Rockstar Uses Actual Gang Members for GTA V Voice Acting

[frizzlebyte]

There's... there's something I need to ask. Is it legal to hire criminals? As in WANTED criminals? Those who are at large, still on the street, doing criminal things?
They mentioned one got out of jail a few days before, I'm all for giving that guy a job but... taking someone directly from the street? Not knowing, or even being fully aware of that this person was involved in violent crime recently? Is that really something that is ok? Harboring a fugitive and everything?
Of course, I hope rockstar knows what it's doing, I really do. Giving former criminals a chance to go legit is a wonderful thing to do, but I hope they are not going to protect these people if they commit a crime while the voice acting is still being done.

Being in a gang isn't, in itself, illegal, to my understanding. It is the activities the gang members themselves perpetrate that are illegal. So, I could give a gang member a job, even if I know that he's in a gang. As long as I did not have knowledge of or cover up any illegal activity he performed while in my employ, it would be fine.

I'd just love to know who this "specialist" is that found all these gang members. That would be one hell of an eye-brow raising CV.

 

[Mossberg Shotty]

And what makes you think the money will be used for anything positive?

What makes you think that professional voice actors do anything positive with their money?

And I would personally prefer to offer a job to someone who isnt a criminal.

Ok? I guess that will matter when you're the progenitor of your own master race of upstanding citizens.

And the term 'Baller' doesn't apply here, these are just another handful of retards, not criminals that are living large.

And apparently the word 'obvious' doesn't apply here either because I was clearly being sarcastic. But you clearly know so much about the situation already, all you needed to hear was the word 'gang' and you divined that they were all low-life trash. And stop throwing around the word 'retard' like some kind of retard.

Word of advice, making radical assumptions about people you know next to nothing about and calling upon the vocabulary of a 12 year old doesn't make for a compelling argument.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

As a game developer I don't think it a great idea/ethical to support criminal gangs. Reformed gang members I would probably be ok with, but taking actual criminals is another.

They gave them a real job. A chance to earn some money without breaking the law. What's wrong with that?

Good. Give them some honest, easy money for a change, and maybe they can one day get themselves out of the whole gang business with their new skill, like one of the freaking main characters in the game.

Exactly. Why shouldn't they get a chance? I seriously doubt that they chose that life.

 

[MrBaskerville]

It seems like a very bad idea, mostlly because gang members aren´t actors. But then again, bad voice acting would probably go well with the hideous 3D models.

 

[CpT_x_Killsteal]

They're not "giving" money to gangsters, they're employing them to do a legal legitimate job. If you're worried about them "being gangsters" then they're gonna stay gangsters if you deny them this chance to get a real job.

OT: This is bloody spectacular. It's one thing hiring a soldier to for voice acting and advice, but hiring hardened criminals to play hardened criminals is really thinking outside the box. Good job Rockstar, not even mad anymore that I have to pay for Live.

 

[Something Amyss]

Because criminals should be condemned for life and ostracized from society, and it's morally wrong to offer them legitimate employment!

To be fair, I hardly think they asked them to renounce their life of crime and become seasoned voice actors.

 

[YodaUnleashed]

I suppose it keeps em off the streets or a bit at least, maybe even convinces them to find more honest work...

 

[The_Echo]

Wow, a lot of negative reactions to this. Why?

Personally, I think it's a pretty snazzy idea. Real gang members know the gang life. They have the emotion attached to that life which will make the dialogue feel more real. They even let the actors change the script to be more true to their life.

I think it's a brilliant move for the voice acting. The VA industry often recycles the same people over and over (Tom Kenny, Phil LaMarr, Steven Blum, etc.), to the point where no matter how they change their voice, you can still tell it's them. With these no-names, nobody is going to get that "I've heard this voice before" disconnect.

Also, I've always held the belief that if I created a work of fiction based in reality, I would want as much authenticity as I could muster.

This is something I would have done if I were Rockstar.

This isn't "supporting gang members." These guys have actual lives. They watch movies, play games, eat food, pay rent. They probably have their own regular jobs sometimes. Gang members don't spend their whole life shooting each other. Don't act like you know where that money's going.

 

[SonicWaffle]

Because criminals should be condemned for life and ostracized from society, and it's morally wrong to offer them legitimate employment!

To be fair, I hardly think they asked them to renounce their life of crime and become seasoned voice actors.

If anything, it's the opposite. Rockstar has hired them because they're legitimately scary dudes who are actually involved in the gang lifestyle. To them, it's probably yet another example of how crime pays - if they weren't gangsters, they wouldn't have earned this money. It's legitimate employment, sure, but legitimate employment based solely on the fact that they are criminals. I don't think that's as positive a message as some in the this thread are trying to claim.

 

[SonicWaffle]

"Former gang members" fine. Good. People getting a job. But "gang members?" No. You don't give money to criminals. Stop being a piece of shit thug and THEN get a job. I'm not paying to support your disgusting, parasitic lifestyle.

Or, this is (more) bullshit marketing and they hired some people that once stood in the same building as someone that new a guy that was a gang member, like marketers love to do. Or they're reformed criminals and that was left out for more buzz.

Either way, no matter the case, not buying your game, Rockstar. Supporting crime, trying to support crime and being taken for a ride, or supporting marketing that I despise. Take your pick. - 2 sales for my boyfriend and I.

Ugh, so much fail.

Hiring criminals =/= "supporting crime"

Do try and remember that other humans are other humans; people will do desperate and unpleasant things when they need money. Some of these guys probably blew their cash on booze and drugs. Some will have bought food, paid rent or child support with theirs. Let's also try and remember just how many other criminals we happily give our money to, how many actors and musicians and other miscellaneous celebrities whose crimes we just tend to shrug off as we buy tickets for their next movie. It's darkly amusing to see how many people only care when it's "the bad kind of criminals" getting paid.

 

[Dogstile]

I really hope this is some sort of joke. Real gang members? Seriously?

Boy! I'm sure the money that these gang members received for their voice acting talent is going straight to charity!

I really don't understand how a person can morally do this.

Like Baldr said, reformed gang members are understandable, but actual criminals are a little ridiculous.

Go look up Danny Trejo. Seriously.

 

[Zeldias]

Good. Give them some honest, easy money for a change, and maybe they can one day get themselves out of the whole gang business with their new skill, like one of the freaking main characters in the game.

Those of you saying that they shouldn't be employed...what other way are they supposed to reform themselves if no one will hire them because "Hurr funding gang activity"?

I'm with you I don't see why everybody's hating you all sound like you grew up in gated communities.
Maybe they can go a week without making crack and just peacefully smoke blunts with their crew or whatever they'll do.
Many people turn to this life because of unemployment so even a short job is great.
Plus I'd rather it be like "Fuck you I'll spray you, bust, whatever"-real g than "Oh ya boy ya imma pull my gat now urrgh im so g"-guy that's never seen the hood

Fucking thank you. This could even lead to certain routes. I mean shit, now they can add a voice acting credit to a resume, and not only that, it's with a major AAA blockbuster household name of a game. This could fucking save someone, and a bunch of dildos are acting like gangsters only spend money on criminal shit.

 

[wulf3n]

I'd rather drug pushing pimps and thugs don't get paid out of my pocket. I'd rather they end up in prison (something I am happy to pay for) and rethink their life. Many a person lives in poverty and claws out of it without holding up cashiers or selling women into sexual slavery.

Gang members can get fucked.

What happened to:

Violence breeds violence.

Give people a chance of escaping the criminal cycle, NAH! fuck that, send them back to prison and give them more reason to continue a life of crime.

 

[wulf3n]

I'd rather drug pushing pimps and thugs don't get paid out of my pocket. I'd rather they end up in prison (something I am happy to pay for) and rethink their life. Many a person lives in poverty and claws out of it without holding up cashiers or selling women into sexual slavery.

Gang members can get fucked.

What happened to:

Violence breeds violence.

Give people a chance of escaping the criminal cycle, NAH! fuck that, send them back to prison and give them more reason to continue a life of crime.

Why did you quote me saying violence breeds violence? I wasn't aware lawfully imprisoning criminals was violent. Oh, because it's not.

You don't think a big box full of criminals isn't a violent atmosphere?

 

[Dogstile]

I really hope this is some sort of joke. Real gang members? Seriously?

Boy! I'm sure the money that these gang members received for their voice acting talent is going straight to charity!

I really don't understand how a person can morally do this.

Like Baldr said, reformed gang members are understandable, but actual criminals are a little ridiculous.

Go look up Danny Trejo. Seriously.

Maybe you should look him up first?

He got sent to jail, went through a 12 step program, and took a bit of college and was talking at a recovery meeting to help others before he was approached to work in movies.

He was already a reformed gang member which the person you quoted said was understandable. What he said is ridiculous are current gang members.

Does it not strike you as ridiculous that in order to find legitimate work you have to go through a twelve step program and go to meetings?

Actually, scratch that, what I find really funny is that you don't think gang members do legitimate work all the time anyway.

 

[josemlopes]

So apparently now everyone thinks that a criminal out of jail doing honest work is worse then doing criminal stuff. Ok...

 

[wulf3n]

That's not even a good straw man (if there is such a thing). You're just offering more logical fallacies in place of any argument at all now. I said I'm happy to imprison criminals until they sever themselves from criminal actions. You can't pretend I made any comment on the internal operations of the prison system or support or have any control over the individual actions of said criminals if they chose to be violent. Your "argument" is absurd.

So why would you rather prevent a person from getting legitimate work:

I'd rather drug pushing pimps and thugs don't get paid out of my pocket. I'd rather they end up in prison

And send them to a place that is likely to exacerbate their criminal behaviour out of necessity.

You honestly can't believe violence breeds violence if you'd prefer to send people to a place that is violent to "cure" them of their violent ways, rather than help them get out of their situation.

 

[SonicWaffle]

Yeah, no.

As, well, with an excellent counterpoint like that, you've swayed me. A well constructed argument if ever I saw one.

I'd rather drug pushing pimps and thugs don't get paid out of my pocket.

Even when they're being paid not to be actively pushing drugs or pimping? You'd rather they were out there doing that than taking employment outside of their usual roles?

I'd rather they end up in prison (something I am happy to pay for) and rethink their life.

...an attempt at comedy, I assume? You are aware of reoffending rates, and how much of that is associated with prison environment, culture, and the justice system's vengeance-based mentality over an actual rehabilitiation-based system?

Hey, you want more crime, you can pay for more prisons. Just don't be surprised that things end up worse.

Many a person lives in poverty and claws out of it without holding up cashiers or selling women into sexual slavery.

Yes, many people find an honest way out, and that's why in our fabulously wealthy nations, crime and poverty are all but extinct, nobody ever starves or goes homeless or can't afford basic healthcare.

Oh. Right....

Gang members can get fucked.

They pretty much already have. That's why they end up as criminals.

 

[wulf3n]

If you are a criminal, you go to prison to be removed from society. You then have a choice, continue to harm others, or sever those ties and rejoin the community as a genuine citizen.

How about this, you give them a chance to rejoin society before they commit a crime that will send them to jail?

I'm not here to talk about the failures of the the justice system.

I'm not here to talk about it, but obviously we both know it exists. Therefore why would you rather a person go to jail than get given a chance at a normal life?

 

[wulf3n]

"Rejoin society [...] before they go to jail." Are you simply arguing for the sake of it now? Because it seems like you are literally stringing words together to be contrary. Or perhaps you can explain how one rejoins society from prison before being in prison.

It's about preventing crime as opposed to punishing it.

One who believes violence breeds violence would prefer to prevent crime rather than punish it, especially when punishment involves collecting violent people together in small a space because it only takes an I.Q. of 1 to see that that's not going to "reform" anyone.