I am, perhaps, aging faster than I would like to. I am only 18 years old, and yet, I still feel as though time is flying and I am nearing "over the hill" status in the gaming community. Nothing makes me feel quite as old as video games do, and no franchise accomplishes the feat more so than the Grand Theft Auto series.

The name Grand Theft Auto was always taboo to discussion in my house. I still remember the time when the very first Grand Theft Auto was released, and every local news station was ranting on about how video games were getting out of hand and corrupting our youth..."Grand Theft Auto, a game being released this month, is getting the attention of parents and police officers nationwide...game features missions in which the player are actually encouraged to steal and kill police officers..." Being that I was only 8 years old and that the only game in my possession was Need For Speed 2 (among several Colecovision cartridges that had been given to me), none of this was a big deal, and I can't remember ever having the desire to play GTA nor the sequel. Similarly, my parents failed to pay much attention to the series or to violence in video games.

Things changed. By age ten, my parents had discovered ESRB ratings and I had discovered how annoying these ratings could be. The fact that I was only ten years old was an indicator to my parents that "T" rated games were far too violent for me. While I was busy fighting with my parents for the right to play Medal of Honor and Tomb Raider, news began spreading of another sequel in the Grand Theft Auto series. However, considering the M rating the game was sure to garnish, along with the already sterling reputation of the series, I considered it off limits for discussion.

That changed too. I saw screenshots of GTA III...it was a concept my friends and I had joked around about for a while...a game which allowed you to drive anywhere, drive anything, DO anything (including *gasp* shoot people).

Allow me to make a long story short. I fought with my parents about buying GTA III and M rated games in general until age 15, at which point I discovered bit torrents online...and new ways around my parent's gaming restrictions (I have since bought every game that I, at that point, had downloaded). By the time I finished downloading GTAIII and Vice City, San Andreas was practically on the way...I felt as though...well, allow me to put it this way...imagine that you are an avid reader, but only discovered the first book of the Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings series after the movies had been made...needless to say, I had some catching up to do.

Allow me to speak about Grand Theft Auto IV. As much as I hate to sound like a fan boy, GTAIV is, without a doubt, the most addicting game I have ever played. What's interesting to me is that, just as we look back at GTAIII now as though it were an antique piece of memorabilia (or at least, some people do), one day, we're going to be looking back at GTAIV with a certain nostalgic view. It's hard to imagine that, and yet, when GTAIII was released, it was hard to imagine a game like San Andreas or GTAIV.

I'm rambling. I guess my main points are these: the fact that I recently bought GTAIV without a parent present makes me feel old, thinking of GTAIII as old makes me feel old, thinking back (a whole 10 years) to the original GTA release makes me feel old, and damnit, I love Grand Theft Auto! That is all.

-- R