How GTA Vice City Stories is postmodern?

Storyline/PlotVice City 1984. A city emerging from the swamps, its growth solely from the power struggle of a lucrative drugs trade. The city is constructed on crime and betrayal. Vic Vance (the protagonist) a soldier has always protected his dysfunctional family and his country. Kicked out of the army onto the streets of a city torn between glamour and gluttony. Vic must build an empire any way possible… or be crushed.

Meta Reflections• Show the player that they are in the videogame

• Wasted – When Vic (the player) loses his health and “dies”

• Busted – When Vic (the player) is arrested by the police

• Mission passed/failed – When the mission is either passed or failed Blurring genres

• Adventure, Role play, Simulation, Shooter, Racing genres• Blurs video game genre through the use of cut scenes between

the start and end of missions• The opening title sequence and end credits (after completing

the game) is also very similar to a TV show or films opening and closing credits and title sequence

Intertextuality• Vice City is based on Miami and many of the fashions, cars,

people and settings are based on 80s TV show Miami Vice.

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• The cars are based on real cars

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Intertextuality continued• Radio stations play hits from the 1980’s and are associated

with different genres – Pop, Rock, Hip-Hop, Soft rock/ chill, Mexican.

• Radio DJ’s include actual 80s icons and DJs including Ted Nugent, Lazlo, Cousin Ed, Phil Collins, Luke Campbell

• cast• Lance Vance – Phillip Michael Thomas (Miami Vice)

• Phil Cassidy – Gary Busey (Lethal Weapon)

• Barry – Timothy Spall (Harry Potter)

• Phil Collins – Himself

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Audience Interactivity• Youtube – Allows players to upload walkthrough videos and

best moments (stunts or kills etc) to promote the game and their Youtube channels

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGzZWvYek3s

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EWbUTxvHOc

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• Modding – Players can modify the game by creating in game replicas of actual cars, editing characters and locations of the game

• Cheats – Players can enter codes to evade the police, get more weapons and spawn cars and tanks. The weather and time of day can also be changed

Simulacra & Self Reflexivity• The player will recognise some areas of Vice City from images

that they have seen of Miami. However the buildings in Vice City are not identical to Miami and are fictional. The player is not seeing the real thing at all, but merely an artists impression for the game

Confusion over time and space• When a player is wasted or busted, time fast forwards by 6

hours so that it is usually light (if arrested at night). There is therefore very little equilibrium at this point as the player doesn’t see the 6 hours of hospital treatment or cell time.

• Some missions also require a certain time of day to happen. A night mission will fast forward from the day to night in a matter of seconds so that the mission can be played at the right time of day