In Search of Positivity: A Drive Through GTA V’s Los Santos

There be (mild) spoilers ahead. Consider yourself forewarned.

I used to joke that being an optimist is what made me cynical and bitter: how always expecting the best from people inevitably left me disappointed, which in turn led to me being a grumpy sumbitch. But while I’ve largely outgrown the curmudgeonly phase of my existence, I remain, to this day, an incurable optimist, ever in search of uplifting messages and happy endings. Well, at least in terms of my media choices, anyway.

As I get older, I find myself increasingly drawn to stories and songs that make me feel good, that bear some kind of encouraging or empowering idea. Something that illustrates what heights that humanity is capable of achieving, and that promotes hope that we’ll actually get there. It’s why I’ll keep from turning the radio dial when I hear catchy-but-idiotically-simple tunes like Katy Perry’s Firework, or this wonder gem by local pop-rock “sensation,” Hedley:

They’re not great songs (Hell, not even close). But they make me smile at their naive hopefulness that a dollop of faith in yourself and the will to succeed can make anything possible. Optimism, baby. Gotta love it.

Unfortunately, that positivity so readily found in TV, movies, and music, rarely translates to video games. Sure, most games end with some kind of heroic triumph, in which the player saves the day and restores balance to the force or whatnot; however, that triumph usually happens in an apocalyptic wasteland (or post-apocalyptic, just to mix it up a little) or a neo-fascistic state, where the world is still shitty after you’ve saved it. It’s like finding out you’ve won a million bucks in the lottery, only to get a tax bill for a million-five right after. Not exactly high on the “happy endings” scale, y’know?

So imagine my surprise when I recently played a game that doesn’t just say that you can get everything you want if you hustle fast enough and do whatever it takes, but shouts it from the rooftops. That champions the idea that friendships can form in the unlikeliest of places, between the unlikeliest of people, and that the power of the bromance is a force to be reckoned with. That, in the end, love can actually conquer all and let our (anti)heroes walk off, hand-in-hand, into the sunset. And all while your principal activities including jacking sweet rides and busting caps in asses.

I’m referring, of course, to the latest digital opus offered by the wizards at Rockstar Games, GTA V. While the GTA franchise has typically been celebrated for allowing gamers to vicariously experience the criminal lifestyle in worlds where you’re viewed as the hero only because you represent the least of all evils, GTA V rises above the standards set by its predecessors by creating textured characters who actually bear redeeming core values beyond merely being less shitty than the numerous guys you get to gun down during missions.

Michael, the very-thinly veiled “Mr. Blonde” ripoff, is a dedicated family man who’s desperate to work through his survivor’s guilt. Franklin, one step removed from Doughboy, has a strong moral code and sense of honour that prevents him from cutting loose the anchors in his life who threaten to sink his ship out of loyalty. And Trevor, the demented Canadian (Holla!) alien — and arguably most unique and textured video game character ever created– is an incurable romantic who values friendship above all else.

Unlike Niko, Tommy, or CJ, from GTAs past, the central trio in GTA V feel like real people (albeit with stilted, occasionally comedic dialogue… which, come to think of it, is kind of real, too…), warts and all, and so become worthy of our invested care and attention. And unlike previous GTAs, you actually like the three amigos in GTA V — which makes the fact that an untainted, honest-to-goodness, happy (and bloody) ending is a selectable option that much sweeter in the end (again, unlike previous GTAs; the “pick who dies” ending of GTA IV, in particular, comes to mind).

Some people might say that including a “Franklin saves both his buddies and saves the day” option was a cop-out by Rockstar. That it failed to represent the realism of the criminal life that the developers worked so hard to create by avoiding the hard choices that those who live outside the law have to make. Well, ignoring that it’s a damned video game (and a fantastical one at that; last I checked, I can’t control how my car spins in mid-air if I decide to hurtle it off an overpass), I’d argue that Rockstar giving their gaming audience an “out” from tragedy was not only the correct narrative choice, but also the brave one.

We want to believe that we live in a black-and-white world. That “good” and “evil” exist as separate, independent concepts, and that most right-thinking folks can easily identify which one is which and, in turn, make the right choice. We want there to be white-hat good guys and black-hat bad guys so we know who to hug and shoot, respectively (which is why World War II, genocide notwithstanding, was and always will be the most awesome war of all time — perhaps another blog topic for another time…). But that’s not real. That’s not life. And acknowledging that is important.

I know I’m not saying anything revolutionary here by pointing out that the world is really just several different shades of grey. Most people are aware of this. If they weren’t, anti-hero based shows like “Breaking Bad” or “Boardwalk Empire” wouldn’t be as popular as they are. But just because most people are aware of the ambiguity of reality doesn’t mean they like or accept it. The numbers prove as much. After all, why else would cookie-cutter shows like “NCIS” (America’s highest rated scripted program. Really.), which feature teams of clear-cut good guys taking down moustache-twirling villains, dominate the ratings week in, week out?

So the fact that the (right) ending of GTA V shows that sometimes crime does pay, and that the “bad guys” do sometimes (okay, probably more often than we’d like to admit; but still…) get away scot-free, is brave. And real. And I, for one, appreciate that.

But more than that, I appreciate the purity of GTA V‘s (right) ending’s happiness. There’s no last-minute backstabbing by your supposed best friend (Vice City). No star-crossed or duplicitous lovers in fatalistic relationships (GTA III). No flippantly sacrificial cousins or girlfriends (GTA IV). Instead, it’s just three buddies shaking hands and driving off after a hard (and homicidal) day’s work. And I’m good with that.