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The latest title in the Grand Theft Auto series was launched at midnight in stores across the UK last weekend. I caught a preview of this on TV and was amazed that someone had camped for 3 days no less to be in pole position when the doors opened. Armed with this detail I was able to impress my 20 year old son by using the GTA5 acronym in a knowledgeable way when we met for a curry earlier this week.
He’s the target audience here, not me as was evident by the queues of excited young males outside most games stores. No women in evidence but this was midnight and perhaps they had something better to do?
This got me thinking about gender issues in general and the female appeal of computer games like this. Do many young women play these games? Of course we do play computer games but car chases and shoot ’em up ones? I’m not at all sure.
Gratuitous violence say some and certainly there are no female protagonists like Lara Croft this time; just women to be treated badly and as sexual objects I’ve read…shock horror. But wasn’t that true of the Fifty Shades Of Grey trilogy and wasn’t that such a HUGE seller among women (no I haven’t read that yet) so I can’t be sure this factor alone would deter many women from playing GTA.
So I’m going to steer clear of that area because GTA5 is going to be a record breaking game whether I like it or not.
But will it affect driving behaviour on UK roads in any way?
Clearly video games are big business because of their entertainment value – one of the games testers (female as it happens) explained that they’ve become so much like real life that you can actually learn from them.
Not too much I hope.
But what might you learn about driving I wondered? And, lo and behold, to help me understand this better revealing data about the types of car crashes that occur among young drivers today.
Focusing on US and UK drivers aged 16-24 with RED, this infographic reminds us about the circumstances where accidents are most likely to happen in real life, involving this age group. It then adds safety tips and the role that black box technology plays in both road safety and steadying insurance premiums.
So, hopefully, young drivers will enjoy GTA5 but they’ll also remember RED’s message in the infographic when it’s their turn to get behind a much more dangerous wheel. The steering wheel of their own car.
FOXY Steph
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