Image: VenturaCountyStar
NEW DELHI, India: the dry afternoon heat is climbing into the forties; the dusty streets are a flurry of activity; a lone street vendor adds chilli to his fortnight-old curries – anything to distract from the soaring temperature. Suddenly: panic. Wooden cages housing chickens are flung into the air – their feathered captors in cacophonous pursuit. A baby in his mother’s arms begins to cry as a cart filled with exotic fruit is overturned in a colourful and calamitous arc. Chaos ensues as a gang of mopeds and bicycles tears around the corner, knocking over a passing cart, the sounds of a distressed donkey drowned out by the put-put of the gang’s engines.
It sounds like a scene from Slumdog Millionaire, however this terrifying tableau is taking place in the Indian capital and is believed to be part of a string of copycat attacks inspired by the latest instalment of popular video game series, Grand Theft Auto.
Following in the trend of previous editions, Grand Theft Auto: New Delhi is set in an animated landscape and like its predecessors, focuses heavily on gratuitous and consequence-free violence. In the vein of its previous incarnations, the game challenges users to play from the perspectives of several protagonists who attempt to conquer several levels of gameplay; each with a common aim: wanton destruction. The fast-paced game, accompanied by a soundtrack of driving sitar riffs, encourages players to carjack, ransack, loot and desecrate sacred cows. Previously, other editions of the game have come under scrutiny by parents and ethical standards boards alike; the game long-considered to glamorise violence, corruption and allegedly connected to real-life crimes.
No stranger to criticism, the series has come under fire in the past for its plotlines that require players to engage the services of prostitutes in order to progress further in the gameplay. Similarly, the blogosphere and internet forums have been set alight with condemnation of the interruption to gameplay following lengthy delays in securing arranged marriages in the New Delhi edition. “At first I thought I thought it was interesting that [the developers] had adapted the local customs into the game,” says gaming enthusiast, Darren Parker, “but having to wait several decades before you can progress in the game is just plain crazy. It’s an eternity in the gaming world!” Unsurpringly, Grand Theft Auto: New Delhi has experienced little commercial success outside of India, with many of the cultural nuances escaping the average user.
Software development company, Rockstar Games has been unavailable for comment.
Thank you to Nick C. for submitting an image. You too can participate in The Truffe by e-mailing an image to kirdlaw@yahoo.com, citing its origin.
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