Andre “Freeze” Francis wants to get out of the ‘hood for the sake of his girlfriend and their son-the game’s only positive message. Predictably, 25 to Life rehashes a clichéd story line that assaults players with a barrage of profanity and bloodshed.
The latest video game about survival in the ‘hood, 25 to Life, has been one of the most popular rentals in America since its mid-January release-despite the fact that secular video game reviewers have panned it. Invariably, these inner-city fables delve into the dreams that drive drug dealers whose lives are indeed “brutish.” For reasons that often remain unclear, we’re supposed to identify with the plight of these outlaws-never mind that most of us have never dealt kilos of coke or capped rivals in the skull with a Gat.īut if the numbers are anything to go by, this thug-life narrative has captivated the imagination of a broad audience. “The life of man,” wrote English philosopher Thomas Hobbes in 1651, “ solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short.” Oddly enough, that Renaissance-era quote from The Leviathan is a perfect picture of how Hollywood, hip-hop and (more recently) video games have romanticized drug-dealing, gun-toting urban warriors.
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