MAPACA

Mid-Atlantic Popular &
American Culture Association

Almost as soon as Grand Theft Auto V released online multiplayer content, users began releasing their own modded companion material. LSPDFR (Los Santos Police Department First Response) is one such mod that allows players to assume the role of in-game law enforcement. Players are presented with scripted random events, permitting them to assume the role of a traffic cop and interact with NPCs. Yearning for a more interactive experience, this mod has further been modded: first into a derivation called DOJ (Department of Justice) and second into a competing version called OCRP (Orange County Role Play). These mods extend roleplaying options, creating online multiplayer communities in which players may roleplay as civilians, criminals, or law enforcement. Using user-created gameplay footage and game livestreams as source material, I investigate the microcosms that form in these environments.

My presentation will focus on the manner in which these players enact their law enforcement fantasies, from the creation of a highly-specific penal code to the manner in which they interact with in-game civilians (civs) and criminals. I contend that contemporary issues arising from the unchecked power of the police are mirrored in this fictive universe. In-game civilians and criminals are outnumbered by law enforcement so that the police become hypervigilant, leading to civ/criminal frustrations with what they perceive as pettiness and often harassment. However, the digital space differs from corporeal reality in that it creates a sense of safety and entitlement amongst the players so that they are free to question and rebuke authority without real consequences. Similar to so-called “sovereign citizens,” their privileged status permits them the freedom, not just to refuse to comply with law enforcement demands, but also to engage in purposeful antagonizing.