"How Grand Theft Auto is Like Barbie" is a new post for the prestigious culture/style site Paste Magazine, and I'm very proud to announce it's by New World Notes' longtime senior writer Janine "Iris" Hawkins, who's been covering virtual world/gaming topics here since 2006. I often say Janine is destined for great things in game writing, and this new article for Paste, read by millions every month, is a great milestone in that direction. So if you're a fan of Iris' writing, please consider reading and sharing the post on Twitter and beyond.
The post itself is pretty interesting whether or not you're a fan of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, because as Iris often does here, she explodes the stereotype that virtual fashion games are "just for girls". By contrast, the GTA games, which are very much targeted at the gamer dude demographic, have a lot of virtual fashion too, with options ever increasing from sequel to sequel:
The fashion system present in Grand Theft Auto is a significant part of the experience of existing in its open world, and has been developed and refined with each installment. When player fashion debuted in the GTA games, it was in the form of complete outfits that fit over Vice City’s protagonist like the tabbed clothing of an old paper doll. Fashion became a fixture of Rockstar’s flagship series, even if they initially underestimated the degree to which players would want to customize Tommy Vercetti’s ensemble. Following Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas allowed players to mix and match different categories of clothing, and the options available have only expanded with each successive game. Players now post videos on YouTube modeling their favorite outfits and the latest clothing DLC for GTA V and Grand Theft Auto Online, and these videos have nothing to do with what pieces provide the best stat bonuses or buffs.
Read it all here, and tell your gamer friends you've known Iris since back in the day.
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Congrats on the Paste article Iris!
Posted by: melponeme_k | Wednesday, August 13, 2014 at 06:39 AM
Nicely done :)
Posted by: Arcadia Codesmith | Wednesday, August 13, 2014 at 11:10 AM