World Hum | Travel | Finding NYC in Grand Theft Auto’s ‘Liberty City’

Travel dispatches from a shrinking planet

World Hum’s Most Read: May 3-9

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5.9.08

Finding NYC in Grand Theft Auto’s ‘Liberty City’

I’m no gamer, but I loved reading Dave Itzkoff’s New York Times piece about his search for his hometown in the Grand Theft Auto IV’s fictional “Liberty City.” Liberty City, Itzkoff notes, “is New York City, and it is not.” In his tour of the game, he finds familiar sights and sounds—pedestrians shouting into cell phones, saxophone players in Times Square—but also, inevitably, discovers the digital world’s limitations.

My favorite moment comes when his character finds himself setting up shop in a thinly-disguised Brighton Beach:

“The game’s British creators seemed to know that given the choice, most players would probably run or drive straight into Manhattan—the version of the city they know from their own travels, or any number of films and television shows—and ignore the other boroughs. Here, as in the real world, entry into the heart of the city would have to be won through patience and hard work.”

Photo by keepon via Flickr (Creative Commons).

Posted by Eva Holland • 5.9.08
Categories: Weblog • New York