Kotaku
In The "Real" Liberty City, GTA IV Might Be Cathartic
For the likely millions of players embarking on tongue-in-cheek crime sprees in Grand Theft Auto IV's Liberty City this week, it's only a game. But a close look into some communities within New York City, the real-world inspiration for the Liberty City environs, reveals a different story.
Tens of thousands of New Yorkers live in neighborhoods where more than half of the population's median income falls below the poverty line. Prevailing terminology calls these neighborhoods "underserved," but denizens of these communities have no problem calling it like it is: the ghetto.
These ghettos may seem like a different world to those who may have only visited places like them in video games, but the communities that live here are just as excited for Grand Theft Auto IV as everyone else — and some say the widely-anticipated title holds special meaning for them.
