Stuck in the Hood: Black Mobility, Loyalty, and Racial Caricature in Grand Theft Auto

Abstract

This paper offers a critical analysis of the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) franchise’s representation of Black male identity, with a particular focus on the character dynamics between CJ and Sweet in GTA: San Andreas and Franklin and Lamar in GTA V. Through close textual analysis of narrative structure, inter-character dialogue, and gameplay mechanics, this study argues that Rockstar Games constructs “the hood” as both a point of origin and a site of confinement, reinforcing racial caricatures beneath a veneer of satire. While CJ and Franklin articulate aspirations to transcend the structural conditions of street life, they are continually recentered within the hood through relationships that frame upward mobility as betrayal. Specifically, Sweet invokes notions of familial obligation and moral loyalty, whereas Lamar employs humor and performative authenticity to ridicule Franklin's ambitions. These dynamics illustrate a broader representational pattern in Rockstar’s design. The aestheticization of Black marginality is coupled with the denial of meaningful social mobility. Drawing from critical race theory, cultural studies, and game studies particularly the works of Stuart Hall, Kishonna Gray, and Lisa Nakamura this paper interrogates how GTA grapples with, but ultimately reproduces, reductive portrayals of Black identity, aspiration, and loyalty.