GTA creators named among most influential people of 2009?

Sam and Dan Houser (yes, the GTA guys) have made it on to the Time 100 Most Influential People of 2009 list.

Link Here

Discuss?

Wow. They must have been desperate to find 100 people to include those two.

Unless this was the "Top 100 Hype-Makers for Ultimately Mediocre Games" list.

actually, I'm not entirely surprised. It seems that lots of people are doing the sandbox/action game these days.

not that I'm complaining.

Wow. They must have been desperate to find 100 people to include those two.

Unless this was the "Top 100 Hype-Makers for Ultimately Mediocre Games" list.

Phantom_Leo

These are just the things that just frustrate me. Please explain your reasoning behind this because you didn't give any. Did you even read the article because they gave some good points as to why they were chosen for the top 100. You just sound like another person hopping onto the bandwagon of "Oh all the developers are praising this game but it really sucks". Why? because it brings depth to a mostly mindless and degenerative genre. GTA IV actually brought some of the series best moments. Yeah, IV was going more for satirical humor this time and realisticly rediculous gameplay, but the change was for the better and brought a mindblowing change not only to the series but to games in general; showing that a game can have a deep engaging story with characters that actually seem real, while still maintaining its silly sense of humor.

So please explain to me why you think they don't deserve their spot on Time's top 100 most influential of 2009.

The game was nothing special. at. all.

There were many other games that came out last year that deserved the score it bought.

I didn't think it was all that. As much as you care to defend it; I care to not be bothered explaining my opinion.

There are FAAAR more people in this world that would be more appropriate for that particular list.

The game was nothing special. at. all.

There were many other games that came out last year that deserved the score it bought.

I didn't think it was all that. As much as you care to defend it; I care to not be bothered explaining my opinion.

There are FAAAR more people in this world that would be more appropriate for that particular list.

Phantom_Leo

Sorry, but that's just weak. You made some pretty inflamatory statements and then when pressed to give specifics as to why, you claim it's not worth your time.

I think you're better than that, Leo.

[QUOTE="Phantom_Leo"]

The game was nothing special. at. all.

There were many other games that came out last year that deserved the score it bought.

I didn't think it was all that. As much as you care to defend it; I care to not be bothered explaining my opinion.

There are FAAAR more people in this world that would be more appropriate for that particular list.

Grammaton-Cleric

Sorry, but that's just weak. You made some pretty inflamatory statements and then when pressed to give specifics as to why, you claim it's not worth your time.

I think you're better than that, Leo.

yeah, I'm disappointed in you too Leo!

:P

But yeah, good for them. They deserve it. They should've been on that list 7 years ago, but it's never too late to recognize greatness. :)

That's a fair award. GTA3 changed everything. Like I've said before, I'm not real fond of Vice City (mostly enjoyed it, didn't like the end). I really loved San Andreas though (Samuel Jackson's Tenpenny was a great villian, the fact your character's build and physical abilities reflected his lifestyle/personal habits was great, the ability to climb, jump and swim really made one feel much better connected with the environment, the environments themselves were bigger and offered more variety, there was a ton and a half of vehiclesand some of the missions were flat out awesome, etc, etc).

GTA4's decision to go in a different direction is controversial, but commendable. I've got no issue with linear sequels which merely seek to address their predecessor's weak points and improve upon their strong points, but I like surprises.I really liked the social system and how it rewarded players with stuff like the ability to acquire muscle, guns and cars via your cell. I remember being on the outs with Niko's cousin after Nike and his cousin got drunk in a bar, the car lost a door during the woozy drive back to Roman's place, then Roman fell outof the car during a sharp turn and was run over by a pursuing cop car. During a job, I got a call from Roman the next day asking me to pick him up from the hospital, but the job kept me tied up for a minute, so I didn't get there in a reasonable amount of time and Roman eventually called me again, angrily explaining he'd had to take a cab home. Speaking of jobs and relationships, the missions are great (the bank job is among my greatest gaming moments, and I have been gaming for more than three decades) and its really cool how many forks in the road (i.e. having to decide who to ally with) Niko faces.

Also, while the tone is a little more sober, there is still a ton and a half of humor in the dialogue/behaviour of the characters. I also really liked the physics, the cover system (which is of course borrowed from Gears, but it was well done) and the fact that there is a point between incapacity and death (though I confess I tended to leave only the dead behind me). I also liked how when Niko made the decision to execute people (yes, I know, he kills thousands during the course of normal gameplay) he pauses for a few seconds and one just kind of sees the person. Made me feel a little uncomfortable with my decision to pull the trigger (sometimes).

The Housers are incredible designers who clearly pour their hearts into their work and are more willing than most to risk the wrath of those who believe that games are a lesser medium targetted towards babies and thus unfit to speak upon certain topics.

Sam and Dan Houser deserve the award.

sure influenced me! loved that game, for those in this thread ragging on the game, learn to appreciate effort when it smacks you in the face. sure, vice city was cool back in the day-but only for one thing which was childishrampage killing sprees, as soon as the game takes a step in the right direction, toward a more serious, thought-out setting withash*tload of detail and realism, it gets condemned. LEARN to love it

good. the gta guys pwn!

Have any of you actually read this "list"?

It includes people like:

_________________________________

#30 -- Britney Spears

#33 -- The Jonas Bros

#37 -- President Barack Obama

#41 -- Miley Cyrus

#42 -- Shigeru Miyamoto

#48 -- The View

#56 -- Zac Efron

#61 -- Dalai Lama

#75 -- George W. Bush

#78 -- Pope Bendict XVI

#82 -- Bernie Madoff

#98 -- Oprah Winfrey

V

V

V

#139 -- Dan Houser

_________________________________

You see where some of the most (seriously) influential people on this "list" fall?

Britney Spears??? more influential than the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES?!?

Zac Efron and The Jonas Bros are more influential in this world than THE POPE?!?

Yeah. It even includes Miyamoto... I am a HUGE, LIFETIME Nintendo fan... and I would hope and pray to GOD (who's actually at #173 after #171 -- Tomonobu Itagaki) that videogame creators didn't have that much influence over the minds and lives of the people of this country...

Yeah. It turns out they didn't even make the top 100. They were bumped down by Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt... :roll: ...to use a list like this one to drag a more than one year old game back into the spotlight... Why?

I have dozens of reasons why I didn't like GTAIV. I won't get into all of them again here. I tried earnestly to like the game. To simply call me a "hater" and someone who blindly bashes the game, when it is NOT the case, is just a silly as people blindly defending the game just because it's GTA. That's NOT the problem I have with this topic. Videogame developers should not have THIS MUCH influence in this world. EVER.

Have any of you actually read this "list"?

It includes people like:

_________________________________

#30 -- Britney Spears

#33 -- The Jonas Bros

#37 -- President Barack Obama

#41 -- Miley Cyrus

#42 -- Shigeru Miyamoto

#48 -- The View

#56 -- Zac Efron

#61 -- Dalai Lama

#75 -- George W. Bush

#78 -- Pope Bendict XVI

#82 -- Bernie Madoff

#98 -- Oprah Winfrey

V

V

V

#139 -- Dan Houser

_________________________________

You see where some of the most (seriously) influential people on this "list" fall?

Britney Spears??? more influential than the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES?!?

Zac Efron and The Jonas Bros are more influential in this world than THE POPE?!?

Yeah. It even includes Miyamoto... I am a HUGE, LIFETIME Nintendo fan... and I would hope and pray to GOD (who's actually at #173 after #171 -- Tomonobu Itagaki) that videogame creators didn't have that much influence over the minds and lives of the people of this country...

Yeah. It turns out they didn't even make the top 100. They were bumped down by Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt... :roll: ...to use a list like this one to drag a more than one year old game back into the spotlight... Why?

I have dozens of reasons why I didn't like GTAIV. I won't get into all of them again here. I tried earnestly to like the game. To simply call me a "hater" and someone who blindly bashes the game, when it is NOT the case, is just a silly as people blindly defending the game just because it's GTA. That's NOT the problem I have with this topic. Videogame developers should not have THIS MUCH influence in this world. EVER.

Phantom_Leo

Have any of you actually read this "list"?

It includes people like:

_________________________________

#30 -- Britney Spears

#33 -- The Jonas Bros

#37 -- President Barack Obama

#41 -- Miley Cyrus

#42 -- Shigeru Miyamoto

#48 -- The View

#56 -- Zac Efron

#61 -- Dalai Lama

#75 -- George W. Bush

#78 -- Pope Bendict XVI

#82 -- Bernie Madoff

#98 -- Oprah Winfrey

V

V

V

#139 -- Dan Houser

_________________________________

You see where some of the most (seriously) influential people on this "list" fall?

Britney Spears??? more influential than the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES?!?

Zac Efron and The Jonas Bros are more influential in this world than THE POPE?!?

Yeah. It even includes Miyamoto... I am a HUGE, LIFETIME Nintendo fan... and I would hope and pray to GOD (who's actually at #173 after #171 -- Tomonobu Itagaki) that videogame creators didn't have that much influence over the minds and lives of the people of this country...

Yeah. It turns out they didn't even make the top 100. They were bumped down by Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt... :roll: ...to use a list like this one to drag a more than one year old game back into the spotlight... Why?

I have dozens of reasons why I didn't like GTAIV. I won't get into all of them again here. I tried earnestly to like the game. To simply call me a "hater" and someone who blindly bashes the game, when it is NOT the case, is just a silly as people blindly defending the game just because it's GTA. That's NOT the problem I have with this topic. Videogame developers should not have THIS MUCH influence in this world. EVER.

Phantom_Leo

Deeply fascinating post, but completely unrelated to the claims you made in your first couple posts. You stated that GTA is a mediocre series whose scores have been bought, but that you weren't interested in discussing the matter.

Judging by your attempt to go off on a tangent related to who is more powerful, the Pope or Miley Cyrus, you are still unwilling to defend your initial position, which is a wise move, since it is indefensible.

Deeply fascinating post, but completely unrelated to the claims you made in your first couple posts. You stated that GTA is a mediocre series whose scores have been bought, but that you weren't interested in discussing the matter.

Judging by your attempt to go off on a tangent related to who is more powerful, the Pope or Miley Cyrus, you are still unwilling to defend your initial position, which is a wise move, since it is indefensible.

CarnageHeart

Tangent. Really? Did you read my first post?

The FIRST sentence of my FIRST post read: "Wow. They must have been desperate to find 100 people to include those two."

From the get-go, my main issue was WHO was included on the list. That I was surprised and disappointed two developers of a game I personally didn't care for made a list like that shouldn't be all that shocking and need further expanation, but between people's need to defend GTA to death and argue relentlessly in this forum, I guess I should have known what I was getting in to when I actually voiced an opinion in here.

My own opinion is indefensible? You're absolutely right about that. Taste cannot be disputed.

_________________________

You also left out the part of my second post that said: "There are FAAAR more people in this world that would be more appropriate for that particular list."

Now, what were you saying about going off on tangents?

[QUOTE="CarnageHeart"]

Deeply fascinating post, but completely unrelated to the claims you made in your first couple posts. You stated that GTA is a mediocre series whose scores have been bought, but that you weren't interested in discussing the matter.

Judging by your attempt to go off on a tangent related to who is more powerful, the Pope or Miley Cyrus, you are still unwilling to defend your initial position, which is a wise move, since it is indefensible.

Phantom_Leo

Tangent. Really? Did you read my first post?

The FIRST sentence of my FIRST post read: "Wow. They must have been desperate to find 100 people to include those two."

From the get-go, my main issue was WHO was included on the list. That I was surprised and disappointed two developers of a game I personally didn't care for made a list like that shouldn't be all that shocking and need further expanation, but between people's need to defend GTA to death and argue relentlessly in this forum, I guess I should have known what I was getting in to when I actually voiced an opinion in here.

My own opinion is indefensible? You're absolutely right about that. Taste cannot be disputed.

_________________________

You also left out the part of my second post that said: "There are FAAAR more people in this world that would be more appropriate for that particular list."

Now, what were you saying about going off on tangents?

So you quote half of a two line post and claim I didn't read your post? Nice :P. Allow me to remind you of what exactly you said.

Wow. They must have been desperate to find 100 people to include those two.

Unless this was the "Top 100 Hype-Makers for Ultimately Mediocre Games" list.

*Shrugs* I've got no problem with people having an opinion that differs from mine, the problem I have is with people who hide behind their feelings (I hate Game X and that's all there is to it!) as opposed to pointing to whatever gameplay/game design flaws they have issue with (I don't like game X because the most common enemy type is incredibly cheap!).

They deserved it. Don't like GTA, don't care. Stop whining and give the guys some credit.

There were many other games that came out last year that deserved the score it bought.

Phantom_Leo

lol.... I love how gamers act when a game they didn't enjoy does good. "What? GTA IV got a 10 out of 10? Quickly! Board the bashing bandwagon!"

But lets be honest, GTA IV is a much better game than the others in the franchise. No over-the-top bullcrap like getting your pilots license from watching a tv then stealing a jet off an aircraft carrier, or killing everything in your path and becoming the god of all gangsters. I like the way they took a realistic approach and that's probably why most gamers who didn't like it, feel the way they do.

In my opinion, Rockstar has been the most important and most influential developer of the current decade.

In my opinion, Rockstar has been the most important and most influential developer of the current decade.

UpInFlames

*looks at avatar*

Why am I not surprised? :P

In my opinion, Rockstar has been the most important and most influential developer of the current decade.

UpInFlames

Yup, no one even comes close.

[QUOTE="UpInFlames"]

In my opinion, Rockstar has been the most important and most influential developer of the current decade.

BladesOfAthena

*looks at avatar*

Why am I not surprised? :P

Don't forget to check out my GameSpot level. :wink:

In my opinion, Rockstar has been the most important and most influential developer of the current decade.

UpInFlames

I disagree. As much as I don't really agree with what Nintendo's been doing, they take that title. Anyone who can transform non-gamers into playing games is a insanely amazing acheivement.

Miyamoto is after all, higher on the most influential list than the GTA brothers, and was #1 last year.

Also, Blizzard is very influential. WoW, Starcraft, etc. are still played by millions today! The only country Blizzard/WoW hasn't made an impact is Japan but it's huge in China and S. Korea and all parts of the world.

The reason why I don't give Rockstar the nod is because they're not influential in most parts of the world, like Japan, S. Korea, China, and the other Asian countries. Miyamoto and Nintendo on the other hand, influences almost the whole world even S. Korea now. So Nintendo is the most influential and important developers of the current decade.

Have any of you actually read this "list"?

It includes people like:

_________________________________

#30 -- Britney Spears

#33 -- The Jonas Bros

#37 -- President Barack Obama

#41 -- Miley Cyrus

#42 -- Shigeru Miyamoto

#48 -- The View

#56 -- Zac Efron

#61 -- Dalai Lama

#75 -- George W. Bush

#78 -- Pope Bendict XVI

#82 -- Bernie Madoff

#98 -- Oprah Winfrey

V

V

V

#139 -- Dan Houser

_________________________________

You see where some of the most (seriously) influential people on this "list" fall?

Britney Spears??? more influential than the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES?!?

Zac Efron and The Jonas Bros are more influential in this world than THE POPE?!?

Yeah. It even includes Miyamoto... I am a HUGE, LIFETIME Nintendo fan... and I would hope and pray to GOD (who's actually at #173 after #171 -- Tomonobu Itagaki) that videogame creators didn't have that much influence over the minds and lives of the people of this country...

Yeah. It turns out they didn't even make the top 100. They were bumped down by Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt... :roll: ...to use a list like this one to drag a more than one year old game back into the spotlight... Why?

I have dozens of reasons why I didn't like GTAIV. I won't get into all of them again here. I tried earnestly to like the game. To simply call me a "hater" and someone who blindly bashes the game, when it is NOT the case, is just a silly as people blindly defending the game just because it's GTA. That's NOT the problem I have with this topic. Videogame developers should not have THIS MUCH influence in this world. EVER.

Phantom_Leo

Why is it the video game developers that shouldn't have the influence. Do you actually believe there is no chance they can? If you do you are the blind one. Some of the most creative and influential people in history are writers, storytellers, and people with high levels of creativity. Being a video game developer is just like you are the author of a book. But instead of a book you sit and read, it's a book you play and live. I honestly don't see how video games are any different than books (at least the ones with depth and character).

And no I am not blindly following I have thought about these things over years and years.