Grand Theft Auto is violent, but it's rated Mature, and the actor behind Michael wants non-gamers to just stop complaining.
What do you think this game is saying about today’s society when you look at the irony and the satire?
The better question is what isn’t it saying about society. These writers are brilliant, man. Nobody’s safe. They just basically are saying it all about society, but they’re saying it tongue-in-cheek. I’m not sure which cheek that tongue is in, but they’re saying it firmly planted wherever it is -- it’s pure satire. They’re commenting on the absurdity of life. They even pick on their own industry – gaming – with the whole righteous blogger deal. It’s all fun. If people would lighten up and enjoy it, they might not even think so much about what’s going on out in the real world and how horrible things must be. They just need to play the game, enjoy the game and then leave the game in their console and go live life.
Why do think it is today when you look at Boardwalk Empire and even Law and Order: SVU shows, sex, drugs and violence are fine. But when those same things appear in a video game it becomes an issue with a lot of people?
Hypocrisy and audacity. Why is it okay? Do we go beyond what they do on TV shows? Yeah, of course we do. We have that freedom because we’re not on network television where you can’t do that stuff. It’s just weird man. I guess the idea is I can keep my kid from not watching that show by turning the channel to MLB network. That’s cool. But you can also keep your kid from playing the video game. Don’t let video games raise your kids. My kid doesn’t play video games that much. We get out and play. When I was a kid video games were the sandlot. So we take heat because of the idea that it’s a game and games are for kids. That’s the only logic I can see in it. But at the same time you’ve got Miley Cyrus at the awards show that all the kids are watching and their parents are watching together as a family, and she’s getting foam fingers and twerking on Robin Thicke’s crotch and in her new video she’s basically going down on a sledge hammer. So come on. This is a Disney kid. It’s hypocrisy. That’s the only thing. It’s television versus us, so we get heat. I’m sure there were TV shows that took heat when they first came out, but I don’t think to the level that we probably get heat. But we’re big boys. If you don’t know what GTA is about and you come in naïve thinking that you just got Pac-Man, then you need to check yourself. GTA’s been around since ’97 or something like that, so you’ve had plenty of time to do your research before you run down to GameStop and buy it.
There’s also that big Mature rating on the box of every copy.
Maybe they need to make the whole cover that instead of having us. Just make the whole cover the warning and then have down at the bottom, “But it’s really fun.” Come on, I have an 11-year-old and I’m raising him to be a good kid. I have a great wife and we love each other – and you hope your son is going to treat women the way that I treat her. We’re a really good wholesome all-American family. But he’s not playing this game. I am, but I’m 55 freaking years old. I think I can make that decision, although in the last three years I got to tell you I’ve been channeling a little bit of Michael and every once in a while I feel like I’m glad it’s over because I can go back to just being Ned again. But that’s the method actor in there.
