Resumen de Toponymy in the videogame "Grand Theft Auto IV"
This article describes the toponymic logic of the streets in the videogames Grand Theft Auto IV, The Lost and Damned, and The Ballad of Gay Tony and demonstrates how it serves an expressive purpose. The game's street names aid the player in navigating around the fictional city and create a sense of the city as a living, breathing place. But they also establish, in concert with other elements of the games, Grand Theft Auto's particular brand of satire; they reference specific themes that the game explores; and they even help develop character. The article proceeds by detailing the street names used in the games. It then interprets these names in reference to the stories and characters that the game contains. It is suggested that due to the navigational requirements of this kind of videogame it represents a form which makes possible an exciting brand of "literary toponymy" where names become a powerful textual strategy to enhance stories and approach themes in striking ways.
