Grand Theft Auto IV breaks Sales Records

A praise to the violent, lowlife way of living or a sophisticated satire on the American dream? One thing for sure, Grand Theft Auto IV is breaking all times records in the sales of an online game. The fifth, tremendously violent video game, and the first multiplayer in the Grand Theft Auto series is expected to sell about 9 million copies until the end of the year and that Take-Two Interactive Software, the publishing company, will make about 450 million dollars from its distribution worldwide.

Gamers, parental guidance associations, New York City officials and congress members have been waiting impatiently to the release of Grand Theft Auto IV. The action game follows the blood-spattered survival journey of Niiko Bellic, a Western-European immigrant who arrives to Liberty City, a hyper realistic twin of NYC, in search for the American dream and in escape of the Bosnian War. To survive, Nico murders, steals, kills cups, runs over pedestrians, drives drunk, smuggles all kinds of substances, contributes to women trafficking and involves in other evil deeds.

If in Rockstar's previous release, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, only the technology-advantaged dedicated fans could find the hidden x-rated scenes, in the current version, every gamer can simulate realistic murder (among other things) out in the open and at earlier stages of the game. As always, the anxious reaction of worried parents and educators did not affect the sales. Nor were game reviewers impressed with the fact that the target crowd of gamers who want to experience first person killing of other persons is even larger than the mass of players who wish to conduct war to save humanity and Grand Theft Auto IV had gained high critical acclaim.

Leaving righteousness aside, GTA IV allows the player to wallow in the gutters completely morality-free and eventually go through some kind of redemption where one can learn the inevitable lesson that crime does not pay, but crime games do pay well.