The Gamechangers

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The Gamechangers
The Gamechangers logo.jpg
Title card
Genre Docudrama
Written byJames Wood
Directed by Owen Harris
Starring
Theme music composerVince Pope
ComposerVince Pope
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producerMark Hedgecoe
ProducerJim Spencer
Production locationsSouth Africa, New York, London
Running time90 minutes
Original release
Network BBC Two
Release15 September 2015 (2015-09-15)

The Gamechangers is a 2015 British docudrama produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the story of the controversies caused by Grand Theft Auto , a successful video game series, as various attempts were made to halt the production of the games.

Contents

Directed by Owen Harris and written by James Wood, the film centres on the legal feud between Rockstar Games president Sam Houser (Daniel Radcliffe) and Florida attorney Jack Thompson (Bill Paxton) over the video games and the debate regarding the psychological effects of violent video games. [1]

Synopsis

On October 27, 2002, a year after the release of Grand Theft Auto III , the American gaming company Rockstar Games releases Grand Theft Auto: Vice City , which immediately shatters sales records, with 1 million units sold within 24 hours, and is universally acclaimed for its authenticity, scale and gameplay.

Inspired by the success of the game, brothers and heads of Rockstar Sam and Dan Houser immediately begin planning and researching for another, even larger and more elaborate game, one that moves away from Vice City's crime movie origins and bases its premise on the war between African-American street gangs in South Central Los Angeles during the early 90s.

The following June, however, 17-year-old Devin Moore, a persistent player of Vice City, shoots dead several police officers at a police station in Fayette, Alabama before he steals a cop car. His case catches the eye of conservative Florida-based attorney Jack Thompson who, upon questioning Devin in prison and playing the game for himself, theorises that the game's violent content and alleged glamorisation of criminal activity may have been the primary cause for his rampage.

Thompson gathers together some expert analysis of the effects of violent images on human brains and the use of violent video games in the military before he files a lawsuit against Rockstar Games and its publisher Take-Two Interactive, seeking damages on behalf of the families of the murdered personnel. This immediately earns him and his family the ire of the game's fans who start vandalising their house and making threatening phone calls.

Because of Thompson's outspokenness, unprofessional conduct and violation of court protocol, such as appearing on television to discuss the case in detail, comparing the game to Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor and sending aggressive emails to the defendants, he is taken off the case, which is immediately thrown out on the basis that none of the remaining claimants had ever met Devin, despite claiming to be discussing his motivation. Thompson is outraged and, to make matters worse, Rockstar's law firm Blank Rome decides to start legal proceedings to have him disbarred for his conduct.

Although Rockstar Games is in the clear, Sam is left feeling frustrated, believing that modern parents, politicians and lawyers like Thompson are blaming him, his company and the games in place of acknowledging their own failings in raising their children properly and preventing them from getting involved in criminal activity. His frustration and stress soon boils over into his work life, where his new game, along with several others that the company is working on ( Bully and Manhunt 2 ) is already six months behind schedule, and he begins to overwork his producer and friend Jamie King while becoming irritable with his staff. Eventually, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is released on October 26, 2004, almost exactly two years after Vice City. The game is met with almost as much acclaim as its predecessor with its customisable character being the main focus for praise.

In June 2005, a modder in the Netherlands, Patrick Wildenborg, discovers a minigame within the coding of the original files which features a crude sex scene between the protagonist Carl Johnson (CJ) and his girlfriend. The scene was something that Sam had initially wanted to include in the game but had eventually been forced to drop to retain the game's "M" rating with the ESRB, although he had left the code for the scene on the disc because of his concern that removing it would potentially affect the rest of the game and push its already overdue release date back.

Patrick makes the mod publicly known on YouTube, provoking outrage and, in turn, causing the ESRB to change the game's rating to "AO", resulting in most mainstream retailers in the United States pulling the game from their shelves. Seeing this, Thompson is inspired to restart his campaign against Rockstar, organising a protest outside their New York headquarters. He is soon summoned to meet with then-Senator Hillary Clinton who likewise wishes to change the law regarding the sale of violent video games to minors.

Sam is forced to testify before the FTC to explain how the mod made it onto the final copy of the game while at the same time Thompson is brought before a disciplinary hearing by the Florida Bar regarding his earlier actions. Ultimately, Rockstar settles their case, and Thompson is disbarred.

A relieved Sam soon wanders the streets at night, imagining the environment around him becoming that of a Grand Theft Auto game as the film ends.

Cast

Controversy

In May 2015, Rockstar filed a lawsuit against the BBC for trademark infringement, stating that they had no involvement with the development of the film and had unsuccessfully tried to contact the BBC to resolve the matter. [2]

Reception

IGN awarded it a score of 4.5 out of 10, saying "The story of GTA is a great one that deserves to be told, but Gamechangers barely scratches the surface." [3] Benji Wilson of The Telegraph awarded it 4 stars out of 5 and stated that "Radcliffe is excellent" and particularly praised the Alabama shooting scene for it having a similar perspective to games like Grand Theft Auto. [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Grand Theft Auto: Vice City</i> 2002 video game

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the fourth main game in the Grand Theft Auto series, following 2001's Grand Theft Auto III, and the sixth entry overall. Set in 1986 within the fictional Vice City, the single-player story follows mobster Tommy Vercetti's rise to power after being released from prison and becoming caught up in an ambushed drug deal. While seeking out those responsible, Tommy gradually builds a criminal empire by seizing power from other criminal organisations in the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockstar Games</span> American video game publisher

Rockstar Games, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in New York City. The company was established in December 1998 as a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, using the assets Take-Two had previously acquired from BMG Interactive. Founding members of the company were Terry Donovan, Gary Foreman, Dan and Sam Houser, and Jamie King, who worked for Take-Two at the time, and of which the Houser brothers were previously executives at BMG Interactive. Sam Houser heads the studio as president.

<i>Grand Theft Auto III</i> 2001 video game

Grand Theft Auto III is a 2001 action-adventure game developed by DMA Design and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third main entry in the Grand Theft Auto series, following 1999's Grand Theft Auto 2, and the fifth instalment overall. Set within the fictional Liberty City, the story follows Claude, a silent protagonist who, after being betrayed and left for dead by his girlfriend during a robbery, embarks on a quest for revenge that leads him to become entangled in a world of crime, drugs, gang warfare, and corruption. The game is played from a third-person perspective and its world is navigated on foot or by vehicle. Its open world design lets players freely roam Liberty City, consisting of three main areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockstar North</span> British video game developer

Rockstar Games UK Limited is a British video game development company and a studio of Rockstar Games based in Edinburgh. The company was founded as DMA Design in Dundee in 1987 by David Jones, soon hiring former classmates Mike Dailly, Russell Kay, and Steve Hammond. During its early years, DMA Design was backed by its publisher Psygnosis, primarily focusing on Amiga, Atari ST and Commodore 64 games. During this time, they created successful shooters such as Menace and Blood Money, but soon turned to platform games after the release of Lemmings in 1991, which was an international success and led to several sequels and spin-offs. After developing Unirally for Nintendo, DMA Design was set to become one of their main second-party developers, but this partnership ended after Nintendo's disapproval of Body Harvest.

<i>Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas</i> 2004 video game

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh title in the Grand Theft Auto series, following 2002's Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Set within the fictional state of San Andreas, the game follows Carl "CJ" Johnson, who returns home after his mother's murder and finds his old gang has lost much of their territory. Over the course of the game, he attempts to re-establish the gang, clashes with corrupt authorities and powerful criminals, and gradually unravels the truth behind his mother's murder.

<i>Grand Theft Auto</i> Video game series

Grand Theft Auto (GTA) is an action-adventure video game series created by David Jones and Mike Dailly. Later titles were developed under the oversight of brothers Dan and Sam Houser, Leslie Benzies and Aaron Garbut. It is primarily developed by British development house Rockstar North, and published by its American parent company, Rockstar Games. The name of the series is a term for motor vehicle theft in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hot Coffee (minigame)</span> Minigame in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

"Hot Coffee" is the unofficial name for a minigame in the 2004 action-adventure video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas by Rockstar Games. While it was not playable in the official game release, the modding community discovered hidden code that, when enabled, allows protagonist Carl "CJ" Johnson to have animated sexual intercourse with his in-game girlfriend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Houser</span> English video game producer (born 1971)

Sam Houser is an English video game producer. He is a co-founder and the current president of Rockstar Games, and is one of the creative driving forces behind the Grand Theft Auto franchise, having been its producer since the third game. His brother Dan was Rockstar's vice president of creativity until 2020.

<i>Grand Theft Auto</i> clone Video game subgenre

A Grand Theft Auto clone belongs to a subgenre of open world action-adventure video games, characterized by their likeness to the Grand Theft Auto series in either gameplay, or overall design. In these types of open world games, players may find and use a variety of vehicles and weapons while roaming freely in an open world setting. The objective of Grand Theft Auto clones is to complete a sequence of core missions involving driving and shooting, but often side-missions and minigames are added to improve replay value. The storylines of games in this subgenre typically have strong themes of crime, violence and other controversial elements such as drugs and sexually explicit content.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trevor Philips</span> Fictional character in Grand Theft Auto V

Trevor Philips is a character and one of the three playable protagonists, alongside Michael de Santa and Franklin Clinton, of Grand Theft Auto V, the seventh main title in the Grand Theft Auto series developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. He also appears in the game's multiplayer component, Grand Theft Auto Online. A career criminal and former bank robber, Trevor leads his own organisation, Trevor Philips Enterprises, and comes into conflict with various rival gangs and criminal syndicates as he attempts to secure control of the drugs and weapons trade in the fictional Blaine County, San Andreas. He is portrayed by Canadian actor Steven Ogg, who provided the voice and motion capture for the character.

<i>Manhunt 2</i> 2007 video game

Manhunt 2 is a 2007 stealth game by Rockstar Games. It was developed by Rockstar London for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 2, Rockstar Leeds for the PlayStation Portable, and Rockstar Toronto for the Wii. It is the sequel to 2003's Manhunt and was released in North America on 29 October 2007, and in the UK on 31 October 2008. The game follows Daniel Lamb, a mental patient suffering from amnesia as he tries to uncover his identity, and Leo Kasper, a sociopathic assassin who guides Daniel in his journey.

<i>Grand Theft Auto: London 1969</i> Mission pack for Grand Theft Auto

Grand Theft Auto Mission Pack #1: London 1969 is an expansion pack for the 1997 action-adventure game Grand Theft Auto, developed by Rockstar Canada and published by Rockstar Games. It was released for personal computers and the PlayStation in April 1999. The expansion adheres to the same gameplay mechanics of the main game and takes place in a fictionalised version of London during the 1960s. Players assume the role of a criminal who works for several London-based crime syndicates, and complete levels by achieving a set score, within an open world environment that allows them to do whatever they wish alongside jobs to achieve their goal.

<i>Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars</i> 2009 video game

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is a 2009 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar Leeds in conjunction with Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. The game was released for the Nintendo DS in March 2009, PlayStation Portable in October 2009, iOS in January 2010, and Android and Fire OS devices in December 2014. It is the thirteenth game in the Grand Theft Auto series and a follow-up to Grand Theft Auto IV, and is the first entry to be released for handheld consoles since 2006's Vice City Stories. Set within modern-day Liberty City, the single-player story follows young Triad member Huang Lee and his efforts to recover a sword gifted by his late father after it is stolen from him, while inadvertently becoming caught in a power struggle amongst Liberty City's Triads.

<i>Grand Theft Auto V</i> 2013 video game

Grand Theft Auto V is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in the Grand Theft Auto series, following 2008's Grand Theft Auto IV, and the fifteenth instalment overall. Set within the fictional state of San Andreas, based on Southern California, the single-player story follows three protagonists—retired bank robber Michael De Santa, street gangster Franklin Clinton, and drug dealer and gunrunner Trevor Philips, and their attempts to commit heists while under pressure from a corrupt government agency and powerful criminals. Players freely roam San Andreas's open world countryside and fictional city of Los Santos, based on Los Angeles.

Development of <i>Grand Theft Auto V</i> Development of 2013 video game

A team of approximately 1,000 people developed Grand Theft Auto V over several years. Rockstar Games released the action-adventure game in September 2013 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, in November 2014 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, in April 2015 for Windows, and in March 2022 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. The first main Grand Theft Auto series entry since Grand Theft Auto IV, its development was led by Rockstar North's core 360-person team, who collaborated with several other international Rockstar studios. The team considered the game a spiritual successor to many of their previous projects like Red Dead Redemption and Max Payne 3. After its unexpected announcement in 2011, the game was fervently promoted with press showings, cinematic trailers, viral marketing strategies and special editions. Its release date, though subject to several delays, was widely anticipated.

<i>Grand Theft Auto Online</i> 2013 video game

Grand Theft Auto Online is an online multiplayer action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It was released on 1 October 2013 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, 18 November 2014 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, 14 April 2015 for Windows, and 15 March 2022 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. The game is the online component of Grand Theft Auto V. Set within the fictional state of San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto Online allows up to 30 players to explore its open world environment and engage in cooperative or competitive game matches.

<i>Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto</i> 2012 book by David Kushner

Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto is a 2012 book by David Kushner that describes the history of Grand Theft Auto and its founders Sam Houser and Dan Houser. It describes some of the controversies that the game went through, such as fights with Jack Thompson, its continual attempts to push up against societal limits, and the attempt to cover up the Hot Coffee mod in the release of GTA: San Andreas.

<i>Grand Theft Auto</i> modding Modification in the video game series

User modification, or modding, of video games in the open world sandbox Grand Theft Auto series is a popular trend in the PC gaming community. These unofficial modifications are made by altering gameplay logic and asset files within a user's game installation, and can change the player's experience to varying degrees. Frequently created by anonymous modders, modifications are presented in the form of downloadable files or archives. Third-party software has been indispensable for building Grand Theft Auto mods, due to the lack of official editing tools from the developer, Rockstar Games. Mods for Grand Theft Auto are generally developed for use on the PC versions of the games, since the platform does not prevent modifications to installed software; however, similar content for console and mobile phone versions does exist to an extent.

<i>Grand Theft Auto VI</i> Upcoming video game

Grand Theft Auto VI is an upcoming action-adventure game in development by Rockstar Games. It is due to be the eighth main Grand Theft Auto game, following Grand Theft Auto V (2013), and the sixteenth entry overall. Set within the fictional open world state of Leonida—based on Florida—and its Miami-inspired Vice City, the story is expected to follow the criminal duo of Lucia and her male partner.

References

  1. ↑ Wilson, Benji (15 September 2015). "The Gamechangers, BBC Two, review: 'Radcliffe is excellent'". The Daily Telegraph . Archived from the original on 16 September 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  2. ↑ Krupa, Daniel (21 May 2015). "Rockstar Games Files Lawsuit Against the BBC". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  3. ↑ "The Gamechangers Review - IGN". 16 September 2015.
  4. ↑ "The Gamechangers, BBC Two, review: 'Radcliffe is excellent'". The Telegraph. 15 September 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
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