First off: I haven't played the game. The last GTA game I played was San Andreas and I didn't finish it, just borrowed it off a friend for a week. I may well pick GTA V up at some point. I can't really comment on this scene because I haven't played it, nor really on the content of GTA V as a whole. Just wanted to raise a point I found interesting with regards fan reaction to all the current criticism of GTA V (some of which is, admittedly, ridiculous) around the media.
When GTA's reckless violence / criminal characters etc. are condemned, there is a tendency for people claim that it is satirical, or at the very least, not intended to be taken seriously. In particular, the fact that it's "just a game". (Note: this is a point I can agree with, having played a lot of Timesplitters and so forth)
In this instance however, I've seen people claim that GTA is meant to be taken seriously, that the whole idea of the scene is to be disgusted (I can't comment because I haven't played it), and that GTA provides a look at "things that happen"; to censor them would be akin to cowardice and so forth.
Now, I've played games that intend to make you discomforted - I would recommend Spec Ops: The Line to anyone (though not as much as I would recommend not reading spoilers first). As a result, I have nothing against them. But they come with a caveat. The point with Spec Ops was the fact that gradually as you went through the game you realised that your actions were not having the desired effect, and (unless you count the multiplayer which the developers themselves have disowned) there isn't any real way that you can complete the story without getting the point that the hero fantasy is completely broken. (I'm aware that its attempt to deconstruct Modern Warfare and video game tropes was less successful, but I hold up the rest of the story as among the best I've ever played)
In GTA games, meanwhile, you can stop in between any story mission and go murder ten pedestrians with little consequence; among other factors (like the general humour found in the supporting cast and the sympathetic protagonists - don't know if this is different in GTA V) this is presumably where the "not to be taken seriously" portion comes in. If GTA IS intended to not be taken seriously then great - it's a very fun formula. I've played GTA games myself and had a great time. But can the attitude of "no consequences is fun!" really coexist with a serious message about the criminal underworld?
It just struck me how quickly the nuke in COD 4 - a genuine shock with a great impact and point to make - seems to have faded from the collective consciousness of the video game community at large now that COD is a big multi-player driven franchise. Barring the token "shocking moment" in each story campaign, the COD franchise is more about killing people over and over again in deathmatches rather than making any serious points - except when, as in the instance of No Russian, they need to justify their creative decisions. (I stuck up for No Russian, incidentally, but I find there to be an awful lot of Unfortunate Implications in the rest of the franchise). I think the same is true of GTA - if it did try to make a serious message it would be lost amid a sea of (admittedly hilarious) GIFs of the protagonist jumping off tall buildings and defeating tanks with his bare hands.
The point I'm trying laboriously to make is that we can't really have it both ways with GTA. If it's intended as a satirical and/or fun look at criminal life and not to be taken seriously it seems a tad hypocritical to then say "but X Y and Z are really great points and this shows the power of video games as a medium!". If, on the other hand, it is intended as a realistic portrayal of the criminal underworld and to make serious social points in its own right then it should be careful about the messages it puts out because the juxtaposition could trivialise serious matters. For example, within mainstream entertainment, the current go-to villains seem to be either Russian or Middle Eastern, which shows that the fact it occurs in Modern Warfare may only be part of a wider problem in culture, but no less worrying as a problem. Extra Credits did a great couple of episodes about lazy design and propaganda games where they point out that it's generally not a developer's intention to spread misinformation but that doesn't stop it happening (citing an incident in Call of Juarez: The Cartel where an incident occurs that is pretty much the direct opposite of what actually occurs in real life)
Note that what I'm definitely not saying is that media cannot have a point and also be entertaining (I watched District 9 too, guys), nor that children are going to play the game and potentially copy it, or in fact that certain things should be off-limits in culture. Good culture can tackle any topic in any medium, in my opinion, and video games have a lot of power to do that in new and exciting ways. I'm just saying that we need to not cherry-pick our messages or try to have our cake and eat it. I'm more than willing to discuss this on the condition that people are reasonable in their defence. (The disclaimer is because I seem to get into a lot of arguments recently, although not on here, with people who speak in nothing but hyperbole and take my arguments out of context - apologies but I am not interested in getting involved in another one)
