“Now this is a story all about how my life got flipped, turned upside down” by the one and only Grand Theft Auto.
I was probably 12 or 13 years old. I was in Kansas City for the summer, spending one weekend at my uncle’s house. I got on his computer, probably looking for Solitaire, when I came across Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (dun-dun-duuunnn).
I had never heard of that game before, but my curiosity was piqued. I do not remember seeing an introduction screen or anything else; I just remember being able to get into cars and shuffle through radio stations which, at the time, was all I cared about.
Quite honestly, even if I had known what the game was about, I still would’ve only been interested in driving around Vice City, a fictional version of Miami. I was never great at playing third-person games with a mouse and keyboard; a controller was the only device for me.
So what was the appeal? The music!
There was only one in-game radio station I wanted to listen to: Fever 105. Michael Jackson, Teena Marie, Evelyn “Champagne” King and others were on repeat as I let the station loop over and over again.
I remember asking my uncle if he would buy the game for me. He said no. His reasoning was, “I don’t think your mother or grandmother would appreciate it.” But I wasn’t interested in the overall content of the game, I just wanted to drive around and listen to Fever 105. Regardless of how I planned to play it, he was not going to buy it for me.
Then I learned that the age requirement to purchase was 17. For years, I had in the back of my mind that when I turned 17, I was going to GameStop to get GTA: Vice City.
Fast forward to the day after my 17th birthday: I went to GameStop, back when GameStop was in the mall. I remember looking for it and saw Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, but I did not know what it was. I just knew that it wasn’t the game I had played before. After a few seconds, I found Vice City sitting right next to it.
I remember walking up to the counter and setting the game on the counter. The employee asked me for my ID, and I remember taking out my license and slapping it on the counter, saying “my birthday was yesterday.” He rang me up and I walked out of there with GTA: Vice City.
If you’ve ever played a game similar to Grand Theft Auto, you know that if you do not do the missions, you will eventually get bored. Well, that’s what happened, so I started actually playing the game and completed it. A couple years later, I went back and got GTA: San Andreas because I was more familiar with what the series was about.
San Andreas wasn’t as thrilling for me. The story was great, but some of the game mechanics weren’t as good as in Vice City, specifically the driving mechanics. The cars were floaty and almost boat-like, which made driving a little more difficult.
Years later, I bought Grand Theft Auto IV, but it did not work on my laptop, so that was $30 wasted. However, I have since played the game, just on PlayStation 3.
When I graduated college, I gifted myself with a MacBook Pro. Grand Theft Auto III was on the app store, so I bought and completed that game as well.
Fast forward to 2014, I got introduced to Grand Theft Auto V through a friend. That game blew my mind! There are three main protagonists that you can (and sometimes have to) switch between at any given point. And the radio stations! I still have my days where all I want to listen to is GTA radio stations.
Out of all the games in the series, I will admit that GTA V has the best radio stations. Radio Los Santos, Radio Mirror Park and Los Santos Rock Radio are all good, but Worldwide FM (hosted by Gilles Peterson) and FlyLo FM are one of a kind.
In Vice City, I love Wildstyle, Fever 105 and Flash FM, but Radio Espontoso is my jam! Sometimes, I just need that Latin jazz to get me through my day.
San Andreas has a fantastic soundtrack! Bounce FM, CSR, Playback FM and Master Sounds are all really good.
In GTA IV, you have stations like IF99 and Fusion FM (hosted by the late Roy Ayers), but Tuff Gong is my number one. Bob Marley is on repeat on this station!
There are other games that I did not mention that also have nice radio stations, but GTA V takes the cake.
Of course, all of the Grand Theft Auto games have ridiculously funny talk shows, but the starting point goes back to Chatterbox in GTA III. Lazlo and the callers on that station are absolutely hilarious!
The last radio station I want to touch on is WCTR. Like other talk stations, this one hosts multiple shows, but my absolute favorite is Chakra Attack, parts one and two. The show’s hosts, Dr. Ray DeAngelo Harris (voiced by J.B. Smoove) and Cheryl Fawkes, are the most entertaining talk show hosts in the entire GTA series!
With the upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto 6, anticipation is high amongst players, especially those who have been playing GTA Online for over 10 years. For me, the GTA 6 teaser was a bit of a letdown, though it seems there are two main protagonists to play as, which is nice. I’m mostly looking forward to the radio stations because, just like before, I want to drive around and listen to the music! And then when I get bored, I’ll do the missions.
Now let’s circle back to my uncle refusing to buy GTA Vice City for me. Do I understand his decision? Absolutely. Would I purchase any of the games for a minor? Absolutely not. As an adult, I won’t even engage in conversations with a minor regarding the series. Just like the age restriction on the games, they must be 17 to converse with me about it.
Unfortunately, we live in a different time. Instead of going to the video game store and having to show your ID, one can simply purchase it digitally. I’m sure there is some sort of age verification, but in this era of digital downloads, it is much easier to lie about your age.
Parents: Know what games your kids are playing, because they are playing Grand Theft Auto, whether you know it or not. Stay conscious out there!
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Grand Theft Auto (series)
ESRB Rating: M for Mature
Developer: Rockstar North
Publisher: Rockstar Games
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