thought of taco bell and these foods we see gamers eat into their heads. I think that this is important to look at. In the game there is an attractiveness level that puts a shame on eating these foods but in the game you still eat the food. It shows that even though you eat it once it wont affect you. To many gamers they can look at it as well my character is attractive and I can eat whatever I want. This is something to look at too! People get so involved in these games that the characters become their whole lives. I think that this is a hue problem because gamers can sometimes live their life through the game and not be able to see that this is not a healthy thing to do. I think that it is important to realize this too. We could have one thing playing on the screen bashing it but it still puts the idea of this food in their head without realizing that this can still be just as detrimental. 

Do you think that even though these commercials are mocking these industries, that they still plant the idea of this fast food in the gamers heads?