# GTA IV, Harry Potter, and karma **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [April 28, 2008, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gta-iv-harry-potter-and-karma/447251 "2008-04-28T18:08:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gta-iv-harry-potter-and-karma/447251/1 "2008-04-28T18:08:46Z")
I remember, back when the second-to-last Harry Potter book was released, there was a video going around online of some asshole who drove up to a line of fans lined up at the Barnes and Noble, and yelled: Snape kills Dumbledore! Of course, many people found this amusing, including (I’m guessing) a large percentage of the folks who will be lined up to purchase GTA IV tonight. Thus, I am fighting the temptation to drive up to my local Gamestop at midnight tonight and yell out to the assembled crowd: “Niko kills Roman!” Of course, I have no idea of whether that actually happens - but neither do they. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gta-iv-harry-potter-and-karma/447251/2 "2008-04-28T18:12:45Z")
My girlfriend is a total Potter fanatic and she had to leave early for some kind of release party for the last Harry Potter book. I told her that Hermione dies. She wasn’t very pleased at me that night. ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2008, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gta-iv-harry-potter-and-karma/447251/3 "2008-04-28T18:41:53Z")
I remember the reported instances of complete jerkwads who would drive by moviegoers waiting to buy tickets to The Empire Strikes Back and loudly announce that Darth Vader was Luke Skywalker’s father. (Even The Simpsons parodied this once.) Oh, the outrage. The fury. An entire movie completely spoiled for… But think about it. Just think about it for a minute. Darth Vader _says_ that he’s Luke Skywalker’s father. There’s not one shred of actual evidence at any point in the movie that this is true. This revelation comes completely out of the blue…no buildup, no premonition, no warning whatsoever. And bear in mind, too, that he was completely unable to detect any presence of his son while he was in the Death Star or when making that fateful trench run. At the end of ESB, it’s the word of a soulless officer-choking planet-smashing scion of evil against the word of an honored, highly decorated Jedi war hero. Whom would _you_ trust? The lesson, I guess, is to never get too emotionally invested in any kind of pop culture. This crap is just too easy. ---
**Author:** ![Charger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df788c/32.png) [@Charger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charger)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gta-iv-harry-potter-and-karma/447251/4 "2008-04-29T05:56:52Z")
[QUOTE=Absolute] Of course, many people found this amusing, including (I’m guessing) a large percentage of the folks who will be lined up to purchase GTA IV tonight. Thus, I am fighting the temptation to drive up to my local Gamestop at midnight tonight and yell out to the assembled crowd: “Niko kills Roman!” Of course, I have no idea of whether that actually happens - but neither do they. [/QUOTE] The universe is currently out of balance, due to that Harry Potter incident. You may have just found the only way to knock things back into place. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gta-iv-harry-potter-and-karma/447251/5 "2008-04-29T07:02:46Z")
[QUOTE=DKW] But think about it. Just think about it for a minute. Darth Vader _says_ that he’s Luke Skywalker’s father. There’s not one shred of actual evidence at any point in the movie that this is true. This revelation comes completely out of the blue…no buildup, no premonition, no warning whatsoever. And bear in mind, too, that he was completely unable to detect any presence of his son while he was in the Death Star or when making that fateful trench run. At the end of ESB, it’s the word of a soulless officer-choking planet-smashing scion of evil against the word of an honored, highly decorated Jedi war hero. Whom would _you_ trust? [/QUOTE] I sure as hell wouldn’t trust Lucas to be that subtle. With all the random coincidences from the prequels, I’m just glad that it didn’t turn out that Jar Jar Binks was Luke and Leia’s wet nurse. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gta-iv-harry-potter-and-karma/447251/6 "2008-04-29T07:21:17Z")
[QUOTE=Absolute] Of course, many people found this amusing, including (I’m guessing) a large percentage of the folks who will be lined up to purchase GTA IV tonight. [/QUOTE] Where do you get this half-baked assumption from? ---
**Author:** ![DKW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dkw/32/3118_2.png) [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gta-iv-harry-potter-and-karma/447251/7 "2008-04-29T07:58:20Z")
thelurkinghorror - It’s all too obvious _now_, but back in the day, when there were only two movies out and moviegoers didn’t have any inkling who the man in black might be (and many years before the Internet and satellite TV, don’t forget)…well, y’know what, it sounds like Vader’s toying with the poor, overconfident chump. There were plenty of honest-to-god arguments over whether or not Vader was telling the truth, and it’s a very safe bet that it wasn’t settled for sure until Return of the Jedi. Absolute - Seriously, pal, don’t do this again. Just don’t. First off, most of the customers don’t know who the freak Niko or Roman are to begin with. Second, they’d have no reason to believe that you know any better. Third, absent any playing time, they don’t even know if this is a big deal. (“James sacrifices himself, you say? Um…who is this guy again?”) Fourth, mall security can get pretty tough on disruptive jerks. I’ve seen this firsthand. You want scream-filled thrills, ride a roller coaster. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gta-iv-harry-potter-and-karma/447251/8 "2008-04-29T10:26:16Z")
Rosebud is the sled :smack: ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gta-iv-harry-potter-and-karma/447251/9 "2008-04-29T16:54:22Z")
Yeah, cuz as the saying goes, two wrongs make a right. Plus I doubt that most people who found the spoiler thing funny (including me, mainly cuz of how pathetic HP fanboys are to begin with) are really gonna care if you try to spoil them. Besides, is the plot for GTA games really what sells copies? Tonight after work I’m looking forward to making random havoc in my city, and will try to skip the cutscenes as fasr as I can to get straight to the gaming. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gta-iv-harry-potter-and-karma/447251/10 "2008-04-29T17:18:52Z")
[QUOTE=fusoya] Yeah, cuz as the saying goes, two wrongs make a right. Plus I doubt that most people who found the spoiler thing funny (including me, mainly cuz of how pathetic HP fanboys are to begin with) are really gonna care if you try to spoil them. Besides, is the plot for GTA games really what sells copies? Tonight after work I’m looking forward to making random havoc in my city, and will try to skip the cutscenes as fasr as I can to get straight to the gaming. [/QUOTE] Up until this thread, I didn’t realize the GTA series had a plot at all. Consider me spoiled. ---
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gta-iv-harry-potter-and-karma/447251/11 "2008-04-29T17:24:24Z")
**WHAT???** Niko kills Roman??!? And you didn’t put that in a spoiler box? I know who karma’s coming after next. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gta-iv-harry-potter-and-karma/447251/12 "2008-04-29T17:25:24Z")
[QUOTE=Antinor01] Up until this thread, I didn’t realize the GTA series had a plot at all. Consider me spoiled. [/QUOTE] The underlying theme is “living the American Dream” in the Scarface mold. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gta-iv-harry-potter-and-karma/447251/13 "2008-04-29T18:54:14Z")
You go to some Harry Potter fans and yell out Snape Kills Dumbledore and they will pull out some little sticks, point them at you and yell Expelliramos! The GTA fans and yank you out of your car, beat you with a baseball bat and then drive your car through the mall, jumping from the third level to parking garage into the sports arena where they drive down through the crowd onto the playing field where they abandon your car just before the military helicoptor hits it with rocket fire. ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gta-iv-harry-potter-and-karma/447251/14 "2008-04-29T20:43:52Z")
[QUOTE=ArizonaTeach] **WHAT???** Niko kills Roman??!? And you didn’t put that in a spoiler box? I know who karma’s coming after next. [/QUOTE] I thought I made it clear that I just made that up - I have no idea what the plot of the game is, besides the names of those two characters. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2008, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gta-iv-harry-potter-and-karma/447251/15 "2008-05-01T14:06:02Z")
[QUOTE=Zebra] You go to some Harry Potter fans and yell out Snape Kills Dumbledore and they will pull out some little sticks, point them at you and yell Expelliramos! The GTA fans and yank you out of your car, beat you with a baseball bat and then drive your car through the mall, jumping from the third level to parking garage into the sports arena where they drive down through the crowd onto the playing field where they abandon your car just before the military helicoptor hits it with rocket fire. [/QUOTE] I _hate_ when that happens.